Get up to $3,500 in funding
This program is eligible for the StrongerBC future skills grant. Apply for the grant through EducationPlannerBC.
For the past decade, Douglas College has been a leader in end-of-life doula education across Canada, preparing compassionate, knowledgeable, and confident caregivers who make a meaningful difference in their communities.
Are you a family caregiver who wants to understand the complexities of death and dying? Or, perhaps you are working in health care and looking for end-of-life doula training to support your clients? Through our End-of-Life Doula program you’ll learn to provide the best possible care and support for those who are nearing the end-of-life. You’ll get experience developing care plans, responding effectively to grief, facilitating family meetings, teaching self-care practices and more.
- Overview
- Prerequisites
- Instruction method and assessment
- Tuition and books
- Course offerings
- Registration
- FAQs
- Media
Overview
Course name: Introduction to End-of-Life Doula
Subject code: BREV 1100
Course length: 32 hours (10 hours in person, 22 hours with recorded lectures and other materials)
Course description
Whether you work in health care, support a loved one through serious illness, or feel called to serve others at the end of life, this program will provide you with the knowledge, practical skills, and confidence to offer compassionate, person-centered care within the Canadian health-care system.
You will learn to support individuals and families through advance care planning, communication, grief, the dying process, family meetings, and professional end-of-life doula practice, while developing the skills to provide informed, compassionate support throughout the end-of-life journey.
Please note: If you have recently lost a loved one, we recommend that you wait a while to give yourself time to process and recover from your loss. This will ensure that, when you register, you will be able to focus effectively on the curriculum, engage fully in the challenging topics considered during the course, and develop the skillset to be an effective practitioner for your future clients on their final journeys.
Course content
This comprehensive program prepares students to provide compassionate, person-centered support to individuals and families throughout the end-of-life journey.
Topics include:
- The philosophy, role, and scope of practice of the end-of-life doula
- Professional ethics, boundaries, and standards of practice
- Communication, presence, and emotional support
- Grief, loss, and family dynamics
- Advance care planning and future healthcare decision-making
- The dying process and comfort-focused care
- Immediate after-death care and bereavement support
- Cultural humility and inclusive end-of-life care
- Professional practice, collaboration, and lifelong learning
Learning objectives
Upon successful completion of the End-of-Life Doula Program, graduates will be able to:
- Apply the knowledge, skills, and judgement required to provide compassionate, person-centred end-of-life care.
- Communicate effectively and compassionately with individuals, families, and members of the healthcare team.
- Support individuals and families through advance care planning, the dying process, grief, and bereavement within the end-of-life doula scope of practice.
- Practice ethically and professionally while demonstrating cultural humility, reflective practice, and appropriate professional boundaries.
- Develop a sustainable approach to end-of-life doula practice through collaboration, self-awareness, and lifelong learning.
Prerequisites
There are no formal prerequisites for this course, but completion of English 12 with a minimum grade of “C” or proof of equivalent as outlined in detail on the English Proficiency page is assumed.
Students who register are understood to be confirming successful completion of this expectation.
Instruction method and assessment
Instruction Method
To better support today's learners, the program has been redesigned using a flipped classroom model. Foundational content is delivered through professionally recorded lectures, readings, videos, and guided reflection activities that you complete before attending class. Live sessions are then dedicated to discussion, case studies, experiential learning, skill development, mentorship, and collaborative learning with your peers.
The program includes 10 hours of live, interactive classroom learning and approximately 22 hours of guided independent learning. Before each live class, students are expected to complete the assigned pre-recorded lectures, readings, online discussions, and reflective journaling activities. This preparation allows live class time to focus on meaningful conversation, practical application, skill development, and deeper exploration of the course material.
This approach also improves accessibility for students across Canada by allowing you to revisit lectures as often as needed while balancing work, family, and other commitments.
Assessment
Learning in this program is active, reflective, and collaborative. Rather than traditional exams or lengthy written assignments, students deepen their learning through a combination of:
- Reflective journaling
- Online group discussions
- Interactive classroom participation
- Case studies and experiential learning activities
The most important expectation is that students come to each class prepared. Before attending the live sessions, students are expected to complete the assigned pre-recorded lectures, readings, and learning activities. This preparation allows class time to focus on meaningful discussion, practical application, and learning from one another's experiences.
Tuition and books
Tuition
- $826.00 Summer
- $842.00 Fall Winter
Textbooks not included in tuition fee.
Books
Required book:
- Fersko-Weiss, Henry (2020), Finding Peace at the End of Life, A Death Doula’s Guide for Families and Caregivers: 978-1-59003-502-3
or
- Fersko-Weiss, Henry (2020), Finding Peace at the End of Life, A Death Doula’s Guide for Families and Caregivers, DIGITAL: 978-1-63341-107-4
*suggested to read in advance, however can be read during course also (approx 1.5hrs of reading/night)
Additional recommended books:
- Okun, B. (2012) Saying Goodbye: A Guide to Coping with a Loved One’s Terminal Illness, NY: Berkley Books
- Kessler, D. (2007) The Needs of the Dying, NY: Harper Collins
Contact the Douglas College Bookstore or local/online bookseller for prices and ordering information.
