Cultivating The Doula Heart

Part how-to guide, part hopeful manifesto, Cultivating the Doula Heart provides a clear framework for supporting those facing hardship, grief, and loss. Succinct and straightforward, this "work of heart" covers: Components of Doula Care, Aspects of Loss, Ways of Being/Ways of Doing, Grief Support, and Contemplative Exercises. This read is a beacon of light for difficult realms, allowing us all to practice and hone our ability to move from sympathy to empathy to compassion.

Children are naturally curious. Sometimes they have BIG questions. MAP OF MEMORY LANE is a heartwarming story that gently introduces the topic of loss while celebrating the simple moments we share with those we love.

In this moving and compassionate classic—now updated with new material from the authors—hospice nurses Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley share their intimate experiences with patients at the end of life, drawn from more than twenty years’ experience tending the terminally ill. Through their stories we come to appreciate the near-miraculous ways in which the dying communicate their needs, reveal their feelings, and even choreograph their own final moments; we also discover the gifts—of wisdom, faith, and love—that the dying leave for the living to share. Filled with practical advice on responding to the requests of the dying and helping them prepare emotionally and spiritually for death, Final Gifts shows how we can help the dying person live fully to the very end.

The landscape for doulas is ever changing, growing, evolving. With this new 3rd edition of The Doula Business Guide, Patty Brennan provides freshly-updated resources and insights into the business side of being a doula. As a growing number of end-of-life doulas are pioneering new approaches to compassionate support at the other end of the birth-death continuum, there will be many who can benefit from Patty's guidance. She shows both new and seasoned doulas how to go from dream to reality, step-by-step, and make their living doing work they love. Discover why this book is required reading for a growing number of doulas of all kinds."Lest it sound daunting, this book is a good read! Patty's honesty, conversational tone, humor, instructive stories and obvious expertise carry you through each chapter. She shares pearls of wisdom that she has gleaned from years of experience with many types of doula practice. This book is more than an excellent guide to business, but also a guide to the high road for each of us and to growth for the entire doula movement." - Penny Simkin, PT, co-founder of DONA International and prolific author."In her newly expanded Doula Business Guide and Workbook, Patty Brennan continues to dissolve the largest looming barrier for doulas-turning a work of heart into a professional practice. She gently companions readers through a comprehensive overview of launching and sustaining a successful business. Doulas not only learn about the ins and outs of organization and marketing, they learn about themselves-their strengths, fears and goals. I strongly recommend this invaluable resource to all aspiring and practicing doulas!" - Francesca Arnoldy, Program Director, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine's End-of-Life Doula Training and author of Cultivating the Doula Heart: Essentials of Compassionate Care

The true power of doulas is to serve clients so that they are encouraged to become more empowered and authentic versions of themselves. The wisdom culled from over sixty birth doulas in Dr. Gilliland's landmark research study will transform your relationship with clients and medical careproviders alike. The Heart of the Doula delves into the reality of birth doula work in North American hospitals and the personal price many pay to fill this important and beneficial role.

Have you ever sat with someone as they were dying and wished that you could make it a better experience? Helping others face death with dignity and positivity is an act of profound kindness that also helps give the caregiver a chance to come to terms with this critical moment in our life’s journey. Felicity Warner reveals her guide to the unique experience of death in A Safe Journey Home, based on years of experience in hospice care. This essential guide will tell you all you need to know to help a loved one or friend to die gently and with dignity once medicine has reached its limits. You can honour their experience and nurture it, by giving them all your attention, kindness and love. Accompanied by beautiful illustrations that will act as a comfort to all those experiencing death or bereavement, this book is a powerful guide to a subject that affects us all.

“Beautiful, poignant, pitch perfect and accessible . . . a road-map for clinicians, patients, family members, and caregivers”—BJ Miller, MD, author of A Beginner’s Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death This groundbreaking book encourages us to face our fears and engage in an open, honest dialog about death. Here, longtime “death doula” Henry Fersko-Weiss helps the dying discover meaning in their lives, express that meaning in powerful and beautiful legacies, and plan for their final days with dignity. The doula approach to death emphasizes thoughtful planning for how the last days should look, sound, and feel, and encourages the use of touch, guided imagery, and ritual during the dying process. It also calls for around-the-clock vigil care, which provides emotional and spiritual support for both the dying person and their loved ones.

At the age of fourteen, Amy Wright Glenn began to question the Mormon faith of her family. She embarked on a life long personal and scholarly quest for truth. While teaching comparative religion and philosophy, Amy was drawn to the work of supporting women through labor and holding compassionate space for the dying. Amy shares moving tales of birth and death while drawing on her work as a birth doula, hospital chaplain, and her own experience of motherhood. We are born, we die, and in between these irrevocable facts of human existence the breath weaves all moments together. "Birth, Breath, and Death" entwines story, philosophy, and poetic reflection into transforming narratives that are full of grace.