An end-of-life doula serves as a companion and ally to assist and care for all the parts of the death and dying journey so that you can live to the end with dignity and aligned with your core values. The doula can help you facilitate the hard conversations with your family and loved ones and support you to have all the resources you need to be comfortable.

This support can come at a time when:

• You may be someone that does not have many loved ones nearby, and you need accompaniment on the journey with someone that can hold you and be with you exactly where you are.  
• You are contemplating death whether or not you have a known diagnosis or illness you are confronting
• You might know that your end is near and you need to process the grief and loss, to get help moving through stages towards acceptance. 
• You may wish to explore, clarify and write out your end of life wishes, examine your fears, explore your legacy and honor your life with review and conscious reflection.  
• You may be full of existential questions, loss of faith, reclamation of faith or a desire to find a spiritual path to hold you at this threshold.
• You are a caregiver and you need support as you tend to your loved ones, or if you are anywhere along the phases of grief and loss for someone in your life.

Our culture has turned as far away from death as possible through denial and technologies to keep us alive no matter the cost. This has made us fear death rather than embrace and claim it as our own.  My hope is that we can also learn to believe that death too is a sacred and precious gift. When we don’t overlook our death and instead turn towards it early on, our dying process can serve as a tremendous opportunity for healing and empowerment.  When we take the time to discover our end of life wishes, it becomes possible for us to find a sense of comfort and peace as we exit our bodies. With knowledge, awareness and support, each of us has the power to make space for grace, beauty, and dignity to be our end of life story. 

Packages and Rates

End of Life & Grief Counseling

• One to One Hourly Sessions: $85-115 sliding scale

• Group Sessions: $100-$150 sliding scale

Accompaniment on the Journey to Final Passage

This offering is tailored to the needs of the patient and family and payment to be discussed based on the needs, time frame and specific circumstances and includes:

• End of Life Planning
  • Advanced Directive/Living Will support
  • Final Arrangements including burial/cremation, celebration of life & memorial plans
• Legacy Work and Life Review
• Emotional and Spiritual Counseling
• Respite Care for Caregivers and Families
• Guidance for family, friends and beloveds
• Bedside Vigil
• Closure rituals and rites tailored to your faith tradition

Here are some of the ways that we might work together

Wrestle:  past hurts, current and future practical worries and questions around finances, living situation, etc., grappling with death itself, existential questions, spiritual wreckoning, loss of faith and reclaiming of beliefs, family dynamics etc. 

Reconcile: coming to terms with your past to be able to be present with as much release and resolve as possible;  making peace with parts of yourself, relationships and the world, forgiveness of self and others, etc.  

Prepare:  physical, emotional and spiritual preparation for your death; releasing items you no longer need, exploring what you wish for your final days on earth- who, what, where, when and how; having all your documents and paperwork in order early so you can set it behind you and focus on what really matters.  

Gratitude: spending time in appreciation for your life, engaging in life review and dancing with practices to support you to find wholeness and completion no matter what the circumstances.

Surrender:  Much like our birth, we cannot predict the timeline for our death. Will it be sudden?  Will we be given a death sentence?  Will we have pain or will our mind go?  We can practice the state of surrender in our lives as dress rehearsal for our death.  And, when we have arrived at this phase, we have chosen what we need to be as comfortable as possible and we have worked through the difficulties and we can let ourselves release more and more to the process that is unfolding. 

Mystery:  Lastly, no one really knows what happens when we die.  Some of us might be very clear and that is beautiful.  Some of us have no idea and this may bring an assortment of feelings to the surface.  When we work through any doubts or unknowns, we might be able to embrace this unknown with more ease. We can practice having a relationship to the Mystery throughout our lives as another way to prepare us for this final moment…