Death Doula Services
Restoring sacredness to dying
Emotional, spiritual & practical support
Companionship
Advocacy
A steady presence
What is a Death Doula?
Death doulas can offer a range of emotional, spiritual and practical support before and after a death, and/or through ongoing, chronic or serious illness.
A doula is a companion on a journey across a threshold (e.g. birth-giving). In the death doula’s case, this is the threshold of dying or a challenging diagnosis.
They can help to find meaning and tie up loose ends - advocating for the sick or dying person’s wishes and rights, assisting with decision-making, and helping family and friends know how to support and what to expect in the dying process. If requested and welcome they can often share meditations, rituals and other holistic practices to help ease physical or emotional pain, and may sit vigil at the bedside as death gets closer.
The death doula may continue to assist after a death by helping to organise a funeral, wake or other ceremony, guiding bereaved families through their immediate responsibilities and/or helping the community around the person who has died to find fitting ways to honour them.
Read on to find out about my doula services, including:
End of Life Companionship
Rites and Rituals
Death Admin & Preparation
Grief Circles
End of Life Companionship
The possibility that you may be dying changes everything.
Whether you are seriously ill or simply nearing the end of your natural life, I can help you to face what lies ahead.
I will be a solid, steady companion at each stage of your journey - fully present during our time together and accepting of whatever arises during your illness or internal preparation. I can offer spiritual, emotional & practical support (which is secular, non-religious and non-medical) as well as advocacy for your wishes and deep love and respect for your unique path.
We can agree to meet weekly, monthly, a few times over an intensive period or for just one or two conversations depending on your situation and needs.
Companionship is also available to people experiencing chronic illness or bereavement, and caregivers for the ill and dying.
Other Death Doula Services
Support for you wherever you are on your journey - whether moving through grief or preparing for the future.
Rites and Rituals
From alternative wakes to quiet, personal moments without an audience, I can support you to think beyond (or build on) the usual funeral structure.
Tap into the healing power of ceremony and honour your loved one or your own life chapters in creative, meaningful ways.
Death Admin and Preparation
Talking through what to expect, and recording your express wishes, can help to reduce your own anxieties and take some of the stress out of decision-making for your loved ones when the time comes.
Discuss your funeral ideas & instructions for your care at any stage of life.
Grief Circles
Welcoming spaces to hold, share, witness and tend to all kinds of grief, loss & sorrow (e.g. bereavement, life choices/mistakes, fertility/pregnancy loss, chronic illness, transitions, Covid-19, climate, world events) in community with others.
More details about Grief Circles here
Work for a group or organisation? Call or email to enquire about booking a circle for your venue.
Death Cafes
A Death Cafe is an event where people can gather to drink tea and talk about death. There is no requirement for participants to be bereaved, or for the facilitator to be an ‘expert’ on dying. It’s simply a gathering of humans (all of whom will die one day after all), coming together to chat, wonder, think and share feelings about it.
If you are a community group, venue or business based in or near Newcastle upon Tyne and wishing to organise a Death Cafe, I’m happy to chat and see if it’s something I can help with. I am occasionally able to organise these myself too, although not as often as I would like due to the voluntary nature of it - feel free to drop me a line, to see if there are any upcoming dates (or sign up to the mailing list below for future updates).
Get in touch with any questions.
You can also find out more about the Death Cafe movement at www.deathcafe.com
Meet your doula…
Hi, I’m Beth.
I’m a death doula, and tarot reader.
I believe that restoring sacredness to our experience of death, both collectively and individually, can help us find more meaning in life, integrate challenging experiences and ultimately move us towards more acceptance and wholeness.