Walk With Thee Doula Academy

Train With Purpose.

The Walk With Thee Doula Academy trains end-of-life doulas and hospice CNAs in Alabama's most distinctive care philosophy. Graduates may practice solo or join the Walk With Thee team.

FormatSelf-Paced Online
Doula Program12 Weeks
Mentorship6 Months
AlignmentNEDA + CHPNA®
Doula Training Program

Become an End-of-Life Doula

A 12-week immersive program with weekly Circle Calls, an RN integration session, graduation ceremony, and 6 months of mentorship after completion. Built for those called to this work.

  • 12 weeks self-paced online
  • Weekly Circle Calls — live guided sessions
  • RN Integration Session at Week 6
  • 6 months mentorship after graduation
  • Solo practice or join Walk With Thee
  • NEDA Core Competencies aligned
  • Certificate of Completion issued

$797 launch price · payment plans available
CNA Certification

Doula-Led CNA End of Life Certificate

For licensed CNAs ready to specialize in hospice and palliative care — trained in the doula-centered philosophy that no other program in Alabama offers. CHPNA® aligned.

  • Self-paced online modules
  • CHPNA® aligned curriculum
  • Live Q&A & Certification Review with RN
  • Active CNA license required
  • Option to join Walk With Thee care team
  • Certificate of Completion issued

$297 launch price
What You'll Receive

Everything included in your training

Walk With Thee Academy is built to equip you completely — from your first lesson to your first client.

01

Full Curriculum Access

All 16 NEDA-aligned lessons, 9–11 hours of content developed by a NEDA Listed EOL Doula Educator — Bernadette Burroughs, RN.

02

Live Certification Ceremony

A 2–2.5 hour live final integration and certification session — required for completion. This is a ceremony, not a class.

03

Certificate of Completion

Issued after all 16 modules, attendance at the live session, and participation in the Walk With Thee Doula Commitment Pledge.

04

NEDA Badge Preparation

L16 includes a Walk With Thee study guide to prepare you for the optional NEDA Proficiency Badge exam ($115, 85% passing score).

05

Community Access

Join an ongoing community of Walk With Thee doulas, mentors, and alumni. You don't walk alone after you graduate.

06

Practice Pathway

Learn the Walk With Thee agency model and how to work as a contracted doula through the academy — or launch your own solo practice.

Our Philosophy

"You are not there to evaluate how they lived. You are there to honor how they die."

End-of-life work is not a career choice. It is a calling. The person called to this work is rare — they can sit in the quiet of a dying room without flinching, and hold a grieving family with steady hands and a steady spirit.

At Walk With Thee Academy, every lesson is threaded with one non-negotiable standard: humility and non-judgment. We do not know people's stories. We have no right to judge anyone we care for, nor their family, nor their friends.

You will sit with people whose lives look nothing like yours. Whose choices you may not understand. And you will honor them anyway. That is the Walk With Thee standard — and it is the thread that runs through every lesson and every room you will ever enter.

Full Curriculum

16 lessons · NEDA aligned

Every lesson is designed to prepare you for real work in real rooms with real families.

L1
What is an End-of-Life Doula?
25 minutes
Role definition · History of the doula movement · How EOL doula differs from hospice · The Walk With Thee model
L2
The Doula as Case Manager
25 minutes
Coordinating the care team · Family communication · Being the single point of contact · Documentation basics
L3
Understanding Death and Dying
30 minutes
The physical dying process · Emotional and spiritual dimensions · What families experience · Anticipatory grief
L4
Presence as Practice
30 minutes
Therapeutic presence · The art of being with · Sitting with fear, grief, and uncertainty · What your clients actually need
L5
Working with Families
35 minutes
Family dynamics at EOL · Conflict resolution · Communication strategies · Boundaries and professional relationships
L6
Advance Care Planning
30 minutes
Advance directives · Medical Power of Attorney · POLST/MOLST · Having the conversation · Document navigation
L7
Legacy and Life Review
35 minutes
Legacy projects · Life review facilitation · Ethical will · Helping clients find meaning and completion
L8
The Living Celebration
25 minutes
Pre-death gatherings · Planning and facilitation · Sacred ceremony design · Walk With Thee Living Celebration model
L9
Cultural and Spiritual Competency
30 minutes
Diverse death practices · Religious traditions · Creating sacred space · Meeting families where they are
L10
The 11th Hour — Vigil Care
35 minutes
Active dying presence · Bedside vigil facilitation · What to do and say · Holding space for the family
L11
After the Death — Immediate Support
30 minutes
The first hours · At Home Wake facilitation · Grief support · The Dignity Walk
L12
Mental Health Awareness for Doulas
30 minutes
Recognizing depression, anxiety, and grief responses · When to refer · Caregiver mental health
L13
Working with the Care Team
25 minutes
CNAs, hospice, RNs, social workers · Communication protocols · Your role in the team
L14
Building Your Doula Practice
30 minutes
Pricing your services · Marketing · Ethics and boundaries · Insurance · Continuing education
L15
The Walk With Thee Standard
20 minutes
Agency model · Doula as contractor · How to work with Walk With Thee · Community and mentorship
L16
NEDA Core Competencies & Medicare Hospice CoPs
35 minutes
NEDA scope of practice · Medicare Conditions of Participation · NEDA Proficiency Badge prep · Walk With Thee study guide
After Completion

Certification & credentials

Certificate of Completion

Awarded upon successful completion of all requirements. Documents your training as an End-of-Life Doula through Walk With Thee Training Academy.

  • Complete all 16 course modules
  • Attend the Live Final Integration & Certification Session
  • Participate in the Walk With Thee Doula Commitment Pledge

NEDA Proficiency Badge

Optional after program completion. Walk With Thee covers all NEDA Core Competencies and prepares you for the optional NEDA Proficiency Badge assessment.

Exam details: $115 exam fee · 90 minutes · 85% passing score required · Requires NEDA membership · Walk With Thee provides a study guide as part of L16
Live Certification Session

The final session is a ceremony.

Live Final Integration & Certification Session

2 to 2.5 Hours · Required · Not Optional

This session is longer than a regular class by design. This is not a wrap-up call. This is a ceremony.

Extended key concept review and case scenario practice
Open Q&A — extended time
The Why Story — every student shares their calling
Walk With Thee Doula Commitment Pledge — spoken together
Individual acknowledgment — every graduate called by name
The Blessing — spoken over every graduating class
The Walk With Thee Blessing — Spoken over every graduating class
May you enter every room with peace. May you hold what others cannot hold. May your presence be medicine when medicine is not enough. May you be filled again every time you pour yourself out. And may every family you serve know, before the last breath, that they were not alone. 🌿

Ready to answer
your calling?

Enroll Today →