Home Funeral Guide Training

Learn all about how to care for the body of your loved one at home in the hours and days after death, like we used to do in the old days, and like many cultures still do around the world. Simple, natural, family-led home funerals are legal in all 50 states (some states require a funeral director to be minimally involved, Michigan included).  Home funerals can bring healing and comfort to friends and family and are a normal extension of hospice care at home. No embalming is required.

I have been training home funeral guides since 2010 and have assisted over 50 families in this sacred tradition. This Home Funeral Guide Training is designed to dovetail with End of Life Doula Training.

​Home Funeral Guide Training
​and NHFA Proficiency Badge Prep

$595.00
Online, self-guided, with weekly LIVE virtual office hours
 For end-of-life doulas, spiritual care providers, hospice workers, funeral professionals, or anyone who wishes to have the knowledge to plan ahead and guide family and friends to care for their own dead. Videos, readings, and exercises are pre-recorded - you can work through them on your own time, at your own pace. Merilynne will answer questions on the on-line discussion board. This course is offered in collaboration with Redesigning the End. Scholarships and payment plans available.
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Home Funeral Training Details

Participants learn:
  • Funeral care history in the U.S.
  • How to care for the body at home after death
  • How to create sacred space, funeral ceremony or ritual
  • Legal and cost considerations
  • How to locate and work with a funeral director
  • Special circumstances
  • How to plan ahead and create a circle of support

End-of-life doulas who wish to be involved in caring for the body in the home after death, home funerals are strongly encouraged to become trained as a Home Funeral Guide in addition to their End-of-Life Doula Training.
"I first met Merilynne in person at the National Home Funeral Alliance conference in Raleigh in 2013.  However, MONTHS before she had reached out to me as "the local" to help with marketing, contacting vendors, and making necessary phone calls.  What a dynamo!!  This woman is in-charge, on-point, and top-rate in every aspect related to home funeral and after death home care.  I have so much respect for her and her abilities to organize and get us to where we need to be.  Thank you, Merilynne, for all you do!  It has been a real blessing to know and learn from you through the years."                                     ​—Sara Williams, Shrouding Sisters

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​Compassionate Communities: A Public Health Approach to End-of-Life Care by Merilynne Rush, MSHP, BSN