Deathschool Evolved Live
Deep Death Doula Training
Deathschool Evolved is a creative space to study end-of-life, and explore the afterlife.
I’ve been teaching death education for a long while now, and at the beginning of every new program, I ask the same question: Why are you here?
The answers echo each other. You’re here because death has touched your life in a way that changed you. Because you’ve witnessed how deeply our culture struggles with the language of grief. Because studying mortality feels strangely healing.
Over the 9 weeks we spend together, we move beyond fear and avoidance and into relationship. We study death through many lenses: practical, historical, emotional, spiritual, cultural, environmental. We learn the skills and philosophies of doulaship, while also deepening our understanding of what it means to be alive for this brief time.
One of the things I love most about this program is that we gather live, in small groups, twice a week for two months. In a disconnected world, there is something meaningful about showing up together in real time for deeply human conversation and spaces to feel it all. And because so many of us arrive carrying similar questions, griefs, and longings, it is not uncommon to leave having found true community along the way.
Summer Session July 20 - Sept 14 (M,W evenings 6pm)
For 7 years, Deathschool has been a meaningful space for exploring death, grief, and doulaship together. Now, after 25 sessions, hundreds of graduates, and years of thoughtful refinement, the program has evolved alongside the work itself. That’s why we call it Deathschool Evolved.
9 Weeks | 17 classes
50 Hours of Professional Training in Death Philosophy and Doulaship
An invitation to deepen your relationship with mortality
Over our 17 Classes together we will study
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![Abstract spiral pattern with dotted lines on a green background]()
The role and philosophy of death doulaship
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![Legacy work and pre-planning, 11th hour vigil, and after death ceremonial care.]()
Stages of care: legacy work and pre-planning, 11th hour vigil, and after death care
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![Grief traditions, ancestral healing, and cultural anthropology.]()
Grief tending, ancestral traditions, and cultural anthropology
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![The industrialization of funeral care and alternatives like green burial practices.]()
The history and industry of funeral care
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![Creating rituals, meaningful funerals, and rites of passage that transcend templates]()
Green burial practices
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![Resources and running a death care business.]()
Creating rituals, meaningful funerals, and rites of passage
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![Exploring afterlife beliefs across cultures and personal reflections.]()
Exploring afterlife beliefs across cultures
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![The ethics of MAiD, suicide, and complex cases in modern deathwork.]()
Medical aide in dying, ethics and complex cases
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![Building a sustainable, impactful business as a death doula.]()
Running a death care business, 101
Deathschool Evolved Live Schedule
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July 20 - Sept 14
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Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6-7:30pm (9 weeks, 17 classes)
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$1,695.00 with payment plans available at checkout.
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Live Zoom
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We care about access and offer Scholarships to every cohort, inquire or watch post
“Deathschool Evolved is an invitation to step into this uncharted territory, not only as a guide for others but as someone willing to explore the depths of your own humanity.”
— Erin Merelli
Class Outline
Click the “+” for a deeper description of each session
Module 1: Introduction to Doulaship and the Funeral Industry
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Introductions, orientation and overview of the syllabus.
Creating the space
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Lecture: Death Doula 101.
The stages of dying.
The role of death doulas history, scope, and essential skills.
Legacy work.
Discussion: The need for this work in our modern society.
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Exploring our fear of death and the relationship between fear and grief.
Frameworks for understanding grief in collective contexts.
Epigenetics and inherited grief.
Assignment: Research ancestral lineage and write the story of an ancestor who may not have been properly grieved.
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The history of funeral care in the U.S., including the rise of embalming.
The industrialization of funeral care and its societal impacts.
Lecture: The modern funeral industrial complex.
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Ancestry & Lineage Study and Presentation
Module 2: Know Thyself
Students will watch these 4 videos on their own time. Please have module 2 recordings and assignments complete by our next live meeting
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Reflect on your family’s relationship with grief and its impact on your ability to express your own.
Explore what unexpressed grief remains and how you can begin to move it.
Consider your personal legacy. What are you leaving behind?
Assignment: Write a reflective journal entry and create a symbolic expression of grief (e.g., art, movement, or ritual).
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Research the landscape of death work in your area
Death doulas, hospice volunteer programs, and corporate funeral homes.
Green burial legalities and providers.
MAiD legal status and practitioners in your state.
Explore notable death workers and reflect on the "death culture" of your region.
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Research afterlife beliefs in three religions or spiritual traditions.
Compare and contrast their themes with your own beliefs about the afterlife.
