IEOLCA offers compassionate, practical, self-paced education for people drawn to end-of-life care, including pet death doula training — whether you are exploring doula work, deepening your skills, supporting someone you love, or looking for thoughtful guidance through dying, death, grief, and remembrance.
“IEOLCA's Certified End-of-Life Doula training is by far the most empowering and practical of the doula courses I have taken. I feel much more equipped for this work with the instruction, examples, and tools Amy-Lynne has provided.”
An end-of-life doula, also called a death doula, is a trained, non-medical companion who supports a person who is dying—and the people who love them—with practical help, emotional presence, planning, and compassionate guidance.
The International End-of-Life Care Association offers online death doula certification and end-of-life doula training for aspiring doulas, caregivers, hospice volunteers, healthcare professionals, spiritual care providers, grief workers, and community members. Our self-paced programs combine reflective learning with practical skills, ethical grounding, clear non-medical scope, and resources for real-world support.
Begin with foundational certification or explore pet death doula training, dementia and memory care, Medical Aid in Dying support, cultural and spiritual rituals, and doula business essentials.
IEOLCA welcomes aspiring doulas, family caregivers, hospice volunteers, healthcare and spiritual care professionals, grief and bereavement workers, deathcare professionals, and others drawn to supporting people through dying, death, grief, and remembrance.
Begin with foundational certification or continue learning through focused, self-paced programs grounded in reflection, practical skills, clear scope, and compassionate care.
Comprehensive online training in non-medical support, bedside presence, planning, grief, ethics, family care, and professional practice.
Self-paced pet loss support training for compassionate companion animal end-of-life care, quality-of-life decisions, euthanasia, ritual, legacy, and grief.
Practical, non-clinical approaches to dementia support, validation-based communication, caregiver strain, ambiguous loss, identity, and quality of life.
Scope-aware, relational training for doulas supporting families around MAiD, AID, VAD, PAD, and VSED, including preparation, presence, aftercare, and grief.
Ritual literacy and cultural humility for supporting sacred end-of-life moments across religious, spiritual, secular, and family-created traditions.
Practical tools for services, pricing, boundaries, agreements, client communication, networking, workflows, and building a values-aligned doula practice.
“I was so impressed by the comprehensive information presented and how closely the material reflects real support for those transitioning. Thank you for making this training accessible, flexible, and affordable. I feel supported and confident as I move forward in this service.”
Our strongest differences are woven into the way you learn, the support you receive, the accessibility of the training, and the practical preparation that continues beyond graduation.
Begin anytime, study around your life, and return to the lessons, guidebooks, and resources whenever you need them.
The training is shaped by real end-of-life, hospice, spiritual care, and medical education experience. Amy-Lynne personally reviews every required assignment and welcomes questions throughout.
Choose from tuition options of up to 70% off through a simple honor-based system, with no formal application required.
Move from reflection into practice with scripts, templates, worksheets, guidebooks, and language for the conversations this work asks of you.
Learn how to offer meaningful non-medical support while respecting boundaries, referrals, family systems, care teams, and local regulations.
Graduates receive their credential, digital badge, Graduate Hub resources, and the opportunity to join the IEOLCA Doula Directory.
IEOLCA was created to make comprehensive end-of-life education accessible to people called to this work. Our approach is grounded in the Platinum Rule: supporting each person as they wish to be supported, with respect for their values, culture, relationships, and definition of meaningful care.
Co-founders Amy-Lynne Mahon and Perry Metheral bring experience in end-of-life care, hospice, spiritual care, grief and bereavement support, and postgraduate medical education. Together, they created IEOLCA to unite compassionate presence, clear scope, reflective learning, and practical preparation.
“An incredible resource for those seeking a thorough curriculum. The combination of videos and written materials provides an in-depth overview of compassion, listening, person-centered care, family relations, proper boundaries, and self-care.”
“IEOLCA gave me practical tools, guidance on boundaries, and a deeper understanding of how to support people with compassion during one of life's most sacred times.”
“I completed a death doula certification course through another organization, but felt like something essential was missing. This course is exactly what I was looking for.”
“IEOLCA has deepened my relationship with life, aging and death. As a 25 year pet professional and life coach, I was searching for a program that offered support for both people and animals. The pet death doula and human death doula certifications from IEOLCA far exceeded my expectations!”
“Training with IEOLCA's Pet Death Doula program provided valuable information, thoughtful reflection, compassionate guidance on grief, and important tools and templates.”
“This course not only reaffirmed my intuition, but gave me a road to follow. I can't wait for this journey to begin. It grounded me so I can help others.”
“This training helped me understand that walking with an animal at the end of their life is a sacred honour. I now have the required tools to support pets and their humans through this final transition.”
“I'm really enjoying this process. It's giving me such a sense of direction and well-being. This has been an amazing journey.”
Take our free readiness quiz to reflect on your strengths, interests, and readiness for end-of-life doula training.