Having things in place can ease the mind of the person who is dying and is a great gift to those who love and care for them.

Advanced Directives ensure that your wishes for care and medical interventions are explicit and honored. I am familiar with different approaches for clarifying and codifying Advanced Directives.

Also whether it’s organizing passwords, creating lists of people to be notified or putting financial affairs into order, the completion of practical tasks allows you and your loved ones to spend quality time together and be present to the unfolding moment.

Knowing that death approaches creates moments of reckoning: a taking stock of who you were and were not, who you loved and who you hurt, how you took steps or faltered.

People often take advantage of the waning time to seek repair with others, to say what has not been said. I facilitate this life review, as well as conversations about spiritual questions and beliefs.

Often, friends and family members will join these reflections or want to talk about facing death and what you have meant to them. It is a time, with my guidance, when things are often spoken about for the first time.

Connecting while approaching death sparks growth and greater closeness.

It is meaningful for you and your loved ones alike for something to be left behind, not only memorializing who you were but as an act of love to help people know how you held them in your heart and what you wanted to give them in the end.

These projects may range from simple (designating objects to special people), personal (such as letters) and creative (making an object or completing a video or photo album). All are a gift and then become a touchstone for memory.

Rituals create sacred space. While many people rely on traditional or religious rituals, there are many powerful moments in the dying process that can be beautifully marked by a personal ritual.

Together, we will create sacred and intimate moments such as blessings before one dies, having a wake or shiva when the person is still alive, or tending to the body in the moments after death with music, touch, and beauty.

Since death is so hidden in our society, few of us have witnessed it. The dying process has uncertainties and yet much can be anticipated.

There is a map for the territory. I highlight the normal sights, sounds and processes of the human body naturally programmed to die. This information is powerful for the person facing death and provides tremendous support to those who are witnessing and loving them.

As with the birth process, the dying process is a period of labor, challenge, intense feeling, and awe.

Vigil begins when you enter the phase of “active dying.” This is a sacred time.

Vigil planning helps those caring for you to understand what they are witnessing and can normalize expectable and natural dying processes.

Planning allows the dying person to voice preferences for the sacred space within which they die, as well as to collaborate in rituals or ceremonies preceding, during or after death.

I can provide accompaniment and presence during the active dying process.

Grief can begin at the moment of diagnosis or not until months after a loss. It may be non-existent or overwhelming. It can be more than sadness and include anger, resentment, regret or disconnection.

I am skilled with holding anticipatory grief, with navigating the different feelings and expressions of family members, and with being with you in the early weeks beyond your loss.

There is a wide array of funerals, methods of disposition, and eco-friendly burial options. I can teach you the range of choices to reflect and express your life values.

Anticipating and concretizing your decisions spares your loved ones uncertainty about your wishes or the pressured efforts to put things into place upon your death.

It is daunting to navigate strong preferences of family member at the end of your life, as you are simultaneously coordinating the input and activities of a variety of medical and service teams.

I am there for you and will ensure that your wishes are respected.

As a new profession, end-of-life doulas are not currently licensed or regulated by any state. Because of this, EOLD services are not covered by insurance or by Medicare.

We will determine my fee together when we meet. The fee depends on what services you seek, be it ongoing meetings through your living and dying, a contract for specific services such as advanced directives or a legacy project, episodic contact, or a single consultation.

The gift of a dignified and loving end of life is a human right, regardless of religion, race, gender identity, class sexual orientation or physical ability—all of which powerfully impact living, dying, grief, and a sense of community. To provide equitable access, I offer a sliding scale based on principles of social justice, privilege and understanding institutional and contextual barriers to services. We will negotiate your fee together depending on your circumstances.