Providing non-medical support for the
Emotional & Spiritual Process of Dying
Services Offered
end of life planning
As your doula I can help you and your loved ones plan for how you want the last days of life to look, sound, and feel. This involves reviewing and explaining the choices you have in how the space is set up; the kinds of interaction you want with caregivers, family, and others in the last days of life; as well as the kind of sounds, reading, smells, light, and touch you would find comforting and helpful as you go through the dying process.
vigil support
When the dying person is in the last days of life – the time we refer to as the “vigil” – I can attend to you and those around you in ways that reflect your wishes and the need for doula presence. I will do what I can to hold the space for your wishes made clear through the end of life planning. I can use sound, readings, touch, guided imagery, and ritual to deepen the sense of meaning and bring greater comfort to everyone involved.
MEMORIAL PLANNING & OFFICIATING
I can work with the dying person and/or loved ones to consider memorial options and to make specific plans as desired. Additionally, I can serve as a memorial officiant.
bereavement support
Through one or two sessions following death, I can provide support to loved ones grieving by re-processing the dying experience, as well as reflecting back the positive moments I witnessed. I can also provide referrals to other bereavement supports in the community.
What is an End of Life Doula?
As an End of Life Doula, I provide non-medical support for the emotional and spiritual process of dying, as well as advocacy and education to a client or family caregiver. In this context, family caregiver refers to a spouse, family member, partner or friend who is the primary person assisting with care. I am independent, self-employed, and work for the client, not a specific hospice, palliative care organization or hospital, assisted living or skilled nursing facility.
I am a credentialed and ordained minister (in the Unitarian Universalist tradition), and have served congregations for 12 years. I have trained with the International End of Life Doula Association, and have served a chaplaincy internship at a Level 1 trauma hospital. I have earned an End of Life Doula proficiency badge through the National End of Life Doula Alliance. I maintain membership with both the INELDA and the National End of Life Doula Alliance, as well as the UU Ministers Association, and abide by their professional codes of conduct.
If you are not in the Knoxville, TN, area some services may be offered remotely through video or phone conference. Let’s talk about possibilities.