Reflect: How do these beliefs influence your perspective and practice as a death doula?
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Begin planning your final project: a 5–10 minute presentation to honor your dead loved ones or explore unresolved grief.
Engage with grief across time, beyond the veil and in this world.
The format is up to you (e.g., story, dance, altar, video, or song).
Module 3: Progressive Death Care: Ethically, Environmentally and Ceremonially
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Lecture: Evolution of eco-conscious burial practices.
Water cremation and natural organic reduction systems.
Guest Lecture: Emily Nelson of Be a Tree Cremation
Case study: Death certificates and burial permits.
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Lecture: The philosophy and function of funeral services.
Rituals, memorials, living funerals, rites of passage, and other ceremonies that honor the individual and serve the bereaved.
Crafting: Templates for creating meaningful and personalized funerals.
Exploring altered states in ceremony.
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Lecture: Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).
History: Variations of assisted suicide across cultures.
Discussion: Ethical considerations for death doulas.
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Now that we know more about the options, what would you choose
Workshop: Considering our own end-of-life arrangements.
Discussion: Sharing end-of-life ideologies and preferences for burial and memorialization.
Sheree Browne on funeral pre-planning.
Pre-planning options, paperwork, cost, and regulations.
Module 4: Case Studies + Business
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Interactive practice: Apply what we’ve learned.
Group work: Analyze real case studies to explore approaches as a death doula.
Problem-solving and ethical decision-making.
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Transition your passion project into a sustainable business.
Learn networking and marketing basics for death doulas.
Create and refine client contracts together.
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Student presentations of final projects.
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Final student presentations.
Closing ceremony.
Deathschool Evolved Live Schedule
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July 20 - Sept 14
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Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6-7:30pm (9 weeks, 17 classes)
-
$1,695.00 with payment plans available at checkout.
-
Live Zoom
-
We care about access and offer Scholarships to every cohort, inquire or watch post
Stop Comparing Programs. Learn from Two of the Field's Most Trusted Educators.
Collaboration over competition. Because death literacy grows when educators work together.
Aspiring death doulas face the challenge of researching programs, comparing teachers, and wondering which training is the right fit. Our field is growing, and we know you have options when it comes to death education.
But for a limited time, you don't have to choose.
Enroll once and receive both
Deathschool Evolved with Erin Merelli
Death Doula School with Kacie Gikonyo
It's BOGO: Death Ed Edition.
Partly, it's our response to the reality that times are tough and education should be accessible. Partly, it's a show of solidarity in an emerging field that we refuse to diminish through unnecessary competition. Mostly, it's one heck of a smart way to get the most value for your investment while answering that persistent question:
"Which death doula program should I take?"
Our answer?
Yes.
Together, these two complementary programs offer a broader and more comprehensive education than either could provide alone. Learn from two experienced educators with distinct backgrounds, perspectives, and areas of expertise. Explore grief literacy, the funeral industry, green burial, ceremony creation, bedside support, end-of-life care, ethics, practical doula skills, and business development through two complete training programs.
This is not a weekend workshop or a brief introduction.
Deathschool Evolved includes 17 classes and more than 40 hours of curriculum, while Death Doula School offers an equally robust educational experience taught through the lens of a hospice nurse turned death doula, with additional emphasis on building a sustainable practice after training.
Together, you'll receive access to 80+ hours of death doula education, a deep and meaningful foundation for this work.
Both programs are fully asynchronous and designed to fit into real life. While particularly motivated students could move through the material in a matter of weeks, you'll have up to one year of access to learn, reflect, revisit lessons, and integrate the material at your own pace.
Two full death doula training programs. Two respected educators. One enrollment.
Combined tuition for both programs exceeds $3,200. Now more than half off for both
For one month only, you'll receive access to both for $1,600. Upon enrollment, you'll receive instructions to access both programs immediately.
The search is over.
Offer available through June 30. Flexible payment options, including Klarna and other buy now, pay later options, are available at checkout.
A note about format:
This special bundle includes the remote version of Deathschool Evolved, which provides the full curriculum in an asynchronous format alongside Kacie's Death Doula School.
If you're looking for maximum flexibility, self-paced learning, and the opportunity to immerse yourself in more than 80 hours of curriculum from two respected educators, this bundle is designed for you.
If you're specifically seeking live instruction, small-group discussion, direct interaction with Erin and fellow students, and the community experience that develops within a cohort, you may prefer the live version of Deathschool Evolved instead.