Please purchase the book in advance of the course start date.
Instructions on how to access your course materials will be emailed to you by the Program Assistant within five (5) business days prior to your chosen course start date.
Course offerings
For questions regarding information not found on this page, please email cehs@douglascollege.ca.
Please see FAQ for information regarding registering for courses outside of your home province.
A full list of upcoming offerings can be found below:
2026 Offerings
Dates | Aug 1 - Aug 29 |
CRN | 21640 |
Location | Ontario (Online) |
Schedule | Aug 1, 8, 15, 22 9:00 am- 4:30 pm Aug 29 9:00 am- 4:00 pm |
Registration Deadline | July 28, 2026 |
Dates | Sept 14 - Oct 19 |
CRN | 31102 |
Location | BC (Online) |
Schedule | Sept 14, 21, 28 Oct 5, 19 6pm - 8pm |
Registration Deadline | Sept 7, 2026 |
Dates | Sept 17, 24, Oct 1, 8, 15 |
CRN | 31104 |
Location | ON (Online) |
Schedule | 6 - 8 pm |
Registration Deadline | Sept 10, 2026 |
| Dates | Oct 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 |
| CRN | 31194 |
| Location | Online |
| Schedule | 1 - 3 EST |
| Registration Deadline | Sep 25, 2026 |
Dates | Oct 7, 14, 21, 28, Nov 4 |
CRN | 31107 |
Location | BC (Online) |
Schedule | 6 - 8 pm PST |
Registration Deadline | Sept 30, 2026 |
Dates | Oct 26 Nov 2, 9, 16, 23 |
CRN | 31108 |
Location | BC (Online) |
Schedule | 6 - 8 pm PST |
Registration Deadline | Oct 19, 2026 |
Dates | Oct 27, Nov 3, 10, 17, 24 |
CRN | 31109 |
Location | BC (Online) |
Schedule | 6 - 8 pm PST |
Registration Deadline | Oct 20, 2026 |
Dates | Nov 14, 21, 28 Dec 5, 12 |
CRN | 31195 |
Location | (Online) |
Schedule | 1 - 3 pm EST |
Registration Deadline | Nov 6, 2026 |
Dates | Nov 18, 25, Dec 2, 9 16 |
CRN | 31113 |
Location | BC (Online) |
Schedule | 6 - 8 pm PST |
Registration Deadline | Nov 11, 2026 |
Registration
Ready to register? Call Continuing Education Registration at 604-527-5472 or toll-free at 1-866-930-5472 and quote the CRN from the course offerings for the session you are interested in. Payment of the tuition fee must accompany registration.
Note: While the College does everything it can to ensure that courses will proceed, we reserve the right to cancel an offering up to one week prior to the start date if minimum enrollment numbers are not met. Full refunds will be issued in the event of cancellation.
FAQs
Attendance
All in-person sessions must be attended in order to receive a Recognition of Course Completion.
Emergency circumstances are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and will need to be reviewed by the Program Coordinator. If the class time missed is deemed excessive, the course will need to be re-taken at the student’s expense in order to receive the recognition of course completion.
Books and Course Content
No. Any required books for purchase are outlined on the course information page on the Douglas College website. Course materials, as found on the course shell, are included in the tuition.
From the Douglas College bookstore or from any other source you prefer.
Two weeks from the time your course ends.
Class Schedule
No. Students are required to be present during the scheduled times of their chosen course offering.
Yes. Generally, dates/schedules are posted several months or more in advance. Please scroll through the options listed, as there are offerings in the evenings and on weekends.
Course Completion
No. The profession is not yet a regulated one in Canada. Once it his however, certification would be obtained from a governing body, rather than the College.
All participants who successfully complete the course will receive a Recognition of Course Completion, sent digitally. You are free to print the document or share it electronically. A transcript can also be requested from the College, which is the most official form of proof of course completion.
Registration and payment
People from all walks of life take the course. From individuals who are caregivers for friends or family in palliative care, or someone volunteering in a palliative care setting, to health professionals already working in these environments. As well, individuals with a general or deep interest in the subject matter, who believe taking the course to be useful for themselves in either a personal or professional capacity.
Yes. However, it is strongly recommended that you choose one for your own province. If you are unable to find an offering for your province that suits your schedule, then you can enrol in another province, keeping in mind:
- difference in time-zones – the schedule will be local to the province of the offering,
- any provincial policies related to the subject/profession, will be taught to that of the province offering.
Yes. Registration in the course is confirmed upon full payment. There is no option for payment in instalments.
Preferred method of payment is credit card, however if needed you can also make a bill payment through your financial institution using your student number as the account number.
Bill payments can take 3-4 business days before we receive it. To avoid deregistration please send a screenshot of your bill payment to cereg@douglascollege.ca
Prior to the registration deadline, tuition can be transferred to other available offerings.
Once the registration deadline has passed, transfer of tuition will be considered on a case-by-case basis in the following situations:
- family or personal emergencies,
- unusual and/or extenuating circumstances that cannot be avoided (such as inclement weather and/or power outages), and
- illness
No. Tuition transfers to another person are not possible.