Soul Doula® TRAINING PROGRAMME
(a Holistic & Spiritual End of Life Guide)
You have always known how to be with what others run from.
There is a particular kind of soul who doesn't look away in life's challenging cycles. Who finds something sacred in the places most people can't bear to stay.
You may have spent years not knowing what to call this. It simply felt like who you are. A person with a capacity to hold, witness and be present in the dark yet still holding a loving light. People turn to you when they need a safe space to feel. Strangers hold conversations with you in the streets and share their life-story easily with you - as if you've known them for years. And you have always carried a calm presence.
Training to become a Soul Doula® is not something you arrive at by accident. It is something you are pulled towards - even if you don't know how or why. but it feels right. a recognition of some sort.
And if you are here, reading these words, something in you is already recognising it now.
What is a Soul Doula®?
A Soul Doula® is a holistic and spiritual end-of-life guide. We are not medically trained, nor are we carers. We are highly trained and skilled people who understand that dying is not only a physical event, but a deeply human, emotional, and sacred one.
Soul Doulas® walk alongside the dying and their families. We hold the emotional weight. We tend to the 'unfinished business', the unspoken words, the soul wounds, the fear of what comes next. We create the conditions for a death that is peaceful, personalised, witnessed and full of love.
We are guides, space-holders and spiritual council. We are trained to honour and respect ALL beliefs as we stand for spiritual equality - that includes all non-spiritual beliefs.
We are called into hospices, in homes, in communities and in own own families.
Unlike medical care, a Soul Doula® is not prescribed or assigned. Those who work with us choose to. They have power of choice to engage with our services.
Accredited Training
Training is accredited by the IPHM (International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine)
THE 6 MONTH JOURNEY
Over a period of 6 months, you will have access to a library of pre-recorded sessions and 2 LIVE group sessions per month with Rachael, your Soul Doula® Founder & Mentor.
1; Orientation
You'll explore a deeper understanding of the path and role of a Soul Doula®, training expectations, opening your sacred space for the journey and how to begin gaining experience for case studies.
2; Let's Talk About Death, Baby
2 LIVE group Zoom sessions a month with your trainer & mentor, Rachael. Bring your questions and reflections to each session as we explore and talk about death & dying
3; Self Development
To be accepted into the training, you will have demonstrated a level of self development, commit to continual self mastery and devotion to personal growth. The training will not only provide you with a professional qualification, it will unlock a deeper level of personal growth & transformation
4; The sacred Temple
You will explore the sacred space of death, take an oath for spiritual equality, understand the journey of the soul, activate your own soul calling, optional attunement to archangel energy & protection, learn to step into soul space & out of the mind and understand the 5 layers of self.
9; Assessments
To ensure a high level of training and expertise in their role, Soul Doulas® are asked to complete 10 assessments and various case studies over a 6 month period (minimum). Soul Doula® training is an intense yet joyful and transformational adventure, with the aim to make a big difference on the dying journey. This is a powerful calling for powerful souls. The assessment process ensures you will qualify with confidence to go out there and spread your wings in a way that works for you based on your strengths and goals.
10; Spread your Wings
A bonus session exploring options post graduation to build a professional practice in a way that works for you.
11; Graduation
Once a year we meet (online or face to face, depending on numbers) for a graduation ceremony and a Soul Doula® Connection Circle. You'll meet your fellow Soul Doula® sisters and brothers and also receive your official graduation.
12; RETREATS
During your Training Period you will be invited to a monthly online day retreat 'Soul Sanctuary Sunday'. A chance for you to work on your inner world and deepen your relaxation & energy recovery as you are learning to activate your Soul Doula skills. For full details about these retreats click here. 6 retreats will be included in your programme.
5; Death Plans
You will learn how to create detailed Death Plans with your client AND the importance of creating and completing your own plans for authenticity and alignment.
6; The 4 stages of death
You will learn about the 4 stages of death and how to emotionally & holistically support the dying through each stage - including vigiling in the final hours.
7; Relaxation
You will learn relaxation techniques to guide and support your dying loved one or client through their journey. Decreasing anxieties and helping to create a calm and sacred space for all.
8; Guest Experts
You will hear from incredible guest experts in death & dying. We have a CEO of a Hospice who shares the importance of Soul Doulas® and the role they play in that environment, a natural burial representative, practicals of supporting someone dying at home, Diversity & inclusion and more...
Who you are before this. Who you become after.
