This is an 8 week, 16 module curriculum. The spacious Saturday classes are recorded, in case you miss one, or part of one: after all: life happens!

A comprehensive introduction to what doulas do over 16 modules

Each module includes optional extra reading/resources and reflection opportunities to help you integrate the learning into your own learning needs.

Module 1: History & the Contemporary Landscape of Death & Dying

How did we get from kitchen-table deathbeds to ICU monitors and paperwork? In this module we look at the social, medical, and cultural shifts that have changed how we die, and how those shifts shape the need for doula work today. We’ll also touch on demographics, chronic illness, isolation, and inequities in who gets access to good end-of-life care.

Module 2: Foundations of End-of-Life Doula Practice

Here we get clear on what doulas actually do — and what we don’t. We explore where end-of-life doulas fit alongside health care, hospice, funeral services, and community supports, and talk frankly about scope of practice, ethics, consent, confidentiality, documentation, and when it’s time to refer or collaborate.

Module 3: Community, Systems & Collective Care (befriending our own death experiences)

Dying and grieving don’t happen in a vacuum; they happen in families, communities, and systems. This module invites you to look at your own relationship with death & grief, while also exploring what “community of care” can look like and how doulas can support more communal, less isolated approaches to death and loss.

Module 4: Grounding, Boundaries & Sustainable Self-Care when Deathcaring

This work is beautiful and it can also be heavy. Here we focus on staying regulated and safe — for yourself and the people you support. We’ll work with simple grounding practices, talk about boundaries and common boundary challenges, and name what vicarious trauma and burnout can look like in this field. You’ll begin building a realistic self-care and support plan.

Module 5: How We Die: Signs and stages of expected dying

What does an “expected” death actually look like? In this module we walk through common physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual changes that can show up in the weeks, days, and hours before death. You’ll learn how to describe these changes in plain language to reduce fear, and how doulas can support comfort and meaning-making within scope.

Module 6: Companioning (including vigiling & comfort measures)

This is the “how to be there” module. We explore what companioning really is (and how it differs from fixing or clinical care), what vigils can look like in different settings, and the kinds of non-medical comfort measures doulas can offer. We’ll also talk about how to collaborate respectfully with health-care providers, caregivers, and spiritual leaders.

Module 7: How We Die – MAiD

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) is part of the Canadian end-of-life landscape, and doulas are often nearby when it’s being considered or chosen. In this module we look at MAiD from a doula perspective: a basic overview of process and context (without giving legal or medical advice), the emotional and relational complexities involved, what a grounded, non-directive doula stance can look like, and where our limits are. Though not currently legal in all parts of the US/Globally, this module will be relevant for non-Canadians as well.

Module 8: How We Die – Traumatic, Sudden, or Unexpected Loss

Not all deaths are anticipated, peaceful, or orderly. Here we talk about sudden, violent, accidental, and otherwise traumatic deaths — how they differ from expected dying, how trauma responses can show up in families and communities, and where doula scope begins and ends in these situations. We’ll touch on coroners, police, crisis teams, and when specialized trauma or mental health support is essential.

Module 9: Communication, Listening & Trauma-Informed Presence

End-of-life work is mostly conversation and presence. This module focuses on how to initiate and hold honest conversations about serious illness and dying, how to listen in ways that actually help, and how to bring a trauma-informed lens (safety, choice, collaboration, empowerment, cultural humility) to your interactions. We’ll also talk about death literacy and how doulas can gently build it.

Module 10: Cultural Humility, Spiritual Diversity & Systemic Bias

People die as who they are: within cultures, identities, histories, and systems. Here we explore cultural humility (vs “competence”), working respectfully with a wide range of spiritual, religious, and secular beliefs, and noticing our own biases. We’ll look at how racism, colonialism, ableism, and other forms of oppression shape people’s experiences of care, dying, and grief — and what that means for doulas.

Module 11: Families, Networks & Conflict in Serious Illness

Very few people die alone in emotional terms; families and circles of care are almost always in the room. In this module we map support networks, talk about the doula’s role in family conversations and meetings, and look at common sources of conflict (old history, geography, money, different beliefs). You’ll practice ways of staying neutral and boundaried while still centring the wishes and needs of the dying person.

Module 12: Planning Ahead – Holistic Advance Care Planning & Legacy

Advance care planning is more than ticking boxes on medical forms. Here we look at ACP in a holistic way: medical and philosophical wishes, legal/administrative pieces, social and spiritual considerations, and legacy. You’ll learn how to support clients in starting these conversations and documents (within non-legal, non-clinical scope), and explore accessible legacy options from letters and stories to everyday acts of meaning.

Module 13: Post-Death Practicalities – What happens after a death in different settings

What happens after a death depends a lot on where it happens. In this module we walk through typical post-death processes and timelines at home, in hospice, in long-term care, in hospital, and in community/coroner-involved situations. We’ll talk about who needs to be called, who pronounces death, how to empower families to be involved at every stage, and how doulas can support people through these steps without overstepping their scope of practice.

Module 14: Post-Death Practicalities – Funerals, disposition & working with other professionals

Here we focus on body care and funerals: conventional and green disposition options, traditional and alternative funeral models, home-based possibilities, direct cremation with later ceremony, and more. We’ll look at the roles of funeral directors, cemeteries, crematoria, and related providers, and how doulas can work alongside them in collegial, non-competitive ways. We’ll also touch on memorial jewellery, keepsakes, and other commemorative options.

Module 15: Ritual, Ceremony & Creative Meaning-Making

Ritual doesn’t have to mean incense and Latin (unless you want it to). In this module we explore why ritual and ceremony matter in dying, death, and bereavement, and how they can look in secular, spiritual, and culturally specific contexts. You’ll gather ideas for simple bedside rituals, farewells, and post-death gatherings, and practice thinking about meaning-making without imposing your own beliefs.

Module 16: Grief Support: Before, during & after death

We close by looking closely at grief: before, around, and after a death. We’ll distinguish anticipatory grief, acute grief, and longer-term integration; notice the many ways grief can show up in bodies, minds, and relationships; and talk about what within-scope grief support looks like for a doula (presence, validation, gentle education, resourcing). We’ll also name the signs that more specialized mental health or grief therapy support is needed, and how to help people find it.

As you wrap up the 16 modules, you’ll have:

• clarity about where you’re most called to deepen your knowledge: whether that’s bedside support, ritual and ceremony, or community education.

• the ability to thoughtfully integrate doula principles into what you’re already doing – in your paid work, volunteering, spiritual community, or family life.

• a realistic, grounded picture of what “being a doula” could look like for you, and some concrete next steps if you decide to keep going.

• a repeatable framework for ACP sessions

• language you can adapt for your own practice or community

• increased confidence about what you’re actually offering (and what you really need to stay away from)