What is an End of Life Doula?
Guides for the final chapter of life’s journey
You may have heard of a birth doula — a trained companion who supports parents through pregnancy, birth, and the early days of life.
An End of Life Doula provides a similar kind of support, but at the other end of the life spectrum — walking alongside individuals and families through the final stages of life, from diagnosis through death and beyond.
Around the world, these practitioners are known by many names: End-of-Life Doula, Death Doula, Soul Midwife, Thanadoula, Transition Guide, Death Midwife, or Life Passage Doula. No matter the title, the heart of the work is the same: to be a steady, compassionate presence for both the dying person and their loved ones — physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Some doulas come from medical backgrounds as nurses, doctors, or home health aides; others arrive through personal experience and specialized training. The role itself is non-medical, focused on holistic, human-centered care.
What Does an End of Life Doula Do?
A Certified End of Life Doula supports clients and families from the moment a life-limiting diagnosis is given, through active dying, and into the bereavement period. We can also help plan for aging and guide loved ones through important paperwork and decisions well before a crisis.
We are trained to understand the three phases of end-of-life care and can:
- Offer comfort measures and suggest supportive interventions
- Guide families in navigating unresolved emotional matters
- Assist with Advance Directives and Death Care Directives
- Plan vigils and legacy projects
- Support obituary and eulogy writing
- Create meaningful remembrances
- Help the dying find peace, meaning, and closure
- Hold space for loved ones throughout the entire journey
What we do not do: End of Life Doulas do not replace medical professionals, make medical decisions, or impose personal beliefs. Our work is about presence, not prescriptions. Hands-on personal care (like bathing or feeding) is not our primary role, though some doulas may choose to assist voluntarily.
How Are End of Life Doulas Trained?
Our team’s training reflects the richness of the end-of-life movement, with backgrounds from several respected programs, including:
- International Doulagivers Institute — Founded by Suzanne O’Brien, RN, offering multi-level training from basic caregiver skills to rigorous professional certification.
- Stardust Meadow — Known for its focus on nature-based, eco-conscious end-of-life practices and ceremonies.
- Going with Grace — Alua Arthur’s program blending practical planning with deep emotional and spiritual preparation.
- INELDA (International End of Life Doula Association) — Providing structured, evidence-based training rooted in compassionate, person-centered care.
While each program has its own approach, they all share a commitment to holistic, non-judgmental, and culturally respectful care — values we hold at the heart of our work.
Working with Hospice — and Beyond
Hospice provides medical care, equipment, and case management, but it cannot be in the home 24/7. That’s where an End of Life Doula steps in: bridging the gap between medical teams and families, offering the time, focus, and emotional support that the medical system cannot always provide.
We honor your values, beliefs, and traditions — walking with you through one of life’s most profound thresholds with steadiness, compassion, and reverence.
Molly Welch, CEOLD
Founder, Twilight Doula Group
Molly Welch
My path to becoming an End-of-Life Doula began when a dear friend suggested the role might fit the calling I had long felt in my heart. She was right. This work blends my compassion, my advocacy, and my belief that every person deserves dignity, autonomy, and comfort in life’s final chapter.
I am trained to serve individuals facing the ten most common end-of-life disease processes, but my hands-on experience extends far beyond that. I have supported people through both expected and sudden transitions, including advanced illness, crisis care, and rare conditions such as:
- Non-small cell lung cancer*
- Aplastic thyroid cancer*
- Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis
- Traumatic brain injury (all eight stages of recovery, Ranchos Scale)
- Dementia
- Recovery from Orthopedic Surgery
At the core of my work is respect—for autonomy, for personal choice, and for each client’s cultural traditions, spiritual beliefs, or absence of belief. I am a proud advocate of the Death Positivity movement and a member of the Order of the Good Death. For those who choose environmentally conscious practices, I champion green and greener funeral options.
I hold a Certificate of Proficiency in Green Funeral Service from the Green Burial Council and completed their prerequisite studies through the Mid-America College of Funeral Service. Inspired by this work, I also earned a Home Funeral Guide Proficiency Badge from the National Home Funeral Alliance, ensuring I can guide and advocate for both home and hybrid funeral families. My mission includes fostering collaboration and mutual respect with conventional funeral professionals—relationships I deeply value here in my hometown of Evansville, Indiana.
I believe in Dr. Billy Campbell’s vision of preserving one million acres of land for 2,000 years through sustainable conservation burial. My dream is to establish a “safe passage dome” and conservation burial ground here in Evansville, while traveling to educate and empower families to care for their dying at home. Along the way, I hope to mentor other doulas so we can together improve the welfare of the dying—and the land they leave behind.
Kelly Koch
Hi, I’m Kelly Koch. I sometimes say I’ve been doing end-of-life work most of my life without even realizing it. As a stay-at-home mom and caregiver, I was blessed to walk alongside my grandparents and parents at the end of their lives, and I came to see that as both a joy and a privilege. Over the years, friends and family began asking me to be there for them too—during times of illness, hospice, and sudden loss. That’s really how I found my way into this work.
My background is in criminal justice with a focus on crisis intervention, so I’m no stranger to supporting people in hard and chaotic times. But what I bring as a doula is a little different—it’s humor, compassion, and very practical aftercare skills. I love helping families in those quieter days after the casseroles are gone, when the house feels different and everyone is wondering what comes next.
I believe end-of-life care should be family-centered and personal, not something dictated by convention or stigma. My hope is to help bring death care back home, and to walk with families so they feel supported, respected, and never alone.