FAQ

  • When are the courses offered?

    The Community Presence Workshop and The Self-Paced Professional Presence Doula Training are pre-recorded and self-paced. You can start anytime! The next session of the Facilitated Professional Presence Doula Training 8-week online course will take place in the Fall of 2024 with both a West Coast and an East Coast Cohort. The West Coast course runs from September 10, 2024 - November 5th, 2024. The East Coast course runs from Course runs from September 19, 2024 - November 7th, 2024. There are 4 live community Zoom sessions, which are a requirement of participation in the program, as well as an ongoing case study assignment and online discussion board posts and journaling throughout the course. We ask that you please double-check your calendar and make sure that you do not have conflicts with these dates and requirements prior to registering for the program.

  • Will I be a certified end-of-life doula after I take the course?

    From the National End of Life Doula Alliance: Many people ask about certification for end-of-life doulas. We understand. It's confusing. We each want the families we serve and the professionals we interact with to respect our experience and expertise, and to trust that we have the skills necessary to serve them in the best way possible. To prove our skill and training level, certification is often the answer. However, there is no universally recognized local, regional, or federal authority, regulatory or accrediting body that holds the liability or provides monitoring for end-of-life doulas. We have designed the Professional Training to prepare you for the NEDA Proficiency Examination. This is the only national standard measure of end of life doula skills.

  • What is your refund policy?

    We offer an 80% refund up to 30 days prior to the course start date. From 14-30 days prior to start date, we offer a 50% refund; with less than 14 days prior to start date, we cannot offer refunds. Please contact us if you have questions or want to request a refund.

  • Are there required textbooks?

    Required readings will be provided within the course as PDFs or web links. Suggested optional materials will be offered-- these books and movies should be available at your local library or online.

Social proof: testimonials

Expansive and Extraordinary

by Julie Derby Jaecksch

The Professional Presence Doula Training offered by Erin & Elizabeth of The Peaceful Presence Project End of Life Doulas collective is extraordinary. The depth of the material provided through articles, videos, podcasts, narrated power point presentations and live Zoom sessions is outstanding. The platform is easy to navigate and the community board for the students allows for sharing & connecting outside of the live sessions. They offer a multitude of recommended resources - books, films, organizations, newsletters - for students to continue learning and to determine their focus for their work as a doula. At the end of the course, I feel prepared to take the National End of life Doula Alliance proficiency test and to continue my preparations to launch my business as an independent doula to be of service to my community. Erin & Elizabeth offer personal mentoring and guidance during & after the course. I had done a significant amount of research on my own before the course began. The course material greatly expanded my knowledge & helped me realize that I want to widen my learning in a variety of areas as I continue on my journey as an end of life doula.

In loving kindness

By Aylex Warmbier

The knowledge and support provided in this course has been something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. The love and kindness felt in this class is palpable even when meeting at a distance and online…there is genuine love for what the Peaceful Presence Project does both on a mentoring and professional level and I am thankful to have had Erin and Elizabeth guide me in this area so very new to me. I had come to this training after my own experience with loss and was not certain how I could be of service to others and to have The Peaceful Presence Project show me all the ways I could engage with my community and truly be present opened so many possibilities that I had not expected. I am and will be forever thankful for this experience.

Well Worth It!

By Pam Z

Erin and Elizabeth provide a lot of in person time with the class as well as quick responses to any emails/questions you may have. The resources and materials they share are so helpful and the knowledge and experience they have collectively is invaluable. They also brought in other experts in the field. I would recommend this course to anyone interested in learning more about helping others, or even just themselves, with death literacy and choices and plans for what will ultimately help anyone facing death (which is all of us, something we all share in common!).

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome to the course!

    • How to use this course

    • A message from Peaceful Presence

    • Meet your course faculty!
  • 2

    Week #1: Relationship to Self

    • This Week's Overview

    • Lesson 1: Foundation

    • Becoming a Compassionate Presence

    • Lesson 2: Community Introductions

    • Lesson 3: Videos

    • Lesson 4: Journal Prompts

    • Compassionate Community Care Model

    • Learning Check-In

    • Live Session Week One Zoom Link

    • Key takeaways

    • Optional: Deeper Dive Resources
  • 3

    Week #2: Relationship with Others

    • This Week's Overview

    • Lesson 1: Inclusive Care

    • Lesson 2: Read and View

    • Companioning the Dying

    • Lesson 3: The Burden of Family Caregiving

    • Culture and End of Life

    • The Dying Experience

    • Lesson 4: Journal Prompts

    • Case Study: Jill and Becky

    • Test your learning

    • Key takeaways

    • Optional: Deeper Dive Resources
  • 4

    Week #3: Relationship with Systems

    • This Week's Overview

    • Lesson 1: Readings

    • Listen: The History of Hospice and Palliative Care in the U.S.

    • Care Pathways: Palliative Care and Hospice

    • Lesson 2: Systems of Care

    • Lesson 3: Inclusive Care

    • End-of-Life and After-Death options

    • Lesson 4: Journal Prompts

    • Test your Learning

    • Case Study : Jill and Becky

    • Live Session Zoom Link

    • Key takeaways

    • Optional: Deeper Dive Resources
  • 5

    Week 4: Professional Doula Skills and Scope of Practice

    • This Week's Overview

    • Lesson 1: Readings

    • For who do we show up, and how?

    • Supporting the Grief Experience

    • Lesson 2: Discussion Prompts

    • Professional service to a dying person

    • Lesson 3: Inclusive Care

    • Test your learning

    • Case Study 2: Jill and Becky

    • Key takeaways

    • Optional: Deeper Dive Resources
  • 6

    Week 5: Expanding your skill set

    • This Week's Overview

    • Lesson 1: Community Survey

    • Expanding your skillset

    • Lesson 2: Relevant Resources

    • Lesson 3: Trauma-Informed Care

    • Lesson 4: Inclusive Care

    • Test your learning

    • Case Study 2 : Jill and Becky

    • Week 5 Live Lesson Zoom Link

    • Key takeaways

    • Optional: Deeper Dive Resources
  • 7

    Week 6: Self Sustainability

    • This Week's Overview

    • Lesson 1: Readings and Resources

    • Lesson 2: Schedule an X-Day

    • Empathic Distress

    • Lesson 3: Optional Guided Dying Meditation

    • Key takeaways
  • 8

    Week 7: Planning for Care

    • This Week's Overview

    • Lesson 1: Holistic Planning for Care

    • Lesson 2: Advance Care Planning

    • Lesson 3: ACP with KODA Healthcare

    • Lesson 4: End of Life Planning

    • Lesson 5: Family care planning

    • Case Study 3: Jill and Becky

    • Test your learning

    • Key takeaways

    • Optional: Deeper Dive Resources
  • 9

    Week 8: Professional Development and Doula Toolkit

    • This Week's Overview

    • Lesson 1: Video and Discussion

    • Summing it Up

    • Lesson 2: Readings

    • Lesson 3: Structuring your practice

    • Lesson 4: Talking about your work

    • Case Study Final Week

    • Closing Reflection and Sharing

    • Test your learning

    • Week 8 Live Session Zoom Link

    • Course Evaluation

    • Course Complete: More resources for you