End of Life Doula Training

Train with NEDA co-founder and first President, and co-creator of the NEDA Proficiency Exam. Merilynne Rush has trained 800+ EOLDs since 2016. In addition to having been a hospice nurse, Merilynne has over 40 years' experience caring for families in transition as a home birth midwife and companion care provider. 
 
Class facilitators - Merilynne Rush, Olivia Hunter, Star Fallin, Christina Wall, and Grey Allen.
"Meet the Team"
21 hours of synchronous online class time (6 weeks, 3.5 hours/week)
100-page Study Guide chock full of resources and exercises
Full preparation to earn your NEDA Proficiency Badge
Ongoing mentoring and free weekly discussion group to stay connected.
Our classes emphasize equity, cultural humility, and examination of internal bias.

Upcoming Trainings


Upcoming End-of-Life Doula Trainings
LIVE classes, online via Zoom
6 weeks, 3.5 hours/week
$725 (scholarships and payment plans available)
Take it as a refresher (with any previous EOLD training) for $350

Wednesdays, July 16 - August 20
4:00 - 7:30 pm EDT/1:00 - 4:30 pm PDT
- ​OR -
Fridays, Oct. 17 - Nov. 21
1:00 - 4:30 pm EDT/10:00 - 1:30 pm PDT
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What you will learn

In each 3.5-hour class we discuss the physical, emotional, spiritual, cognitive, and social/cultural needs of the dying individual and their family, caregiver(s), and community, as well as the doula's role and non-medical, hands-on comfort measures. The class is divided into six sessions. The 100-page Study Guide provides preparatory reading, viewing, and journaling for each class (minimum prep time: 5 hours/week).

1. Introduction to EOL Doula Care
  • Scope of Practice and Code of Ethics
  • Self-awareness and Centering
  • Self-care
  • "Good Death" and Intro to Bias
2. Living with Illness
  • Racism and Bias in Care Settings; Naming our Biases
  • Helping Discordant Families
  • Creating your Resource List and Caring for Low-income Families
  • Compassionate Communities
  • Assessment and Communication
3. End-stage Illness and Active Dying
  • Advance Care Planning
  • Understanding Palliative and Hospice Care
  • Companioning and Presence
  • Non-medical Comfort and Support
4. Bedside Vigil; Sudden Death
  • Life Review
  • Meeting the Needs of LGBTQ Older Adults
  • Special Needs Groups
5. Natural Death Care
  • Immediate care of the body
  • Funeral plans, including home funeral
  • Disposition, including green burial
  • Ritual and Ceremony
  • Grief and bereavement, including children's grief
6. Establishing Your Doula Business
  • Life Purpose and Skills Inventory
  • Continuing education and certification
  • Case Studies

Make-up Classes: We do not record classes. Where possible, links to recordings of topics have been provided in the study guide or can be obtained via the website. All info discussed in classes is in your study guide, so no individual make-up classes are offered. However, feel free to attend a class missed — if it’s class 3, 4, 5 or 6 — in an upcoming cohort within 6 months. 

Certification: If you are interested in becoming a certified EOLD by The Dying Year, note that you must attend and participate in classes 1 and 2, plus three (3) other classes — meaning you can only miss one class in the six-part training.  (In this case, “participate” is defined as camera and/or voice participation the majority of the time. If your availability to participate changes after classes start, let’s discuss transferring you to an upcoming cohort during which you can fully participate.) You can make up classes 3, 4, 5, or 6 in an upcoming cohort within the next 6 months to meet the certification requirements. Along with attending 5 of 6 classes, all other certification requirements must be met.

Our Training Philosophy

  • ​We are all learners.
  • We all have wisdom and experience to share with each other.
  • A safe learning environment requires respect and inclusion of everyone regardless of race, color, ability, age, gender identity and expression, national or ethnic origin, political belief, marital status, veteran status, immigration status, or religion.
  • Our country was founded on white supremacy; systemic racism is inherent in our society and is not debatable.
  • Implicit bias is human and we all have it.
  • We must pay attention to the historical roots and inward and outward effects of white supremacy, homophobia, hetero-normative language and behavior, ethnocentricity, and other harmful biases.
  • End-of-life doula work is inherently political.
  • Structures of racism lead to disparities and inequities, especially in health and death care.
  • Dismantling inequities and injustices, internally and externally, takes time. 
  • We all must work together for as long as it takes to achieve collective liberation. 
All class participants are expected to agree to, and uphold, these principles. There is no room during our class meetings for questioning or challenging these basic statements because it takes up valuable class time and causes harm to others. You will be asked to indicate your agreement to these beliefs in the registration process. 

Are these concepts new to you? Would you like to study or discuss this prior to registering for our class? Please let us know and we will arrange to speak with you, or check out the following resources which may help you to understand these principles:

Questions About The Dying Year End-of-Life Doula Training

Who will benefit from end-of-life doula training?
  • Anyone working with older adults or in a senior living care facility of any type
  • Hospice and palliative care volunteers and staff
  • Family members and friends of the dying
  • Nurses, doctors, and social workers
  • Clergy, chaplains, and celebrants
  • Healers and therapists
  • Home care and companion care providers
  • Life coaches
  • Birth midwives and doulas
 
Who should not take this training?
This training is designed for those who are preparing to care for others. Therefore, it is not recommended for the recently bereaved or those who are currently very ill. If you have concerns, please ask.

Watch this interview to see an alumnus of our training in action!
"As a bipoc masculine presenting person I used to feel outside of the predominant white female doula culture. The Dying Year addressed this immediately and thoughtfully and made my presence feel not only welcome but necessary. All of the facilitators were just fantastic. I appreciated the breadth of experience of the presenters as well as the diverse personalities and ways of presenting information. The material was well organized and the class flow allowed just enough time and variety to get to know the other members of the class and to question and interrogate our answers."     -Brent Harris, 2023
"I’m very grateful for all I learned and how the training has opened up a path to my life’s purpose. I appreciate all of the thought and work you put into designing the course and compiling the learning resources for us."

-Kristi Holmstrom, 2024