Heather Servaty-Seib
Professor, Counseling Psychology; Senior Associate Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, Office of the Provost
Counseling Psychology,
Educational Studies
Email:
servaty@purdue.edu
Phone:
(765) 494-0615
Address:
Hovde Hall
610 Purdue Mall
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2098
Room 100
Links:
LinkedInAbout
Dr. Servaty-Seib is the senior associate vice provost for teaching and learning at Purdue University. She is a professor of Counseling Psychology in the College of Education with specialization in the field of thanatology (i.e., the study of death and dying) including late adolescent/young adults grief, suicidal ideation, and social support offered to the bereaved. She co-edited Assisting Bereaved College Students, a higher education resource, and We Get It, a book of narratives by grieving college students. Her scholarship has supported the development of college student grief absence policies at Purdue and other U.S. institutions. Dr. Servaty-Seib and her grief and loss research team developed the Perceived Impact of Life Event Scale, a measure that uses the gain/loss framework (i.e., all life events involve both gains and losses) to assess the multidimensional impact of single life events. Her engaged research has been supported by funding from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Lumina Foundation, and the John W. Anderson Foundation. Dr. Servaty-Seib was selected to serve as the lead editor of the most recent edition of the Handbook of Thanatology (2021).
Education
- Ph.D. University of North Texas, Denton TX 1997
Counseling Psychology (APA Accreditation) - M.S. University of North Texas, Denton, TX 1995
Counseling Psychology - B.A. Concordia College, Moorhead, MN 1992
Major: Psychology, Minor: Philosophy
Career Experience
- Senior Associate Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning
- Purdue University 2023-Present
- Associate Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning
- Purdue University 2021-2023
- Interim Associate Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning
- Purdue University 2020-2021
- Associate Dean of Student Life, Honors College
- Purdue University 2017-2021
- Associate Dept. Head, Department of Educational Studies
- Purdue University 2015-2020
- Training Director, Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program
- Purdue University 2008-2013
- Professor, Counseling Psychology
- Purdue University 2015-Present
- Associate Professor, Counseling Psychology
- Purdue University 2007-2015
- Assistant Professor, Counseling Psychology
- Purdue University 2000-2007
- Radford University, Department of Psychology, 1997-2000
Awards & Honors
- Promising Practice Award for Inclusive Advising Initiative 2024
- Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Access in Leadership Conference
- Conference in partnership with National Conference on Race and Ethnicity
- Corps of Engagement Award—Purdue University 2021
- Families Tackling Tough Times Together—Faculty Contributor
- Outstanding Service/Engagement Award 2019
- Purdue University-College of Education
- Outstanding Service/Engagement Award 2018
- Purdue University-Department of Educational Studies
- Outstanding Learning/Teaching Award 2016; 2017
- Purdue University-Department of Educational Studies
- Dean’s Fellow, Analytical Assessment, Honors College 2016
- Purdue University
- Faculty Fellowship to Study in a Second Discipline (Aviation Technology) 2015-2016
- Purdue University Office of the Provost
- Outstanding Service/Engagement Award 2015
- Purdue University-College of Education
- Betty L. Harrah Journal Manuscript of the Year 2013
- Association of College and University Housing Officers-International
- Death Educator of the Year 2013
- Association for Death Education and Counseling
Professional Affiliations/Memberships
- American Psychological Association
- Society of Counseling Psychology (Division 17)
- Association for Death Education and Counseling
- National Collegiate Honors Council (2017-2021)
Research & Publications
Research interests include a broad range of areas within the field of thanatology (i.e., the study of death and dying) with particular emphasis on late adolescent/young adult grief, death and dying-related communication issues, and social support offered to the bereaved. In addition, Dr. Servaty-Seib’s research team focuses on a variety of non-death loss experiences (e.g., divorce, romantic breakup, sports injury) and has developed the Perceived Impact of Life Events Scale, an instrument that uses a gain/loss approach to assessing the multidimensional impact of single life events.
Selected Publications
Books
- Servaty-Seib, H. L., & Chapple, H. (Eds.). (2021). Handbook of Thanatology (3rd edition). Association for Death Education and Counseling.
- Servaty-Seib, H. L., & Fajgenbaum, D. (Eds.). (2015). We get it: Voices of grieving college students and young adults. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishing.
- Servaty-Seib, H. L., & Taub, D. J. (Eds.). (2008). Assisting bereaved college students. New Directions in Student Services series. New York: Jossey-Bass.
Refereed Journal Articles
- Servaty-Seib, H. L., Williams, P., & Liew, C. H. (2023). Interpersonal and intrapersonal predictors of suicidal thoughts and actions in first-year college students. Journal of American College Health, 71, 670-676.
- Lin, Y., Servaty-Seib, H. L., & Peterson, J. (2021). Child sexual abuse survivors’ grief experiences after the death of the abuser. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 83(4), 777–801.
- Liew, C. H., & Servaty-Seib, H. L. (2019). College students’ feedback regarding a student bereavement leave policy. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 57 (1), 55-68.
- Servaty-Seib, H. L., & Liew, C. H. (2019). Advocating for bereavement leave policies for college students. Journal of College Student Development, 60, 240-244.
- Servaty-Seib, H. L. (2014). Using a gain/loss framework to measure impact: The Perceived Impact of Life Event Scale. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 19, 331-354.
- Servaty-Seib, H. L., & Taub, D. J. (2010). Bereavement and college students: The role of counseling psychology. The Counseling Psychologist, 38, 947–975.
- Servaty-Seib, H. L., & Hamilton, L. A. (2006). Educational performance and persistence of bereaved college students. Journal of College Student Development, 47, 225-234.
Current Grants & Funded Research
- Servaty, H. L. (2024-present). Instructional Innovation. University Innovation Alliance, $13,000.
- Servaty-Seib, H. L., Wilson, N., & Dufault, K. (2023-Present) Academic Recovery. University Innovation Alliance, $220,000. (co-PI)
- Servaty-Seib, H. L. & Elliott, J. (2020-Present). Student Centered Advising Initiative. Student Redesign, University Innovation Alliance. Round 1-$35,000 (PI), Round 2-$100,000 (co-PI)