END-OF-LIFE DOULA CERTIFICATION
COST: New pricing announced in 2025
DISCOUNTS: Tier 2 and 3 Members will receive $30 off -or- 15% off for Student or Military
As we navigate improvements to our program based on your feedback, INELDA, we will hold on accepting further application into our certification program until May 2025.
- PREREQUISITE: Complete an INELDA End-of-Life Doula Training. If you have completed another organization’s End-of-Life Doula Training we request you complete the INELDA End-of-Life Doula Training Refresher
We will be offering a Certification Discovery Call in April 2025 to share our new process and answer any questions. Check back in the coming weeks to register for this call!
Please note that if you have previously applied for certification, you must submit your first case by December 15, 2024 to move forward in the program.
- SCHOLARSHIPS: Available (this will reduce the cost to $150)
- REQUIREMENTS: A minimum of 2 cases and up to 5 cases *additional cases may be requested*
- FORMAT: Field hours, journaling, guide assignment, case presentations, personal recommendations, assessment, panel interview
- PREREQUISITE: Complete an INELDA End-of-Life Doula Training. If you have completed another organization’s End-of-Life Doula Training we request you complete the INELDA End-of-Life Doula Training Refresher
- RECERTIFICATION: INELDA Certification is granted for a 3-year period. Need to recertify? CLICK HERE
After taking the INELDA End-of-Life Doula Training, you may choose to continue your learning by engaging in our certification process. This isn’t a requirement for doing doula work; however it can be a valuable investment in your growth. We recommend a minimum of six-month experience with client involvement prior to starting the process. Certification involves direct work with dying individuals and their loved ones through a hospice program, a private practice, or working within your community. In that work with clients, you will be expected to reflect deeply on the ways you interact, your insights as you interact, and how you utilize the foundational doula principles you learned and experienced in the training.
Dying people and their loved ones are our best teachers. Yet, having an experienced doula give you feedback about your work is also of great value. As you complete you submit your materials, they will be reviewed by one of our Certification Guides. Our Certification Guides are educators with extensive experience as doulas/death companions. They also specialize in many areas including hospice administration, chaplaincy, spiritual care and grief support.
Currently, the end-of-life doula field does not have government or industry oversight on certification. However, INELDA is committed to helping establish a meaningful credential that lets prospective clients, communities or organizations know that you have the knowledge and skill to serve them well. End-of-Life Doula Certification is a statement about your competence and experience. It is one way to tell people you are ready to journey with them in deeply meaningful ways and to bring great comfort to the dying and their circle of support. It also informs organizations that you can support them as they support the dying.
In addition, by becoming certified, you may have the opportunity in the future to guide others through their certification or to serve in our peer mentoring program. In these ways you would be contributing to the learning of people following the same calling and passion that led you to this work. Additionally, as an INELDA Certified EOL Doula, your listing on our Doula Directory will be highlighted.
OVERVIEW OF INELDA’S END-OF-LIFE DOULA CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
- Complete an INELDA End-of-Life Doula Training. If you have completed another organization’s End-of-Life Doula Training we request you complete INELDA End-of-Life Doula Training Refresher
- Complete the application form by September 30, 2024
- Sign the INELDA Code of Ethics & Scope of Practice
- Submit two letters of recommendation — 1 personal and 1 professional
- Submit the required resume or CV highlighting end-of-life experience
- Work with clients as an end-of-life doula in a minimum of 2 cases and to up to 5 cases* totaling 40 hours. *The Certification Guide may require additional case(s)
- One Active Listening & Response (ALR) Journal entry per case
- 3 Personal Journal entries or more
- One case summary and timesheet per case
- 2 Evaluations per case
- Conduct a survey of community resources in your area
- Complete online assessment
- Panel interview
- Submit all materials within 2 years of application
BENEFITS
- Continued development as an EOL Doula
- Personalized one-on-one feedback and guidance
- Increased confidence and expertise in serving the dying
- Contribute to bringing recognition of doulas as a qualified of end-of-life support
- Transform society’s view of dying, one person at a time
FEES AND PROCEDURE
- Attend an INELDA End-of-Life Doula Training. If you have attended another organization’s End-of-Life Doula Training we request you attend INELDA End-of-Life Doula Training Refresher
- Review overview of Certification Process after training
- Apply for a scholarship if you meet the criteria
- Submit application with two letters of recommendations and a resume – $75 by September 30, 2024.
- Submit the first Case Packet for review and feedback
- Submit additional Case Packets — $255 ($30 off for Tier 2 and 3 Members)
- Submit community resources
- Take an online exam
- Participate in an interview with your guide
- Receive the final report and official certification
RECERTIFICATION
CERTIFICATION FAQS
Currently, there is no state or federal regulatory body that certifies end-of-life doulas.
We believe in offering continued opportunities for the growth and development of our doulas that enable and encourage their investment in themselves, as well as building high standards of practice in the field. As such, our certification is a designation that the individuals and loved ones our doulas support can trust.
The first step is to take our INELDA End-of-Life Doula Training. If you have completed your end-of-life training with another organization, your first step would be to take our INELDA End-of-Life Doula Training Refresher.
We recommend up to six months of experience prior to application.
After completing the training, if you wish to pursue certification, you can submit your application.