Before you join
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Feeling called but without a name for it
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Drawn to end-of-life work but unsure how to begin
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Sensing there is something more purposeful waiting
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Wanting to support your own loved ones more deeply
ONCE YOU GRADUATE
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Certified, accredited, and deeply grounded
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Able to sit beside death with calm and sacred presence
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Trusting your intuition in the moments that matter most
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Improved sense of self and deeper tools to take care of your energy
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With the wings to build this work in a way that is wholly yours
WATCH OUR FOUNDER'S TEDx TALK
This is not for everyone...
This work asks something real of you. It is not a textbook course or a passive qualification. It is an energetic activation of your intuition, your presence, your commitment to growth.
This is not your path if:
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You are not open to personal growth and self-mastery
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You want purely academic or prescriptive training
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You do not trust or follow your intuition
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You would bring your own beliefs into the dying person's space
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You are not respectful of beliefs and experiences different from your own
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You do not believe self-care is essential
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You want healthcare training
If none of those stopped you keep reading. You may be exactly who this is for.
Why this training is online and why that is a strength not a compromise on quality
if you are wondering whether online training can truly prepare you for this sacred work, you are not alone and it's a good query. Here is an honest answer.
01 Your life and your energy are part of the work.
A Soul Doula® must understand their own rhythms , their capacity and their need for restoration. Studying at a time and pace that works for you makes the trainings accessible based on life capacity and energy needs. Something that is actually part of the programme. So the programme must honour the teachings.
02 In-person shadowing is not offered and that is a deliberate ethical choice.
When someone is dying, their bedside is sacred ground. Rachael does not believe it is ethical to bring a trainee observer into that space. The dying person and their family deserve full presence, full privacy, and full dignity, not a training exercise. This is a line she will not cross. There are ways to gain experience in your own community and supported by Rachael and the mentor team without having to cross ethical boundaries of the dying person's privacy.
03 Your community is your classroom.
Rather than shadowing another doula, you are actively supported and encouraged to go out into your own community to build relationships, gather case study experience, and learn how death and dying are held in the place where you actually live. Every community has its own culture, its own grief, its own way of approaching the threshold. Learning within yours is more valuable and more authentic than observing someone else's practice elsewhere.
04 The live sessions exist to support exactly this.
Rachael's monthly live group sessions are not lectures. They are mentoring spaces where you bring your real questions, your real experiences in your community and your real challenges. She walks alongside you as you find your feet in the field.
05 A Global community
Soul Doulas® are currently activated across the UK, Canada, the USA, Finland, Bermuda and beyond. Death is not a local experience it is a human one. Being an online programme means distance is not an issue and we also get to learn and experience from each other about different communities.
"You have really changed me for the better and I feel more self-empowered than ever! I really didn't expect this programme to lead to so much self-development and growth; you are an excellent teacher. The training has brought me closer to my family as I had the privilege to support and understand how to guide them through death & bereavement. I have recently opened my own holistic premises offering Soul Doula packages to my community and have the confidence to do so after training with you.
Doula Dave 2023 Graduate
"I am so grateful for my Soul Doula experience as it has brought me such a grounded sense of calmness and acceptance of whatever comes my way - especially in uncertain times. Being able to accompany family through their dying journey with such presence felt like a true gift, one I know is shaped by the teachings and work you do."
Amisha, 2024 Graduate
Rachael has supported hundreds of people through their dying journeys since 2013. She is a TEDx Speaker, Wellbeing & Spiritual Life Coach, and the founder of the Soul Doulas® movement.
This programme is not something she assembled from research alone. It is distilled from every bedside she has sat at, every family she has held, every conversation she has had at the threshold of life and death. Every various holistic training she was able to put to practice at the bedside.
Her mission is simple: to activate Soul Doulas® who will make a real difference in their communities, their families, and the world and bring the sacred back into dying.
How Do I Apply?
There is no open enrolment here. Every Soul Doula® begins with a conversation to ensure the programme is right for you.
If you feel the intuitive pull to join us, fill out the short pre-assessment form below. Rachael will be in touch to arrange an informal Zoom call if you choose, to make sure this training meets your needs and you are truly ready for the journey. If you're both in agreement, you begin on a date that works for you.
No previous experience required. What is required is an open soul, a commitment to growth and the willingness to be changed by this work.
If this is your calling please follow it.
The dying need Soul Doulas®. Your community needs you. And something in you already knows that.
FAQ's
1. Are the sessions live or pre-recorded?
Most of the sessions are pre-recorded to watch and study at a time convenient to you. Each month, you will have 2 LIVE group sessions lead by Rachael or one of her experienced and qualified Soul Doulas. There are 17 pre-recorded sessions, 12 live group sessions and a live online graduation ceremony.
