This heart-centered, non-medical training is for doulas, companions, caregivers, volunteers, family support people, and end-of-life professionals who want to offer steady, compassionate assisted dying support. It explores medical assistance in dying (MAiD), medical aid in dying, AID, voluntary assisted dying (VAD), PAD, and VSED across different jurisdictions.
Families navigating medical assistance in dying, medical aid in dying, or other assisted dying pathways often need more than medical logistics. They may also need calm, relational, non-medical support that helps the experience feel grounded, prepared, and deeply human.
People choosing an assisted dying pathway may need emotional preparation, communication support, and compassionate presence alongside the clinical process.
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 training 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 training 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 medical assistance in dying (MAiD), medical aid in dying, assisted dying, AID, VAD, PAD, or VSED.
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 training program. Many students do both.
“This course has given me a new sense of purpose and direction in my life and career. I feel more confident, and I am grateful for the opportunity.”
This training helps you offer non-medical MAiD and assisted dying support 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 training 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.
Terminology varies across jurisdictions. Throughout the program, students encounter language including medical assistance in dying (MAiD), medical aid in dying, assisted dying, aid in dying, and voluntary assisted dying (VAD), alongside related frameworks such as PAD and VSED. The learning is designed so practitioners can understand the language used in their own context while staying within a non-medical doula scope.
Important: This program provides focused doula training in presence, communication, preparation, collaboration, ritual, and aftercare. Clinical, legal, eligibility, and medication-related questions remain with the appropriate licensed professionals.
“Completing this training has been an incredibly meaningful experience. The program gave me practical tools, guidance on boundaries, and a deeper understanding of supporting people with compassion during one of life's most sacred times.”
A guided online learning journey covering the history and ethics of medical assistance in dying, medical aid in dying, assisted dying and VAD; 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: Medical Assistance/Aid in Dying (MAiD), Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), Physician-Assisted Dying (PAD), Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking (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.
Legal and procedural 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.
“I was deeply surprised at the depth and breadth of information shared, and that it was presented as an interactive experience requiring thought and introspection.”
Every option includes the complete online program, all eight modules, practical tools, lifetime access, and your IEOLCA Certificate of Completion. Choose the option that is honest and right for your circumstances.
Helps support accessible tuition across the IEOLCA community.
Enroll · $249 USDThis tuition option is here when it better fits your circumstances.
Enroll · $124.50 USDWhen you complete the program, you’ll receive recognition of your learning, a shareable digital badge, and the opportunity to be listed in the IEOLCA Doula Directory.
Receive an IEOLCA Certificate of Completion recognizing successful completion of the Medical Aid in Dying Support Doula Program. Yours to display, frame, and share with confidence.
A shareable IEOLCA digital badge recognizing completion of the program, for your email signature, website, LinkedIn profile, and social media.
Upon completion, you are invited to add your profile to the IEOLCA Doula Directory, helping families find trained, compassionate doulas who offer this kind of support.
“IEOLCA is flawless. A lot of chaplains would benefit from this training. I am so thankful that I picked this particular course.”
Everything here is designed to help you quickly understand whether this training is right for you and what to expect.
Yes. The Medical Aid in Dying Support Doula Program is available online and self-paced. Students may enroll and begin the training right away.
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 focused support training program. 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 explores medical assistance in dying (MAiD), medical aid in dying, assisted dying, voluntary assisted dying (VAD), AID, PAD, and VSED. It helps students recognize different terminology while keeping the doula role centered on non-medical support, communication, preparation, presence, and aftercare.
Terminology varies by jurisdiction. This training introduces the language students may encounter, including medical assistance in dying (MAiD), medical aid in dying, aid in dying, assisted dying, and voluntary assisted dying (VAD), so you can understand the terms used in your own community while remaining clear about the non-medical doula role.
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.
Regular tuition is $249 USD. A 50% tuition support option is available at $124.50 USD for students who need additional financial support. Enrollment gives students access to the training right away.
Upon successful completion, students receive an official IEOLCA Certificate of Completion for the Medical Aid in Dying Support Doula Program, recognizing non-medical training in supporting MAiD, dying with dignity, and related pathways.
Absolutely. The curriculum is written to be adaptable across jurisdictions and introduces multiple terms and frameworks, including MAiD, medical aid in dying, assisted dying, AID, VAD, PAD, and VSED. The focus remains on transferable, non-medical support skills and clear scope.
General end-of-life doula training prepares you for the full spectrum of dying support. This training program 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.
“An incredible resource for those seeking a thorough curriculum. The combination of videos and written materials provides an in-depth overview of compassion, listening, and person-centered care. It is a gift to the community.”
This work asks for maturity, clear boundaries, and compassionate presence. If the training feels aligned, you may enroll through regular tuition or the 50% tuition support option.
Regular tuition is $249 USD. 50% tuition support is available at $124.50 USD. This training supports compassionate accompaniment within clear ethical and professional boundaries.
