Deathschool Evolved Class Outline - Master

Deathschool Evolved

Illustration of a dagger piercing a hand with stars on the blade

Step into the Mystery

April 1, to May 22, 2025

Tuesday Mornings & Thursday Evenings

12 Live Zoom Sessions + 4 Self-Paced Lessons

For years, Deathschool has been a transformative space for those seeking to engage deeply with end-of-life care, doulaship, and the mysteries of mortality. Now, after 5 years, 19 sessions, hundreds of graduates, thoughtful evolutions and big changes, Deathschool is back in its new evolution: Deathschool Evolved Class Outline - Master

Spring 2025 Session Now Open

an invitation

to step into this

uncharted territory as a guide

for others and also

as someone

willing to explore

the depths of your

own humanity.

Illustration of a scallop shell

So what has evolved?

For years, Deathschool has been a transformative space for those seeking to engage deeply with end-of-life care, doulaship, and the mysteries of mortality. Now, after 5 years, 19 sessions, hundreds of graduates, thoughtful evolutions and big changes, Deathschool is back in its new evolution: Deathschool Evolved.

Session 20 will bring you much of the same tried and true cornerstone death education you expect from this program, but with some meaningful changes. Instead of 12 classes over 6 weeks,  we will have 16 classes over 8 weeks - more time for sharing, processing and case studies. 

🌿 Deathschool Evolved Certification: 33 Hours of Professional Training in Death Philosophy and Doulaship

🌿Affordability and Access! Because I am teaching this solo, I can drop the cost. 16 classes for $1695.00, all inclusive of final exam and certification. (Payment plans available. One scholarship will be offered in the first week of January!)

Stylized text reading 'Evolved Deathschool' in blue script on a white background.

Over our 16 Classes together we will study

  • Abstract spiral pattern with dotted lines on a green background

    The role and philosophy of death doulaship in stages.

  • Legacy work and pre-planning, 11th hour vigil, and after death ceremonial care.

    Legacy work and pre-planning, 11th hour vigil, and after death ceremonial care.

  • Grief traditions, ancestral healing, and cultural anthropology.

    Grief traditions, ancestral healing, and cultural anthropology.

  • The industrialization of funeral care and alternatives like green burial practices.

    The industrialization of funeral care and alternatives like green burial practices.

  • Creating rituals, meaningful funerals, and rites of passage that transcend templates

    Creating rituals, meaningful funerals, and rites of passage that transcend templates

  • Resources and running a death care business.

    Resources and running a death care business.

  • Exploring afterlife beliefs across cultures and personal reflections.

    Exploring afterlife beliefs across cultures and personal reflections.

  • The ethics of MAiD, suicide, and complex cases in modern deathwork.

    The ethics of MAiD, suicide, and complex cases in modern deathwork.

  • Building a sustainable, impactful business as a death doula.

    Building a sustainable, impactful business as a death doula.

““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

April 1 - April 10, 2025, sessions 1-4

  • