Our Flagship course Death Doula 101:

Learn how to confidently support people and families through dying, death, and end-of-life decisions.

This is a self-paced death doula training built from Jill Schock’s 16 years of real-world bedside experience. Jill has taught over 100 people since she started the course in 2019.

We offer lifetime access to the curriculum, live weekly mentorship, practical tools, and a community of deathcare practitioners.

This course is for anyone who wants to understand the basics of how to support and care for someone who is dying. You do not need to be interested in becoming a professional to find this course useful. This knowledge can be used by anyone who finds themselves companioning the dying.

For those who are interested in pursuing this work professionally, Jill is also deeply committed to cultivating a strong, connected business community where death doulas can learn from one another, build sustainable practices, and help shape the future of this growing field.

What We Offer:

Self-paced•Lifetime access •Live Mentorship

We’ve updated our course structure so you can begin whenever you’re ready. Move through the content at a pace that fits your life. Once you enroll, the course is yours for life, start and stop as needed, and return to the materials and/or mentorship hours anytime.

Skills you’ll Develop:

  • Understand what happens physically, emotionally, and practically during the dying process.

  • Sit with a dying person and their loved ones with greater confidence and presence.

  • Recognize common signs and symptoms of active dying and know how to respond supportively.

  • Understand hospice, palliative care, and other end-of-life care options.

  • Help clients identify and communicate their end-of-life wishes.

  • Support conversations around advance care planning and healthcare decision-making.

  • Advocate for a client’s wishes while understanding the appropriate scope of a death doula.

  • Help families prepare for what to expect before, during, and immediately after a death.

  • Understand options for vigils, funerals, home funerals, cremation, burial, and other forms of disposition.

  • Navigate difficult conversations about death with greater ease and compassion.

  • Create a practical toolkit and approach that reflects your own strengths as a doula.

  • Understand the ethical and professional responsibilities involved in death doula work.

  • Begin developing relationships with hospice providers, funeral professionals, and others in your local deathcare community.

  • Take the first steps toward creating a sustainable death doula practice, if professional work is your goal.

  • Know when something is outside your expertise, and how to find the right resources or professionals to help.

Live Weekly Support with Jill

Students receive 2hours of live Q&A with Jill every week.
Join as often as you’d like, whether you’re brand new, expanding your skills, or brushing up after months or years after taking the course.

Ready to Begin?

Pricing:

The course is $2400. We offer six month payment plans, and a $300 discount if the course is paid in full up from. We also offer a limited number of scholarship opportunities. You can inquire about this during your connection call with Jill. A personal essay and interview are required.

Bonus: Once in our network you will have access to our LIVE STREAM ARCHIVE and our DEATH DOULA RESOURCE GUIDE for no extra cost.

We’re honored you’re interested in learning from us and look forward to supporting you through your formation.

Book your call with Jill today using the scheduling link on this page.

Schedule Appointment " >

Death doula 101:

Course Curriculum and expectations

Curriculum:

  • Grounding and Death Doula Formation

  • Philosophical Approaches to Death and Dying

  • History of Death

  • Common Terminology and Paperwork

  • Advanced Care Planning and End of Life Conversations

  • Spectrum of Options and EOL

  • Tools for Being a Successful Advocate

  • In Depth Look at Hospice Care

  • How We Die

  • Modern Funerals, Wakes, and Dispositions

  • Creating Your Toolkit

  • Small Business Startup Tips, Utilizing Hope, Integrity and Imagination

Course Completion Requirements

To successfully complete this course, you’ll need to:

  • Work through all ten sections of the curriculum and watch all ten video lessons.

  • Attend ten LIVE Q&A sessions with Jill

  • Submit a 500-word case study response directly to Jill.

  • Complete 125 hours of community service related to death and dying.
    This may include hospice volunteering, caregiving, educational seminars, grief support work, or similar service.
    If you’re unsure whether something qualifies, please reach out, we’re here to guide you.

Code of Conduct:

We ask all students to uphold a learning environment grounded in respect, compassion, and curiosity. Every person in this course is on their own path and working toward their own goals, and we encourage connection, collaboration, and community support.

