NYC Death/End of Life Doula Specialist Program
If you’re ready to answer your calling and become an End of Life Doula, the International Doula Life Movement’s Death/End of Life Doula Specialist Certification program is for you.
The class will start on September 23, 2025-December 18, 2025. We will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays every other week from 6-9pm. Tuesdays will be virtual and Thursdays will be in-person in Brooklyn (exact location TBD). You will also receive hands-on training. Continue reading to see what we include and all the FREE support and training IDLM gives our community.
Overview
At IDLM, we prioritize thorough learning and equipping our students with the necessary skills to become professional doulas in their respective communities. Our program caters to those who wish to assist their loved ones or pursue a career as a doula, and we provide support not only during the course but also after. As a part of our doula community, you will forge meaningful connections and receive the assistance you require to be a successful doula in your community.
The live Death/End of Life Doula Specialist Certification program will walk you through what you need to know in order to become a doula from a practicing standpoint and introduce you to ways to run a business and get your first clients. At IDLM, becoming a specialist as a Death/end of life doula involves training in various areas such as companion doula, contemplative doula, life planning, and end-of-life doula.
IDLM requires graduates to complete 12 credits a year and renew certification every 2 years. IDLM provides free continuing education. At this time we do not offer continuing education credits for any other professional licensing. Continuing education credits are given free of charge to IDLM students and graduates.
We ask students to purchase the Barbara Karnes End of Life Guidelines Series books and Always Offer Never Force by visiting Bk Books. Please put in the order form that you are a IDLM Student.
We also ask that you purchase a book from The Hospice Care Plan by Odonata Care. Please email us at DoulaSupport@InternationalDoulaLifeMovement.com for a special discount code.
Also Included:
All students receive access to our Signature Business 101 Program which includes 7 modules, workbooks, and 1:1 support. This is self-paced so that you can start anytime and we offer the program live several times throughout the year, which is FREE for you to attend—a $400 Value.
- Live through Google Meets Graduation, and Certificates mailed out. (No digital certificate).
- Join Our Directory For FREE!
- Discounts on Future Education Programs.
- Continuing Support to our Graduates (1:1 if needed).
- Free monthly Grief Support.
- Free monthly Death Positive Talk.
- International Doula Life Movement Family Events.
- IDLM Book Society.
- Open office hours to ask questions and receive support.
Free access to our student and graduate community platform. Free to you!
- Access to our community platform.
- Member-driven support. You can connect with fellow students on a more intimate level.
- More safety. This is a private community and offers greater privacy than social media.
- More flexibility. You can access the platform via desktop or through an app!
- Monthly themes & weekly prompts. This will offer you ongoing growth and insight.
- Workshops & webinars. Continuing education nights, special events, and more became easier to keep track of and access replays!
- Free Resource Library.
- Free IDLM Doula Mentors Group. Have all the support you need to launch and support you as you run your doula practice.
Topics Covered:
- A Doula’s Guide to Personal Safety and Boundaries
- Doula 101
- Code of Ethics/Scope of Practice of a Doula
- Inclusivity Practices LGBTQ+
- Contemplative Doula
- Contemplative Exercise and Care for the Doula and Caregiver
- Getting in Touch with Your Own Mortality
- Holding End of Life/Death Discussions
- End of Life/ Death Discussions Tools
- Introductions to Stages of End of Life
- Part 1 & This How People Die by Barbara Karnes
- Part 2 & 3 This How People Die by Barbara Karnes
- Doula Apprenticeship – Stages of End of Life Care
- Odonata Care:The Hospice Care Plan
- Obituary and Eulogy/ Hospital and Vigil Planning/ Medical Aid & Dying/VSED
- Coping with Grief and Loss For Doulas
- Common Disease & Infection Control/PPE
- Pedi Hospice and Parents Loss
- Client Care, Safety,& Bedside Support
- Companion Doula/Communication/ Tele Doula
- Doulado & IDLM: Streamlining Your Doula Practice
- Doula Paperwork, Agreements, & Forms
- Doula Apprenticeship #2
- IDLM Case Study Planning
- Home Wakes / Cremation/Funerals/Green Options Celebrations and Ceremonies
- Life Planning Doula/ EOL Paperwork/Planning
- Caring for Clients and Their Pets at End of Life
- Making Memories, Legacy
- Religions/ Course Overview
- In-Class Case Study Presentations
- Presenting to your Community and Hospices
- I am a Doula Practitioner
- Free NEDA Prep & Free Business 101-7 Self-Pace Modules, with Workbooks.
- Students received updates for FREE.
Your Morbid Friends is a death and grief literacy company co-founded by two eldest daughters turned death doulas: Cassandra Biron, a social worker, and Robin Silver, an ecopsychologist. Your morbid friends are eager to curate spaces to discuss topics around death and loss in accessible, integrated, and creative ways. Incorporating elements of mindfulness, embodiment, and community care, we aim to facilitate a space where people can recontextualize their mortality/grief with a healthy perspective.
Cassandra Biron
Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Death Doula
Cassandra Biron, LCSW is dedicated to supporting individuals through life’s transitions, particularly at the end of life. Her work is guided by her love for people and their stories, and a love and value for elders instilled in her from an early age by her mother. Her private practice specializes in queer care and psychedelic prep and integration. Fueled by her passion for community care and creating unique treatment plans, Cassandra loves teaching and is excited to be working with IDLM and contributing to the death positive movement.
Robin Silver
Ecopsychologist, Mindfulness Instructor, Death Doula
Robin Silver, MA, has been talking about mortality since kindergarten. She has an MA in Ecopsychology and mindfulness instructor certification from Naropa University, where she also took courses on Psychedelic Assisted Therapy. She has also undertaken an eclectic breadth of trainings and retreats around the US, Mexico, and Asia. Robin’s work comes from the belief that we must tend to our psychological, emotional, spiritual, and ecological bodies as much as our physical body.
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Why IDLM?
Continued education
Monthly at no cost to our students. Keeping you updated on industry advances and tools to enhance your practice.
The Movement
You found your doula family. Our family community for ongoing support on a daily basis.
Instructors
Who are actively practicing their specialty/services daily.
