Specialized training for end-of-life doulas and helping professionals who want to support those choosing medical aid in dying, dying with dignity, and related pathways - with steady, non-medical presence across all jurisdictions, including MAiD, AID, VAD, PAD, and VSED.
Families navigating medical aid in dying and dying with dignity need more than medical logistics. They need calm, relational, non-medical support that helps the entire experience feel grounded, prepared, and deeply human.
People choosing medical aid in dying - across all legal frameworks - need emotional preparation, communication support, and a compassionate presence that medical systems are not designed to provide.
When the choice to die with dignity is shaped by suffering, faith, family, and personal values, a skilled doula helps keep the person's voice centered - without agenda or pressure.
This specialization teaches you to collaborate respectfully with care teams while staying firmly outside medical decision-making, medication handling, and legal interpretation.
Environment, ritual, legacy work, aftercare, and early grief support can transform an intense process into a more intentional, connected, and deeply human farewell.
Whether you have been asked to support a client through medical aid in dying or you are proactively building your skills for this work, this specialization meets you where you are.
Deepen your ability to support clients and families through medical aid in dying with stronger language, ritual skills, clearer boundaries, and grounded day-of steadiness.
Bring a more grounded relational layer to care when families need calm support around planning, communication, and emotional preparation for dying with dignity.
Chaplains, counselors, volunteers, and care companions can use this training to support values-based conversations without stepping into clinical roles.
The language is intentionally adaptable across jurisdictions, helping you speak with care and clarity whether your context uses MAiD, AID, VAD, PAD, VSED, or dying with dignity.
Note: If you are new to end-of-life work, start with the IEOLCA Certified End-of-Life Doula training first, then return for this specialization. Many students do both.
This specialization helps you show up with steadiness, communication skill, cultural humility, and clear scope - wherever you practice in the world.
Phrases that honor autonomy, reduce friction, and follow the Platinum Rule - treat others as they wish to be treated. Includes language for MAiD, AID, dying with dignity, and all major frameworks across jurisdictions.
Understand what belongs inside the doula role and what must stay with clinicians, legal professionals, and assessors - and how to hold that line with grace under pressure.
Support emotionally charged discussions, differing beliefs, and values-based communication without becoming the decision-maker - including when families disagree about the choice.
Help clients shape the sensory space, farewell moments, letters, readings, rituals, and memory-making practices that feel true to them and to the people they love.
Calm pacing, emotionally safe bedside language, and quiet steadiness for one of the most intense moments a family will ever experience together.
Immediate rituals, meaning-making, referral awareness, and gentle post-death support - including for the complex grief that can follow a chosen death.
This specialization is grounded in non-medical support, cultural humility, and the practical realities doulas face when families navigate one of the most personal end-of-life choices a person can make.
Across all eight modules, you will learn to stay within scope, communicate clearly, and follow the person's language, beliefs, and values - rather than imposing your own. The Platinum Rule - treat others as they wish to be treated - is the ethical foundation of everything we teach.
The language and frameworks in this program are deliberately jurisdiction-neutral so that practitioners in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and beyond can all apply this learning directly in their context.
Important: This program is designed as specialized doula training in presence, communication, preparation, collaboration, ritual, and aftercare. Clinical, legal, eligibility, and medication-related questions remain with the appropriate licensed professionals.
A guided online learning journey covering the history and ethics of medical aid in dying and dying with dignity, legal context, cultural sensitivity, family preparation, day-of presence, aftercare, professional collaboration, and final integration - with approximately 25 pages of rich content per module.
The history of medical aid in dying worldwide, why people choose this path, the Platinum Rule, global terminology (MAiD, AID, dying with dignity, VAD, PAD, VSED), legal landscape overview, scope and boundaries, trauma-informed care foundations, and a doula readiness self-assessment.
Holding space without judgment, neutral and compassionate language, cultural deep-dives including Indigenous, East Asian, and Black community perspectives, conscientious objection, the disability justice lens, and supporting choice without advocacy.
Jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction context (Canada, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Europe), VSED as a distinct pathway, the assessor-practitioner-doula relationship, when access is denied, and scope-safe navigation of the clinical process.
Emotional and practical preparation, holding ambivalence without steering, legacy wishes and meaning-making, facilitating family meetings, the tealight countdown ritual, environment design, supporting clients facing access barriers, and children's involvement.
