Apprenticeship With Death
Become an End of Life Practitioner
A thanatology-based, trauma-informed death doula certificate training
Holding space for dying, death & Grief
This death doula training program prepares you to become an end of life practitioner through a 5-month apprenticeship that combines thanatology education, trauma-informed practices, and sacred death companionship.
Are you ready to transform how your community approaches end of life care? The Apprenticeship With Death certificate program combines ancient wisdom traditions with modern skills in holding space, teaching you to support individuals and families through dying, death, and grief with compassion and skill.
What You’ll gain from this program
- Awaken the sacred within your death and grief work
- Nurture the resilience to guide others through dying and loss
- Develop practical competencies in end-of-life care and grief support
- Embrace your calling as a death doula and end-of-life advocate
- Build professional credibility for working with hospice, healthcare, and community organizations
- Connect with your inner wisdom and ancestral healing traditions
- Embody a legacy of healing and transformation that ripples through generations
Our mission as end of life practitioners
We are compassionate death care guides and end of life educators transforming how communities approach dying, death, and grief through heart-centered, trauma-aware, integrated thanatological wisdom.
We train end of life practitioners who are:
- Remembering and reimagining how we tend to dying, death, and grief in modern societies
- Guides who will hold communities in preparation, education, and bedside care
- Rising in devotion to compassionate leadership skills
As end of life guides, we are:
- Honoring death as a sacred part of the natural cycle of life
- Rebuilding community-centered death and grief practices
- Enfolding ritual into our offerings as end of life and grief guides
- Acknowledging that death and grief are sometimes complicated
Who can become a death doula?
You don’t need a medical background to provide end-of-life care as a death doula, midwife, or practitioner.
Our graduates serve in diverse settings such as hospice, palliative care, hospitals, and private practice. Many weave this sacred work into existing roles as nurses, counselors, chaplains, or healers, while others answer the call to dedicate themselves fully to end of life companionship.
Our students come from beautifully diverse paths in yoga, healing touch, Reiki, acupuncture, reflexology, social work, psychology, spiritual care, life coaching, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, performing arts, and so on.
What unites our graduates isn’t their professional background; it’s their compassionate hearts and desire to transform how we care for one another in times of dying, death, and grief.
Student Success Stories
C. Espinosa
I found the Apprenticeship with Death training program very thorough and beautifully delivered. My experience was all that I had hoped for and more, and now I feel very prepared to take my new skills out into my community as a new doula. Rhea is an excellent guide and offers her wisdom and beauty all throughout the process. I gained intimate connections, new friendships, confidence and the inspiration to call on my own unique talents and gifts as I venture forward in supporting individuals and their families in end-of-life care.
Josephine Spilka, M.S., L.Ac
Apprenticeship with Death was a beautiful way to dive into both the personal and professional aspects of end-of-life care. The pace of learning was energizing with all kinds of great links and information while there was also space for integration, questions and contributions from all participants making it a unique and potent learning environment for everyone. A really great place to start on the journey of deathwork.
What You’ll Learn in the End of Life Practitioner Training
Integrating compassionate and culturally sensitive care by understanding death as a complex human experience rather than just a medical or biological event.
The focus is holistic, meaning the physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and cultural dimensions of death and dying are all considered in the content.
Awaken to the call
- Recognizing your call to death and grief work
- Exploring what draws you to serve in end of life care
- Understanding your relationship with mortality
- Tending to your own fears and sorrow around death
Deepen Your Presence
- Deep listening and communication skills
- Non-judgemental presence and gentle guidance
- Supporting grief as natural and communal
- Holding space through challenge, crisis, and trauma
Becoming an advocate
- Advocating for holistic, person-centered care
- Respecting the dying person and their autonomy
- Expanding collaborative care in healthcare models
- Offering communitybased learning about end of life
Ground in Knowledge
- Understanding the physiological dying process
- Knowing the difference between pain and suffering
- Guiding others through care planning decisions
- Learning about VSED and MAID
Honor all paths
- Honoring diverse cultural approaches
- Exploring your wisdom and healing lineages
- Embracing various spiritual paths and beliefs
- Creating ritual, ceremony, and threshold practices
Embody the legacy
- Understand the scope of practice for death doula
- Maintaining boundaries and ethical practices
- Stepping into your unique expression as a guide
- Rebuilding community-centered death care
Program Structure
This nurturing program blends live community learning, personal reflection, and meaningful hands-on learning.
- A calming, soulful 5-month journey with two virtual retreats
- On-demand course platform with access to an abundance of resources
- Interactive community discussion forum for ongoing peer support and learning
- 15 customizable service hours in dying, death, and grief work aligned with your interests
- Three live mentoring sessions dedicated to volunteer experience, reflection, and debriefing
Our End of Life Practitioner Certificate Requirements
To earn a certificate of completion, we ask that you meet the following:
- Attend 90% of the live sessions (Must watch the replay if the class is missed)
- Complete each module inside the course platform
- Submit a final written assessment showing how you’ve integrated what you learned
- Complete 15 hours of volunteer service (paid or unpaid) within your chosen area of care
Please Note:
This training program provides you with a certificate of completion, not licensure or certification. Currently, there is no governing body that regulates end of life practitioners, death doulas, or death midwives.
Other Credentialing and Proficiency:
- This course will provide you with the required thanatology education hours for the Certified (CT) or Fellow (FT) in Thanatology credentials earned through the Association for Death Education and Counseling.
- This course will prepare you for the National End of Life Doula Association‘s micro-proficiency assessment if you choose to seek the proficiency badge.
If you are self-reporting CEUs, we are happy to provide any information that will be helpful to you.
Training Information
Time
All training sessions will be:
- 3 PM – 5 PM PT
- 4 PM – 6 PM MT
- 5 PM – 7 PM CT
- 6 PM – 8 PM ET
International participants – click on the dates to link to your local time zone.
dates
Opening Retreat
- Saturday, January 31
Training Dates
- Thursday, February 12
- Thursday, February 26
- Thursday, March 12
- Thursday, March 26
- Thursday, April 9
- Thursday, April 23
- Thursday, May 7
Volunteer Mentorship Debrief
- Thursday, May 21
- Thursday, June 4
- Thursday, June 18
Graduation / Closing Retreat
- Saturday, June 27
Course Breakdown
- 24 hours live virtual teaching
- 44 hours of self-paced learning through the virtual classroom portal (about 3 hours per week)
- 20 hours of self-reflection and self-devotion practice (1 hour per week)
- 15 hours hands-on practicum learning (volunteer or paid)
- 7 hours debriefing practicum
110 total hours of thanatology education and experience.
Join Apprenticeship With Death
This program is offered only once a year.
Program Tuition: $2,500 USD
Reserve your place in the 2026 cohort with a $300 deposit (applied toward your tuition).
Your deposit is non-refundable but fully transferable to another program offering or future cohort within one year if you need to postpone your enrollment.
Payment Options
Pay in full: $2200 remaining balance due by January 16, 2026
3-month payment plan: $2350 remaining paid in 3 monthly installments of $783.33. Payment plans begin no later than January 16, 2026, with automatic monthly drafts for the following 2 months.
Financial support: Need-based scholarships are available. Use the contact form to request a scholarship application.
Terms of Purchase
Please review the Terms of Purchase before enrolling.
Meet Your Facilitator
Rhea Mader, BFA, BS, CT (she/her)
Walking alongside death as both teacher and companion has been my sacred journey. Through the profound losses of my baby and grandmother, and years of serving in residential and medical facilities, I’ve learned that our relationship with death holds the power to transform how we live and hold space for one another.
As a Thanatologist, Interspiritual Chaplain Associate, and meditation teacher, I weave together spiritual wisdom and deep reverence for the human experience. It’s the honor of my lifetime to guide others in awakening to this calling, helping them discover their own unique medicine as threshold guardians and stewards of the sacred.
Student Success Stories
Lisa Ciosek
My experience with the apprenticeship with death course was beyond my expectations. Rhea provided invaluable resources for both personal and professional growth. She has developed a thoughtful, well organized curriculum that provides both structure and flexibility in the learning process. I feel like anyone would benefit from the information and experiences provided in this course. It is far more than a “death doula” certificate program. The insights and experiences you will gain during this course will nurture your soul.
Deborah Hale
Now I feel much more comfortable and confident in my role as hospice volunteer. And I have a clearer sense of the Death Doula role(s), including which parts I’m most drawn to. Also clearer about my preferences regarding my own death transition and the preparation that will be helpful and needed.
Kathy Rowe
Apprenticeship With Death was transformative, compassionate, and integrative. After working with an End-of-Life Doula when my mother was dying, I knew this journey could be beautiful with the right tools—and this course gave me exactly that, teaching me how to be a truly good listener and what a successful practice looks like. Rhea is a guide with wisdom beyond her years, leading you into an unknown world that brings so many emotions as you learn about yourself and your passions.
Frequently asked questions
Are there prerequisites?
There aren’t any “technical” prerequisites, but we ask that you have a:
- daily prioritization and devotion to nurture your wellbeing
- openness to different cultural, spiritual, and psychological perspectives
- curiosity about your own family’s and culture’s relationship with death
- practice self-awareness, healthy boundaries, critical thinking, and autonomy as an adult learner
- responsibility for resourcing someone to process with you if you need additional support
- acknowledgment of historic and current systems of oppression and commitment to transformation
Are there additional expenses for this program?
There has been an intentional awareness placed on not incurring additional costs. In a couple of rare instances, you may be asked to rent a film or documentary. An abundance of resources are provided for you.
Can I participate if i don't intend on pursuing this professionally?
Absolutely. Please join for your knowledge and wisdom experience even if you don’t intend on working as an end of life practitioner.
What are some of the ways I can work as an end of life practitioner?
This depends on your experience, education, training, community connections, and your desire to create opportunities for yourself. End of Life Practitioners come from all walks of life and aren’t limited to medical fields. An end of life practitioner offers nonmedical support and guidance and may have backgrounds in areas such as yoga, nursing, hospice, palliative care, social work, spiritual care, medical care, chaplaincy, funerals, life coaching, counseling, bereavement, holistic healing, Reiki, acupuncture, and more. Even if none of those are you, I encourage you to count yourself in.
Where can I find the course content?
The course content will be available to you through a private online portal accessed with a personal login.
what are the logistical & Time requirements?
The online training requires a reliable internet connection, a quiet environment, the ability to use online tools like Zoom, and a willingness to participate in the virtual space. The estimated time required for the course is about 3-5 hours per week, depending on the week. The course is created so that most people will maintain their full-time work or full-time student schedules. In addition, you get out of it what you put into it.
How long will I have access to the program content?
You will have access to the full program content for one year from the start date. After that, you will be moved to an alumni space within our course portal, where you will retain access to everything except the video recordings.
What if I can't make the live sessions?
You will have access to the recordings in our program portal. However, we want you to know that we desire to create a container of community, which means it’s essential that you show up. If you plan to apply for the certificate, you will need to make it to 90% of the live sessions.
Have you read these resource articles from the blog?
Become an End of Life Doula
What Does an End of Life Guide Do?
Is Working in End of Life Right for Me?
Still have questions? Use the contact form or schedule a phone call