Educator Profile: Claudette Peterson
by Garrett Drew Ellis
Claudette Peterson: Advocate, Ally, and Adult Educator
The new educators at INELDA come from wide-ranging, diverse backgrounds and bring a heartfelt commitment to diversity of thought and experience. Claudette Peterson is an INELDA-trained death doula who has joined our team of instructors. She is committed to compassion, diversity, and a supportive learning environment. With a doctorate in adult education and a wealth of experience in higher education, Claudette is at the same time an academic, a professional, and a person-centered death doula.
What made you want to become a death doula?
In the 1980s, I was both saddened and angered by the fact that so many gay men were dying alone from HIV and AIDS. Many of them were rejected by their families. I give a lot of credit to the LGBTQ+ community, as well as to people like myself, who stepped up to provide death support for them. It was very rewarding, and one of the things I regard as an honor in this life, to have stood in as their family of choice during a time when they needed support the most. I started volunteering with their community and then went on to become a hospice volunteer, and eventually a trained doula.
What made you want to teach others to do this work?
In the United States, we are not often around people who are dying. They are secluded and tucked away in hospitals and nursing homes. Because of that seclusion, a lot of people express feelings of not knowing how to interact with them, to respond to their needs, or to simply be around death. I believe that we do not have to be social workers or medical professionals in order to offer support to the dying. Trainings like the one that INELDA provides help equip individuals to do that work. After receiving my own training, I knew that I wanted to help be a part of that educational offering.
What is your teaching philosophy and style? How do you engage with students?
What I learned working in the HIV/AIDS arena was that we didn’t have, nor do we have now, a vaccine or a cure to help stop the spread of the virus. All we had and still have is education. When patients stopped dying so quickly from the virus, I decided to obtain a doctoral degree in adult education, because education was the thing that I saw helping the most. I became aware of the word andragogy, or the art and science of helping adults learn, as opposed to pedagogy, or the art of teaching children.
Adults come with different needs and preferences in terms of approaching education. Adults do not want to be treated like a blank slate, similar to the way a kindergarten teacher might approach her students. Adults want to learn practical ways of being and acting that will help them solve an immediate problem.
As an educator with INELDA, my desire is to help adult learners in this way, and to marry hands-on learning with the need for death support education. The most fulfilling thing about teaching adults and students at INELDA is helping them to develop a sense of self-efficacy—that they do have what they need to support the dying community around them, whether that be family, friends, or the general public.
Why teach with INELDA?
I did my initial death doula training with INELDA immediately after retiring from a position as a university professor. I was very impressed with the way that they were able to pivot and start providing the training online after the initial COVID-19 epidemic hit. The training was very effective and efficient, both important aspects of providing education. I am excited because it makes the work accessible to more people. I am glad to be a part of an organization that is committed to accessibility and varied training options.
I have a strong commitment to creating an effective learning environment for the students. I recognize that they bring a wealth of questions and inquiries, as well as knowledge and wisdom. I am there to make the training a place for inquisition and learning, as well as support.
Another lovely part of the training is that we get to practice skills within the classroom setting before we put them to use with clients at the bedside.
What is one wish that you have for your students?
My wish for the students I train is that they would know that while death can be ugly, it can also be a transformative experience. A lot of healing can take place, whether it be emotional, spiritual, or interpersonal. As death doulas, they have the unique opportunity to be a part of that process.
Bio: Claudette Peterson has a bachelor’s degree in information systems from University of Texas–San Antonio as well as a masters from Texas A&M University, also in information systems. Starting as a volunteer for the Montgomery AIDS Outreach, she became the director of an HIV testing clinic, after which she earned a doctor of education (EdD) in adult learning from Oklahoma State University. She joined INELDA as a educator in the summer of 2021.