End-of-Life Education & Death Doula Training

Holistic end-of-life education integrating spirituality, ritual, trauma-informed care & conscious dying practices.

End-of-Life Education Matters

In modern societies, we often avoid conversations about death, yet each of us will experience death and grief throughout our lives.

Death is all around us in the natural world. Plants die, animals die, our pets die, people we love die, and we, too, will die.

Learning about and holding space for death and grief can transform the way we live. But this isn’t a space that is all sunshine and rainbows. We honor the messy, tragic, and profoundly challenging, too.

Your End-of-Life Education Journey

Exploration – Foundations – Professional Practice

Explore Your Calling

Are You Called to End-of-Life Care

A discovery course perfect for those curious about death doula work, designed to provide a deeper understanding of your personality and how you want to work in the field of death care.

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Build Your Foundation

Companions in end-of-life care

Essential groundwork preparing you to tend to those who are dying with grounded presence, compassion, skillful communication, and the practical and sacred realities of dying.

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Doula Certificate

End-of-Life Practitioner Training

A holistic death doula training program with online learning, live cohort sessions, mentorship, and hands-on practicum to develop professional end-of-life companioning skills.

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Hey there, I’m Rhea

A guide, educator, and creator of sacred spaces for navigating the realities of dying, death, and grief. I’m a certified thanatologist, and my work is grounded in experiences serving as a chaplain, coach, meditation, and yoga Nidra guide.

I believe that death, while often challenging and complex, is an integral and sacred part of life. Through my offerings, I help individuals, families, and aspiring professionals reclaim the beauty, meaning, and transformation that can come from engaging deeply with these experiences.

about CLCD
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From the blog

What to say to someone who is dying

Why We Struggle With What to Say to Someone Who Is Dying What to say to someone who is dying is one of the most searched questions on the internet in the realm of dying and death. Behind that search is something very human: the fear of saying the wrong thing to...
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How to Be With Someone Who Is Dying

"Learning how to be with someone who is dying is something most of us were never taught."Nobody teaches us how to be with the dying. If we are the helping kind, we show up ready to do something. We offer our services by fetching water, fluffing a pillow, and...
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Creating and Tending Your Ancestor Altar

An ancestor altar is a dedicated space where you can connect with, honor, and remember those who came before you. Think of it as creating a sacred conversation space where the boundary between this world and the next becomes a little thinner. Ancestor veneration and...
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5 Signs Your Ancestors Want to Connect

Have you ever wondered if your ancestors are trying to connect with you? You might have felt someone's presence when you're alone, or found yourself inexplicably drawn to a place you'd never been? Maybe you've had dreams about ancestors you've never met, yet they feel...
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Redefining “Doula” in End of Life Care

I am the descendant of a feminist grandmother who, at my bridal shower, advised me to "always keep your own checkbook" when others advised me to never go to bed angry. My rootedness in feminism and my background in communication disorders spark me to address the term...
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Is Working in End of Life Right for Me?

End of life care is a profound and deeply personal field that calls to those with a unique blend of compassion, strength, and insight. It's a path that asks us to confront our mortality while providing comfort and guidance to others during their most vulnerable...
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Self Care for Caregivers and Doulas

To be fully present for others in their final moments, we must first learn to be present for ourselves. As end of life practitioners, our work demands that we navigate the delicate balance between compassionate care and self-care. As end of life guides, we stand at...
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What is a Good Death?

In our modern society, conversations about death are often avoided or seen as taboo. However, the concept of a good death has gained attention as people seek to find peace and meaning at the end of life. But what does a good death really mean, and does it leave room...
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Become an End of Life Doula

You may have heard of a Death Doula called various other names, such as End of Life Doula or Death Midwife. I prefer to be called an End of Life Guide or Practitioner. These titles may mean different things to different people, but essentially, we offer emotional,...
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Voices of our End-of-Life Practitioners

Rhea was so seamlessly able to blend SO much knowledge with SUCH a warm, open, participatory dynamic. She is a truly outstanding teacher-facilitator.
– Lisa (Apprenticeship With Death)

I now know that becoming an end-of-life practitioner requires intentionality in a vast variety of areas. …that is what makes the work meaningful and authentic.
– Deborah (Apprenticeship With Death)

Become an end-of-life doula

Rhea Mader

End-of-life practitioner, educator, and mentor

Featured on

Gentle Touch Podcast | What is the Role of a Death Doula

Devoted Way Life Coach Podcast | Journey in Sacred Deathcare

The Clarity Corner Podcast | Navigating The Shock of Death

Best Life Best Death Podcast | Making Meaning at the End of Life

Best Life Best Death Podcast | When the Veil is Thin

Best Life Best Death Podcast | An Invitation to Slow Down