To see an overview of the requirements and process for certification, please scroll up to read the section titled “Overview of INELDA’s End-Of-Life Doula Certification Requirements”.
No. There is no governing body that requires certification for end-of-life doulas. Certification is optional, however choosing to go through the process is an investment in your continued growth and development as a doula.
A $75 fee is required to submit your application and first case packet, and an additional $255 ($225 for Tier 2 & 3 members) prior to submitting case packets 2 through 5.
Yes. For details, click here.
Yes, recertification is required every 3 years. For recertification, 36 hours of end-of-life care-related activities are required over a three-year period. These activities fall into four categories; Receiving Education, Providing Education, Contributing to the Field, and Direct Service. [Download PDF here]
The cases you choose for your certification need to occur after completing an INELDA End-of-Life Doula Training course. You will be evaluated on understanding class material and how well you apply the skills and tools you learned. Previous experience is taken into consideration when determining the number of cases and hours.
We recommend that you start out volunteering at a local hospice where you can work with terminal patients and their loved ones. Hospitals and long-term care facilities may also be an option in some places, but typically volunteers in those settings don’t get as much opportunity to work closely with dying patients. Your work as a private doula practice or as a member of a collaborative is applicable.
We allow for one case to be submitted that documents work with a family member. It is important for doulas to maintain an emotional boundary between themselves and the people they serve. While doulas should be compassionate and loving toward the people they work with, overly close or complicated emotional connections can make it harder to maintain the objectivity and impartial presence that is a hallmark of the end-of-life-doula role. If you have questions about the appropriateness of a case, please email: [email protected]
No. If you are a professional working with the dying in the end-of-life field, you will need to choose cases where you can work with the individual and/or their loved ones exclusively in the role of end-of-life doula. If you have questions about this, or to inquire about your particular situation, please email: [email protected]
No. You might work with one client on legacy work, another doing vigil work, or just work with the loved ones as they begin grieving after their loved one’s death. Of course, if you do get to work on a case through planning, meaning work, a legacy project, the vigil, and grieving afterwards, you will get a much richer understanding of how the entire end-of-life doula process plays out across a whole case.
We know that in working with an individual across all three phases, you may put in many more than the maximum 12 hours allotted per case. The extra time you spend, even though it doesn’t count towards your 40 total hours, will certainly be worth it and benefit your learning in immeasurable ways.
Currently, there is no state or federal regulatory body that certifies end-of-life doulas.
We believe in offering continued opportunities for the growth and development of our doulas that enable and encourage their investment in themselves, as well as building high standards of practice in the field. As such, our certification is a designation that the individuals and loved ones our doulas support can trust.
The first step is to take our INELDA End-of-Life Doula Training. If you have completed your end-of-life training with another organization, your first step would be to take our INELDA End-of-Life Doula Training Refresher.
We recommend up to six months of experience prior to application.
After completing the training, if you wish to pursue certification, you can submit your application.
To see an overview of the requirements and process for certification, please scroll up to read the section titled “Overview of INELDA’s End-Of-Life Doula Certification Requirements”.
No. There is no governing body that requires certification for end-of-life doulas. Certification is optional, however choosing to go through the process is an investment in your continued growth and development as a doula.
A $75 fee is required to submit your application and first case packet, and an additional $255 ($225 for Tier 2 & 3 members) prior to submitting case packets 2 through 5.
Yes. For details, click here.
Yes, recertification is required every 3 years. For recertification, 36 hours of end-of-life care-related activities are required over a three-year period. These activities fall into four categories; Receiving Education, Providing Education, Contributing to the Field, and Direct Service. [Download PDF here]
The cases you choose for your certification need to occur after completing an INELDA End-of-Life Doula Training course. You will be evaluated on understanding class material and how well you apply the skills and tools you learned. Previous experience is taken into consideration when determining the number of cases and hours.
We recommend that you start out volunteering at a local hospice where you can work with terminal patients and their loved ones. Hospitals and long-term care facilities may also be an option in some places, but typically volunteers in those settings don’t get as much opportunity to work closely with dying patients. Your work as a private doula practice or as a member of a collaborative is applicable.
We allow for one case to be submitted that documents work with a family member. It is important for doulas to maintain an emotional boundary between themselves and the people they serve. While doulas should be compassionate and loving toward the people they work with, overly close or complicated emotional connections can make it harder to maintain the objectivity and impartial presence that is a hallmark of the end-of-life-doula role. If you have questions about the appropriateness of a case, please email: [email protected]
No. If you are a professional working with the dying in the end-of-life field, you will need to choose cases where you can work with the individual and/or their loved ones exclusively in the role of end-of-life doula. If you have questions about this, or to inquire about your particular situation, please email: [email protected]
No. You might work with one client on legacy work, another doing vigil work, or just work with the loved ones as they begin grieving after their loved one’s death. Of course, if you do get to work on a case through planning, meaning work, a legacy project, the vigil, and grieving afterwards, you will get a much richer understanding of how the entire end-of-life doula process plays out across a whole case.
We know that in working with an individual across all three phases, you may put in many more than the maximum 12 hours allotted per case. The extra time you spend, even though it doesn’t count towards your 40 total hours, will certainly be worth it and benefit your learning in immeasurable ways.