Any expression of hate, harassment, or inappropriate conduct toward another student or community member will result in removal from the network without refund.

Seeking a deeper purpose?

Download our free e-book, "Discovering Your Role As A Death Doula: A Doula's Guide.” This comprehensive guide empowers you to navigate the world of death support with confidence and grace. Whether you're curious or aspiring, this resource equips you with the knowledge and tools for end-of-life care.

DOWNLOAD
Cover of a guide titled 'Discovering Your Role and Purpose as a Death Doula.' The cover features black and white images including ocean waves, hands, a person in a casket with hands on top, a forest, shadows, books, and a sprig of rosemary.

FAQs

  • You and the community you wish to serve.

  • We want to make the course accessible and are open to negotiating payment plans on a case-by-case basis.

  • You will have access to the course forever. Once you pay for it you can always access it. We encourage people to come to our mentorship hours so they can continue to connect with Jill and other doulas growing their skill sets and businesses.

  • Yes. The course offers a certification once all of the necessary requirements are met. Students must complete all 10 sections of the course (videos included) Attend at least 10 mentorship sessions, send in a 500 word case study response and complete 125 hours of community service to be certified by DDLA. We want to acknowledge that there is no national certifying body for Death Doulas in the US. We do, however, stand by the quality of our course and access to ongoing mentorship and have helped over 100 people on their doula journey.

  • We are here to help you with that and this is exactly what our mentorship hours are for. We can review websites, marketing tactics, and help with confidence and motivation as business develops.

  • No! You do not need a medical or science background to become a death doula. Doulas focus on providing emotional, informational, and logistical support, as well as hands-on comfort measures for the families they serve. Doulas are strictly non-medical.

  • No, you do not! This is about humans connecting with other humans. You and I work with your personal experiences to tailor your own niche. Someone who spent their life taking care of their children is just as valuable as someone holding a PhD in chemistry. We are humans helping humans.

  • You can move through this course at your own pace and continue to interact/revisit it as needed. The course is a total of 10 modules. There is two hours of LIVE mentorship hours every Thursday 6-8pm PST on zoom. 125 hours of community work and a 500 word case study response essay.

Testimonials

  • A person with a beard and long hair, wearing a dark jacket, outdoors in a field with mountains and trees in the background, in black and white.

    "Jill is a solid rock for everyone who seriously wants to learn and understand how to have a good death. She balances experience, professionalism, humor and her own instincts towards improving the quality of one's death. Jill has amassed an insane amount of knowledge and is the real deal. She's been there to support me when my grandma was passing and I've seen her help several other friends in profound ways. Her work is largely pragmatic, but she's been open to entertaining the true mystery's of death. Jill will be my doula when I die."

    Michael Donovan

  • A woman with shoulder-length light brown hair smiling outdoors in front of green plants and trees.

    "Jill’s approach and priority is to lead by sharing her knowledge and authenticity. Her passion, understanding and experiences in guiding and advocating for her clients with a terminally illness and their families, working diligently in the deathcare space, and mentoring others on the realities of being an end-of-life doula is quite stellar. As an Eldercare Manager and End-of-Life Doula, I am proud and humbled to continue to learn, grow and partner with Jill."

    Stefanie Elkins

  • "My work with Jill started in 2020 with the mentorship and the program was full of information so I felt like I learned all that I needed to know. As a new business and a career that is still new to many people, there are always new things coming up and it is helpful to have someone to talk with. Even years later when I have questions and I need help, she never hesitates to help me figure out what I need to do for my business or with a client. Plus the community and network of people who work with clients at the end of life are invaluable."

    Jill McClennen

  • “I discovered Jill Schock, Death Doula LA, as I had just transitioned out of the corporate world and it immediately sparked a desire in me to work with the dying. Learning first hand from a professional who has been in this field for almost two decades is invaluable. And through Jill's rich network, I have met so many different sorts of deathcare professionals which only broadens my knowledge and keeps me connected to the various facets of this field. Even though I completed my mentorship in 2020, I continue to receive support from Jill and her network.”

    Natalie Noel, Heavenly Mist Death Doula