Make a positive impact in your community and help those who need support by becoming an End-of-Life Doula. Are you working in health care and looking to receive end of life doula training within a Canadian context? Or maybe you’re a family caregiver who wants to understand the complexities of death and dying? 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. Find out more below.
Please see FAQ for information regarding registering for courses outside of your home province.
- Overview
- Prerequisites
- Instruction method and assessment
- Tuition & books
- Course offerings
- Registration
- FAQs
- Media
- Education Day
Overview
Course name
Introduction to End-of-Life Doula
Subject code
BREV 1100
Course length
32 hours
Course description
This course is designed for individuals who have been or will be called upon to provide care, support and advocacy for someone who is facing the end of their life. Students in this course develop an understanding of how the continuity of care and advocacy they provide complements the end of life care provided by the medical community and hospice palliative care workers and volunteers.
Whether you are a family caregiver seeking a deeper understanding of the questions and issues that arise at end of life, or are planning to open a practice as an End-of-Life Doula, this course will provide you with opportunities to discuss issues, ask questions, and find a community of practice that can support you as a caregiver through the end of life journey.
For more information about the community of practice for End-of-Life Doulas, please contact The End-of-Life Doula Association of Canada.
Please see FAQ for information regarding registering for courses outside of your home province.
Please note: Before you enroll in the End-of-Life Doula course, 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. Giving yourself this time will provide you with an opportunity to reflect on the recency and impact of your loss, your current level of grief, as well as your personal experience and coping mechanisms during those difficult periods. This will ensure that when you are ready to 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 Doula practitioner for your future clients on their final journeys.
Course content
Topics covered include:
- palliative care and the complementary role of the End-of-Life Doula;
- changing demographics and its effect on the health care system;
- cross-cultural and religious beliefs and practices surrounding death;
- effective communication skills;
- vigiling and vigil support
- complexity of grief and grieving, and the variety of coping mechanisms employed by the bereaved;
- community resources available;
- importance of and tools for Advance Care Planning;
- ethics and legal requirements; and
- building a community of practice.
Learning objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- describe end of life care and the role of the End-of-Life Doula;
- discuss a range of beliefs and practices surrounding death;
- demonstrate effective communication skills;
- understand the complexity of grief and demonstrate effective responses to expressions of grief;
- understand and demonstrate the use of Advance Care Planning tools
- understand the legalities of funeral practices in the Province; and
- understand the End-of-Life Doula community of practice.
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
This is traditionally a classroom-based course, however we currently offer both in person and online offerings. Students are expected to participate in class discussions.
For online offerings, you will need a computer that is connected to the internet to access the Blackboard and Zoom. We recommend using either Chrome or Firefox as your browser. As your course includes live sessions, you will also need to enable your computer's audio and microphone to participate.
Assessment
Two (approx 30-60mins ea) take-home assignments and two in-class assignments.
This course is graded on a Mastery/Non-mastery basis. Recognition of Course Completion for successful participants of the course, is issued digitally, by the Department of Continuing Education, Health Sciences.
An official Douglas College transcript can be ordered via my Account.
Tuition & books
Tuition
- $810
After September 1, 2025 tuition will be $826.00.
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:
Dates | May 23-June 1 |
CRN | 21243 |
Location | BC (Online) |
Schedule | Weekends:
|
Registration Deadline | May 16, 2025 |
Dates | June 7-21 |
CRN | 21236 |
Location | ON (Online) |
Schedule | Weekends:
|
Registration Deadline | May 16, 2025 |
Dates | June 16-20 |
CRN | 21237 |
Location | BC (Online) |
Schedule | Full Week:
|
Registration Deadline | June 9, 2025 |
Dates | July 7-Aug 11 |
CRN | 21244 |
Location | BC (Online) |
Schedule | Evenings:
|
Registration Deadline | June 30, 2025 |
Dates | July 8-Aug 12 |
CRN | 21239 |
Location | Prairies (Online) |
Schedule | Evenings:
|
Registration Deadline | June 30, 2025 |
Dates | Aug 11-15 |
CRN | 21240 |
Location | ON (Online) |
Schedule | Full Week:
Aug 12-14, 9-4:30 |
Registration Deadline | Aug 4, 2025 |
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
All classes 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 between several hours and 1 day of the course, this time may be made up as arranged with the instructor. If the class time missed exceeds 1 day, the course would need to be re-taken at the student’s expense, in order to receive the recognition of course completion.
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.
One month from the time your course ends.
Yes. Students are required to be present and actively contributing, during the hours as published for a course offering.
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.
There are regular breaks given, including a 1 hour lunch break for all scheduled offerings that are full days. Instructors also give time to watch videos or do break-out sessions with classmates, which also allow for time to stretch and get away from in front of the screen.
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.
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.
Media
Rethinking the End of Life Experience Conference Recordings
Supporting the End-of-Life journey Healthy Aging CORE
In collaboration with the End-of-Life Doula Association of Canada, Douglas College was pleased to host End of Life Doula Education Day on Friday April 21st, 2023.
Members of Continuing Education, Health Sciences, and international EOLD speakers came to the New Westminster campus to collaborate and speak on rethinking end-of-life care. Speakers included Dr. Annetta Mallon from Tasmania, Emma Claire from Leeds (UK), Marian Krawczyk from Glasgow (UK) and Merilyn Rush from Michigan (US). Jennifer Mallmes, Douglas College EOLD Lead Instructor and facilitator, represented Canada. Topics included successful dying, the end-of-life doula role, and assisted dying, and speakers formed a panel to respond to questions and share their experience of the impacts of end-of-life doulas from an international perspective.
The event was attended in-person and live streamed to over 160 participants internationally. The collaboration continued into the following week with the International End-of-Life Research group coming together face-to-face for the first time to discuss and prioritize end of life doula research.
Please check back soon for more details about upcoming conferences.
For questions, contact Denise Cacchioni at cacchionid@douglascollege.ca.