Death By Design

An End of Life Doula is a non-medical person trained to care for someone holistically (physically, emotionally, and spiritually) at the end of life. End of Life Doulas are also known around the world as: end of life coaches, soul midwives, transition guides, death coaches, death doulas, doula to the dying, end of life doulas, death midwives, than a doula, and end of life guides.Due to the enormous number of the elder population, there is an overwhelming need for these services and support. Finding the right teacher and training program is one of the most important decisions you will make.International Doulagivers Institute, founded bySuzanne O’Brien RN, providing the highest level of education and certification for the End of Life Doula. Our Doulagiver training is akin to the birth doula model: both help people transition to and from this world. Facilitating this process requires education, training and compassion. Our certified End of Life Doulas are a global community working as an adjunct to Hospice and providing care and guidance for patients and families at the end of life.And you can find everything you need at Doulagivers, an internationally recognized leader in end of life training programs and care.

Claire B. Willisis a clinical social worker who has worked in the fields of oncology and bereavement for more than 20 years. A cofounder of the Boston nonprofit Facing Cancer Together, Willis has led bereavement, end-of-life, support, and therapeutic writing groups. She has co-taught Spiritual Resources for Healing the Mind, Body, and Soul at Andover Newton Theological School. She maintains a private practice in Brookline, Massachusetts. As a lay Buddhist chaplain ordained by Joan Halifax at Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, she focuses on contemplative practices for end-of-life care. For the past five years, she has been a student of Koshin Paley Ellison, a founding teacher at the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. BesidesOpening to Grief,Willis is the author ofLasting Words:A Guide to Finding Meaning Toward the Close of Life.OpeningtoGrief.com

Connie Ducaine, PhD, LPC, LCADC, Senior Vice President of Strategic Solutions, Vital DecisionsDr. Connie Ducaine is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Solutions at Vital Decisions and started her career with the organization 9 years ago working directly with health plan members who were approaching end of life. Through her clinical work, Dr. Ducaine has witnessed the benefits of advance care planning and patient engagement. As a licensed professional counselor, Dr. Ducaine continues to support individuals who are coping with various mental health issues. Dr. Ducaine is recognized as a visionary leader and trusted advisor with long-term executive relationships focused on providing support and programming for counselor educators and supervisors in the state.https://vitaldecisions.net

Neil Beresin has worked with individuals and families in hospitals, hospice, schools, and private practice. Multiple lenses frame Neil's practice, including the work of theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel, Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön, psychologists Francis Weller and Murray Bowen, physician/writer Rachael Naomi Remen and the practice of mindfulness through poetry.Neil sees radical listening and reverent attentiveness as a spiritual practice. He meets individuals where they are and focus on helping them increase their ability to cope with what are often extraordinary circumstances. The focuses may be to increase ones’ ability to manage change, vulnerability, anxiety, fear, and the overwhelming heartache that emerges. It may include assisting individuals to connect or reconnect to practices, people, and principles that matter most to them. Neil may use poetry to provide additional comfort, deepen the space between us, and encourage reflection and opening.Neil Beresin helps individuals reflect on, metabolize, and shape their loss in a safe, sacred, meditative space.www.griefandpoetry.com

Jane Duncan Rogersis an award-winning life and death coach who helps people prepare well for a good end of life. Having been in the field of psychotherapy and personal growth for 25 years, she is founder of Before I Go Solutions, dedicated to educating people about dying, death, and grief.Before I Go Solutions is a social enterprise (sometimes known as a not-for-profit).We help people all over the world to actually get their plans done!Through your donation, no matter how big or small,you would be contributing tothe sponsorship of someone of a low income from a developing country who would be a suitable candidate for the end of life plan Facilitators Training - thereby bringing this work to their local communities.If you'd like to help in this way, please donate now, and help one person's life to grow so they can help others. Every donation counts towards our mission: "having end of life plans become as commonplace as birth plans!"https://beforeigosolutions.com

Kathleen Vallee Stein worked as an advocate for Medicare beneficiaries for many years. She became familiar with the Medicare Hospice benefit and the reluctance on the part of families to consider it. When her father was terminally ill, she experienced first-hand the difficulties families face when confronted with end-of-life issues. The dreaded decision to stop curative care and begin comfort care was monumentally difficult but resulted in a transformative experience for Ms. Stein and her family. She was moved to write a book about it, from a family member’s point of view. Ms. Stein’s opinion pieces have appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News, Pasadena Star-News, Orange County Register, and the Jewish Journal for more than twenty years. She writes about a variety of life experiences, such as caring for aging parents, raising children, and reflections on work, friendship, and nature. Loving Choices, Peaceful Passing: Why My Family Chose Hospice is her first book. Ms. Stein was Manager of the Los Angeles County Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) for the California Department of Aging. She trained volunteer peer counselors in Medicare and related health insurance, provided community education, and advocated for changes in Medicare law to benefit seniors. She was Director of Volunteers at the Aviva Center, a residential treatment facility for abused and neglected adolescent girls. As Director of Volunteer Development for Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, she trained Girl Scout leaders in outdoor skills and troop management. As Park Ranger at Monrovia Canyon Park, she trained and directed a corps of Volunteer Rangers and led local schoolchildren on educational hikes through the canyon. Ms. Stein received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from California State University – Northridge.https://www.valleeview.com