INELDA Update – DECEMBER 2025
From West Coast to East Coast: New In-Person Trainings!
We are excited to announce that INELDA will be offering an end-of-life doula training in the Los Angeles area in February, to be followed by a training at the Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone, North Carolina, in April. Looking for an environment to be with others, live and in community? We just launched these two events, so sign up before they are full. Learn more about our Santa Monica training blocks from the Pacific Ocean and our mountain retreat training at the Art of Living. Catch us on either coast for these in-person offerings!
Honoring Those Paving the Way
At our 10-year anniversary celebration, we were honored to acknowledge two significant contributors for their commitments to the end-of-life doula field: Empath Health, accepted by vice president of volunteer engagement Stacy Groff, and death doula Wilka Roig.
The INELDA Outstanding Community Partner Award was awarded to Empath Health, a United States leader in health care that upholds a longstanding commitment to end-of-life support through innovation, collaboration, and the integration of trained end-of-life doulas into its full-life care model. As one of the largest not-for-profit health systems in the nation dedicated to hospice, palliative, and home health care, Empath Health is at the forefront of ensuring dignity, comfort, and connection for patients and families navigating life’s final chapter. Empath Health is devoted to pioneering a holistic approach that provides for full life care
The INELDA Pathmaker Award was awarded to Wilka Roig, MA, MFA, PLC, a transpersonal psychotherapist, artist, educator, and leader. Wilka’s work spans multiple countries, languages, and communities, serving thousands annually through her clinical practice, training, and programmatic leadership. Founder and president of Fundación Elisabeth Kübler-Ross México Centro, cofounder and academic director of Espacio Formativo para la Integración de la Muerte, and the cofounder and administrator of Red Latinoamericana de Acompañamiento en la Muerte y el Duelo, Wilka trained with INELDA in 2017 and continues to champion the growth of the end-of-life doula movement in Latin America and globally.
There are many meaningful ways to support INELDA’s work, and every one of them helps expand compassionate end-of-life care. From monthly giving to gifts of stock to one-time donations, your generosity and partnership make our work possible.
Your generosity fuels our scholarship program, provides training for care providers serving unhoused communities, and supports the development of new programs that connect and strengthen the end-of-life doula field.
Explore the many ways you can support INELDA—and help ensure dignity, presence, and choice at the end of life. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today!
Spring Certification Cohort: Registration Is Open
Registration opened this past Monday, December 15. INELDA’s certification program is a comprehensive one-year cohort-based program designed to support you through mentorship, peer review, and continuing education, with two cycles that start in either October or April. Founded and guided by INELDA’s core competencies, the certification program engages and applies the INELDA Doula Approach, culminating in the design and practice of the doula’s field specialization of choice. Go here for more information, to explore what is needed to enter this program, or to register.
INELDA Payment Plans
We heard your ask and have made it easier for you to pay in installments for doula training. When purchasing end-of-life doula training, there are now multiple payment plan options. This will allow you to parse out your payments in a way that works best for your needs. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. We are always happy to help!
Virtual Jewish End-of-Life Doula Meetup
Our friends at the Shomer Collective are hosting a January meetup on Wednesday, January 28, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. Explore the tools and resources of Shiva Circle (learn more about Shiva Circle in our January newsletter!). Practice having conversations with families about sitting shiva and deepen your knowledge of Jewish mourning customs. Register here to join.
Posted 12/17/2025