Farewell’s Foundations Path
A live, virtual training in deathcare for personal, family, and community support.
Learn the essential skills of a death doula—drawn from hundreds of bedside hours—through six recorded modules, curated resources, and embodied practices, paired with one-on-one mentorship to help you integrate and apply what you learn.
Inside the Foundations Course
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6 in-depth, recorded modules (50+ hours of teaching and resources) covering the core skills and perspectives of modern and ancestral death care
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Curated readings, videos, and guided reflections chosen to deepen your understanding and broaden your perspective
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6 live, one-on-one mentorship sessions (75 minutes each via Zoom) to integrate learning and build real-world confidence
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Embodied practices for grounding, presence, and ritual that support both the dying and those who care for them
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Lifetime access to revisit materials anytime your path calls you back
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Certified Death Doula designation upon completion, with eligibility to apply for the Farewell Deathwalker Apprenticeship
What You’ll Gain From Foundations Path:
By the end of the Foundations Path, you will be able to:
Confidently companion someone through the dying process, supported by both coursework and one-on-one mentorship
Facilitate meaningful end-of-life planning conversations with individuals and families
Hold space for grief in all its forms — from quiet sorrow to sudden and traumatic loss
Integrate ritual, cultural awareness, and spiritual literacy into your end-of-life care practice
Understand the physiology, mystery, and cultural context of dying, and apply that knowledge in real-world settings
Earn your Certified Death Doula designation through Farewell Education, be prepared to pass the NEDA Proficiency Assessment, and be eligible to apply for the Deathwalker Apprenticeship
The 6 Core Modules of the Farewell Curriculum
Module 1 - This Mortal Terrain: Discerning Your Call
In This Mortal Terrain, we explore the realities of dying in North America today, where death is well-supported, where it is not, and how a death doula (or Deathwalker) can bridge the gaps.
Through guided questions, self-study resources, and reflection, you’ll deepen your own relationship with death as a spiritual practice while building a clear-eyed understanding of modern end-of-life care
Module 2 - Sacred Ground: Honoring Your Grief
Grief is not a problem to solve but a sacred ground we walk. In Sacred Ground, you’ll explore grief as both a personal and communal experience, learning how to support yourself and others through its many forms: anticipatory grief, acute loss, and the slow burn of change.
We’ll study grief literacy, ritual, and embodied practices that allow us to meet sorrow with steadiness. Through questions, meditations and self-study resources, you’ll strengthen your capacity to hold grief without rushing it, fixating on it, or turning away.
Module 3 - Whispers Between Worlds: Energy Work for Death Doulas
Death is never only physical; it is cultural, spiritual, and, for many, mystical. In Whispers Between Worlds, we explore global and ancestral traditions surrounding death, and how these beliefs shape the end-of-life experience. You’ll learn how to honor diverse spiritual perspectives, create and hold ritual space, and companion the dying in ways that leave room for mystery.
This course invites you to listen deeply to the unseen dimensions of deathwork, and to integrate these understandings into your practice as a death doula.
Module 4 - Mapping the Farewell: Advance Care Planning
Every farewell is unique, but it begins with a map. In Mapping the Farewell, we explore how to guide individuals and families through end-of-life planning with clarity, compassion, and consent. You’ll learn to facilitate advance care conversations, document healthcare wishes, and design meaningful vigils. We’ll explore life review practices and legacy projects that help people integrate their stories and leave tangible gifts for loved ones.
Through case studies, exercises, and resources, you’ll see how these tools come to life in real-world settings, preparing you to walk alongside others as they chart their final journey.
Module 5 - Vessel & Veil: The Physical & Spiritual Dying Process
The body at the threshold is both fragile and sacred, carrying us through the final stages of life. In Veil & Vessel, we study the biological phenomena of dying: changes in breathing, the death rattle, skin mottling, terminal agitation.
Alongside this, we explore the spiritual experiences often reported near death, from visions of loved ones to the sense of crossing a threshold between worlds. You’ll learn how to respond with both clinical skill and reverence, tending to comfort, dignity, and the unseen. This course blends physiology, ritual, and the mystical, preparing you to companion the body as it becomes a vessel for both life and farewell.
Module 6 - This Grief Has Teeth: Supporting Complicated Loss
This module meets grief where it is fiercest. We work with sudden and traumatic death (catastrophe, violence, suicide, accident) and the distinct layers of pregnancy and pediatric loss. We also explore choices at life’s end, including VSEDand MAiD, and how to support families through the complex emotions these paths can evoke.
You’ll practice trauma-informed, dignity-centered care; learn clear communication and crisis coordination; and examine the death doula’s ethical responsibilities to equitable care, with attention to marginalized communities disproportionately impacted by premature death, medical bias, and systemic harm.
Who This Path Is For
The Foundations Path is for anyone who wants to become a Certified Death Doula and is called to meet death with skill, compassion, and presence. You may be:
An aspiring death doula ready to begin your professional journey
A hospice volunteer seeking deeper, mentored training
A funeral professional expanding your scope of care
A grief counselor, therapist, or clergy member integrating end-of-life skills into your work
A family caregiver preparing to support a loved one through the dying process
A community deathcare advocate weaving death literacy into your projects or outreach
Anyone curious about cultivating a deeper, more intentional relationship with Death for themselves
Why Farewell Education?
Farewell Education blends practical skill-building with deep, reflective learning. These courses honor the mystery of death while equipping you with tools to meet modern end-of-life needs. You’ll learn through questions, case studies, and resources drawn from real bedside experience, in a format that is personal, flexible, and rooted in community care.
✺ Frequently asked questions ✺
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The Foundations Path is a live, mentored death doula training that covers the first six modules of the Farewell Education curriculum. Unlike the Kindling Path, which is entirely self-paced, the Foundations Path pairs recorded lessons and curated resources with six private, one-on-one mentorship sessions. This combination offers both the flexibility of online learning and the supervised guidance of an experienced working death doula, helping you apply your skills in real-world end-of-life care.
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Yes. Upon completing all modules, mentorship sessions, and quizzes, you’ll receive your Certified Death Doula designation through Farewell Education. You’ll also be fully prepared to pass the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance (NEDA) Proficiency Assessment and join the NEDA movement.
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Most students finish the Foundations Path death doula certification training in 5-7 months, moving through one module per month. This pacing allows for in-depth engagement with each topic while balancing other commitments. Your mentorship sessions will be scheduled throughout the program to support steady progress and integration.
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This program is ideal for anyone ready to become a certified death doula, whether you’re just beginning or already serving in related roles. It’s especially well-suited for those who want engaged mentorship as they navigate this terrain. The Foundations Path attracts conscientious learners who value supervision and accountability, and it offers direct access to a working death doula actively building a private practice and collaborating with local hospice. Past students have included hospice volunteers, funeral professionals, grief counselors, therapists, clergy, family caregivers, and community deathcare advocates.
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You’ll receive six live mentorship sessions with a working death doula, monthly community circle calls for group connection, and access to a private student community for peer support. This level of engagement ensures you’re never alone in your training and that your death doula skills are developed with both guidance and feedback.
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No prior experience is required. The Foundations Path death doula training is beginner-friendly while still offering depth and challenge for those already working in hospice care, grief counseling, therapy, funeral service, or other end-of-life professions. If you feel called to this work, the program will meet you where you are and give you the tools, mentorship, and certification to step confidently into deathcare.
Jade does recommend having an active opportunity to practice what you learn here, but that is entirely up to you (family, hospice, hospital volunteer, etc.).