Deanna and I have been friends for a long time. Wet met when I asked her if I could share some of her educational materials with my students. Wow! What a powerhouse she is! We instantly hit it off and began networking and sharing ideas about this work, supporting each other as innovators and teachers. As I was talking with Deanna I realized the benefits of coming together with other leaders in this field to learn from each other and further our work. That's the kind of person we both are: the more the merrier :) In early 2017 we began planning what we called the "End-of-life Doula Network." Later that year, as Deanna put together a meeting with the NHPCO leadership, our Network morphed into the National End-of-life Doula Alliance, and we invited everyone we could think of who was teaching at the time to join us. 
That's the story of my beginnings with Deanna. But her history with EOL doula work goes back much further. She is going to share with us what she knows. 
People, mostly women, have been caring for their dying loved ones forever. It is what people do. We live and die in community (most of us) and we care for each other. Throughout herstory the role has been given many names as certain people were identified as having special experience, knowledge or skills in this area and were called upon again and again.
We honor those who have come before us in all traditions and what they have passed down to us. We invite you to think about who has influenced, taught, or inspired you to be involved in this work. We recognize that only recently have we separated out this role from other caregiving work and given it a new name. We celebrate the many threads that grow out of all traditions and cultures. In this webinar we take the time to name those who come before us, known and unknown. Together we will move forward, weave it all together, and bring our services to those who need them. Won't you join us as we explore our past, stand strong in our present, and dream about our future?
To join the live webinar on July 7, please register here.

New course, fully online with LIVE virtual office hours begins October 18, 2021!
I'm thrilled to offer this completely revamped training, in collaboration with Brian Hayden and Redesigning the End. Individual modules include reading, viewing, writing exercises, and other exciting activities to prepare you to guide others in caring for their own dead at home. Home funeral, fully legal in all 50 states, is a natural way to continue loving death care in the home, with no need for the body to go to a funeral home. Ideal for those who have been in hospice care and who embrace a natural approach that is environmentally friendly. 

I have been teaching about natural death care since 2009 and have assisted over 50 families having a home funeral. Ideal for end-of-life doulas, funeral professionals, spiritual care providers, and hospice workers, the curriculum includes history of US funeral practices, legal considerations, state-by-state laws, benefits of home care, how to care for the body, supplies, special circumstances, creating a ceremony or gathering, anatomical donation and much more. Students are fully prepared to take the National Home Funeral Alliance (NHFA) Proficiency Exam and earn their Badge.

This class is offered in collaboration with Redesigning the End. For more information and to register, click here. Cost: $595. Questions? Contact Merilynne.