Grounded presence and calming practices, what to expect and how to prepare families, bedside language, holding diverse spiritual and cultural perspectives in the room, when complications arise, when a client changes their mind, and scope-conscious boundaries throughout.
Immediate rituals and closing practices, early grief support, VSED-specific aftercare, disenfranchised grief, supporting those who opposed the death, structured debrief protocols, referral pathways, and doula integration after a death.
Building trust with healthcare teams, handling conflict with clinical staff, documentation within scope, intake and contracts for MAiD and dying with dignity work, sensitive marketing, privacy and media, community education, and building a sustainable referral network.
Rich case studies covering a full range of scenarios, Platinum Rule application in complex situations, personal scope statement development, practitioner wellness, and a final integration project with three options suited to different learning styles.
In addition to the rich module content, students receive a practical resource toolkit designed for real-world use from day one.
Pre-register now for $99 USD and receive full access when the program opens in June 2026. Regular tuition will be $349 USD at launch.
Pre-register now and receive access when the program opens in June 2026. This early rate is available before launch.
If the training does not feel like the right fit after launch, a full refund is available within 60 days. We believe deeply in the value of this education and want you to feel supported in your decision.
A few words from doulas and helping professionals who have trained with IEOLCA and brought this work into their lives and practice.
When you complete the training, you’ll receive recognition of your learning, practical visibility options, and credentials that reflect your additional preparation in this sensitive area of support.
Receive an IEOLCA Certificate of Completion recognizing your specialized training in Medical Aid in Dying Doula Support. Yours to display, frame, and share with confidence.
A shareable IEOLCA digital badge for your email signature, website, LinkedIn profile, and social media — a visible signal of your additional training and commitment to this work.
Upon completion, you are invited to add your profile to the IEOLCA Doula Directory, helping families find trained, compassionate support doulas when they are looking for this kind of care.
We want you to feel good about your decision. If the training does not feel like the right fit after launch, simply reach out and we will make it right.
We believe deeply in the value of this education, and we want you to feel supported from the very first day you begin.
Everything here is designed to help you quickly understand whether this specialization is right for you and what to expect.
The Medical Aid in Dying Doula Support Specialization opens in June 2026. Pre-registering now locks in the prelaunch rate and ensures you receive access the moment doors open.
Yes. The training is designed for flexible online learning so you can move through the material in a way that fits your work, caregiving, and other responsibilities. There is no fixed schedule or deadline.
Clinical or medical experience is not required. The training is suited to end-of-life doulas, helping professionals, and anyone who wants to support those choosing medical aid in dying or dying with dignity within a clearly defined scope.
It is a specialized training. Students with a foundation in end-of-life care will get the most from it. If you are brand new to this work, consider starting with the IEOLCA Certified End-of-Life Doula training first.
Yes. The program covers medical aid in dying and dying with dignity as its primary frameworks, and introduces all major regional terms - MAiD (Canada), AID and dying with dignity (United States), VAD (Australia and New Zealand), PAD, and VSED - so students can practice confidently across jurisdictions.
The doula role remains non-medical and non-legal. Clinical eligibility, legal interpretation, medication handling, and clinical decision-making remain with the appropriate licensed professionals. This program focuses on presence, communication, environment, ritual, family support, and aftercare.
The prelaunch rate is $99 USD and is available until the program opens in June 2026. Regular tuition will be $349 USD at launch. Pre-registering now locks in the introductory rate and full access.
Upon successful completion, students receive an official IEOLCA Medical Aid in Dying Doula Support Specialization certificate, recognizing specialized non-medical training in supporting MAiD, dying with dignity, and related pathways.
Absolutely. The curriculum is written to be applicable across all jurisdictions where medical aid in dying and dying with dignity are legal or emerging. The frameworks, language guidance, and practical tools translate directly whether you work under MAiD, AID, VAD, or any other framework.
General end-of-life doula training prepares you for the full spectrum of dying support. This specialization goes deep into the specific emotional, relational, ethical, and practical dimensions of medical aid in dying and dying with dignity - including the unique dynamics of a known death date, the tealight countdown, family conflict around the choice, day-of support, and the complex grief that can follow a chosen death.
This work asks for maturity, clear boundaries, and compassionate presence. If the training feels aligned, the prelaunch rate is available before the June 2026 launch.
Prelaunch rate of $99 USD is available until launch. Regular tuition will be $349 USD. This training supports compassionate accompaniment within clear ethical and professional boundaries.
