Course Description
This online course includes comprehensive discussions surrounding the history and culture of death care in the United States, highlighting themes of choice, access, oppression, and liberation in death care. Together we will study & discuss nonmedical, medical, and legal components of end-of-life and death care with details and stories of different procedures, methods, and frameworks for body and mind during death.
Death Care Training with ASP encourages and centers conversation surrounding dominant cultural norms and justice-based alternatives for support techniques. We will highlight options available related to choice in death care and comprehensive resources for the surviving care team (medical, nonmedical, community, etc). In practice, this learning also includes ongoing grief tending and skill building as we learn together. We will engage in grief care throughout the 8-weeks together through artwork, poetry, games, and a two part living funeral ceremony.
Topics & Themes:
- Learn Media Literacy & Death Terminology
- Explore and Create Models of Grief & Grieving
- Practice Consent & Non-medical Support
- Develop Practical Skills for Support & Care in End-of-Life and Death
- Share Understandings of Access for Dying People & their Care Network
- Articulate the Role of Lineage and Tradition in Companionship
- Define and Explore Archetypes, including Dominant Cultural Norms
- Advocate for Choices, Options, and Informed-Consent in Death Care
- Build on Dialogue, Relationship Building, and Understanding
Students will learn in cohort with to identify resources that broaden their existing nonmedical care practices to include practical end-of-life and death care skills. Training for caretakers centers what role a support person can hold while working in these oppressive and bias systems that exist in the United States, particularly for those who do not have access to death care.
The cohort meets for 2.5 hours on Monday & Wednesday online via zoom, 6 - 8:30PM PT for 8-weeks, a total of sixteen live sessions. In addition to weekly gatherings, there is self-paced content modules on Thinkific included pre-recorded content and resources. Starting with this fall all of our students are welcome to a join a group mentorship for the year after training.
Course Outline:
- Week 1: Welcome to Death Doula Training
- Week 2: Laying the Groundwork
- Week 3: What is Death?
- Week 4: Medical & Legal Components of Care
- Week 5: Ways of Tending a Body
- Week 6: Ways of Tending to Grief
- Week 7: How do people, people?
- Week 8: Living Funeral & Closing Circle
16 Live Classes on Zoom:
Attendance is requested. Our classes are small and each student brings an important presence. If you are unable to make more than 3 sessions we invite you to please sign up for a future cohort where the dates fit your schedule):
2023 Fall Cohort Dates:
- Week 1: Mon 9/11 & Wed 9/13
- Week 2: Mon 9/18 & Wed 9/20
- Week 3: Mon 9/25 & Wed 9/27
- Fri 9/29 Advance Directive Workshop (In-Person & Zoom)
- Week 4: Mon 10/2 & Wed 10/4
- Week 5: Mon 10/9 & Wed 10/11
- Week 6: Mon 10/16 & Wed 10/18
- Week 7: Mon 10/23 & Wed 10/25
- Week 8: Mon 10/30 & Wed 11/1
- Fri 11/3 Body Wash & Shroud Workshop (In-Person & Zoom)
Our core teachers facilitating the class host our 16 zoom sessions, in addition to several pre-recorded videos that students are invited to watch asynchronously during the 8-weeks together. Guest teachers weave their knowledge throughout the curriculum in live sessions, pre-recorded offerings, informational materials, and workbooks for practice and reflection.
Facilitators:
Previous Guest Educators:
Before you enroll! Please take a moment to read more about the courses, how we teach, learning environment, accessibility, cost of training, and our reschedule/refund policies at https://asacredpassing.org/accessibility-info
