Upcoming Trainings

End-of-Life Doula Training
LIVE, online via zoom; 5 weeks total

Saturdays September 19 - October 17, 2020
​1:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT/10:00 am - 1:00 pm PDT
FAQs About Training
The Dying Year EOLD Certification
Meet other aspiring and experienced EOL Doulas in our weekly discussion
Have questions?
Ready to register?

NEW: End-of-life Doula Refresher Class!

Take the next step to establish your practice. Join the 4-hour EOL Doula Refresher Class on Oct. 27, 4:00 - 8:00 pm EDT. This class is open to all EOL doulas who have taken a training, regardless of which one and with whom. We will:
  • Discuss what services you will offer, your concerns and any roadblocks
  • Learn ways to get the word out in your community
  • Develop your business forms
  • ​Discover EOLD best practices
  • And examine other professional development issues
​Discuss all this and more with other aspiring and experienced doulas from all over the country. Cost: $125.

End of Life Doula Online Training Services

Merilynne has trained over 200 end-of-life doulas since 2016. In addition to having been a hospice nurse, she brings to this work 40 years of experience caring for families in transition as a home birth midwife and companion care provider. Our zoom classes are dynamic, personal, deeply moving, and comprehensive, and meet the Core Competencies outlined here. Through class time and the prep work, you will be prepared to earn your Proficiency Badge through the National End-of-life Doula Alliance.

Meet the Teachers!

In addition to Merilynne, five dynamic women provide instruction for The Dying Year end-of-life doula training.
(Clockwise from upper left: Olivia Hunter, Baltimore, Jess Kilbourn, Ypsilanti, MI, Toula Saratsis, Ann Arbor, MI, Mystala Star Fallin, Milwaukee/Atlanta, and Robin Bow, Belleville, MI )

What you will learn

In each 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 the following five sections. Three to five hours of preparatory reading, viewing and journaling is sent to students 1-2 weeks ahead of time.

Class 1: Initial Diagnosis
  • Centering and breathing
  • Self-awareness, bias, equity, and inclusion
  • The Doula Model of Care, Code of Ethics, Scope of Practice, and EOLD role
  • Communication
  • Documentation (intake, agreements, resources)
  • Creating a circle of support
​Class 2: Advancing Illness
  • Advance Care Planning
  • Life review and legacy work
  • Anticipatory grief
  • Shifting roles and decision-making
  • Community resources and care settings
  • Dying is not a medical event
  • Palliative care, including pediatric
  • Hospice care
Class 3: End-stage Illness and Active Dying
  • Ceremony and ritual
  • Spiritual care
  • Presence and unknowing
  • Cultural appropriation
  • Bedside vigil
  • Advocacy
  • Safety
Class 4: Death and After Death Care
  • Immediate care of the body
  • Funeral plans, including home funeral
  • Disposition, including green burial
  • Grief and bereavement, including children's grief
  • Ongoing support
Class 5: Summary and Next Steps
  • EOL doula care in the Black community
  • Caring for LGBTQ older adults
  • Establishing your EOL doula practice
  • What services to offer
  • Self care
  • Certification
Who will benefit from end-of-life doula training?
  • Anyone who wants to become a professional end-of-life doula
  • Hospice volunteers and others wanting to serve
  • Family members and friends of the dying
  • Hospice and palliative care providers
  • Midwives and doulas
  • Nurses, doctors, and social workers
  • Clergy, chaplains, celebrants
  • Healers and therapists
  • Those who provide home care and companion care
  • Life coaches
 
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.
"Merilynne is knowledgeable, thorough, and the best around when it comes to end of life care, doula-ing, hospice, and palliative care. I have taken two courses with her and it has been an invaluable experience. Thank you, Merilynne!"
-Em Waugh, June 2020
"The End of Life Doula Training is a true gift and it brought more to my life than I could have imagined.  It is a rich body of work which takes you into a deeper inquiry of both death and life.  The curriculum is comprehensive and so easy to engage with.  The warmth and expertise Merilynne brings creates a container for compassionate, embodied learning.  I highly recommend this course!"
-Jacqueline, New York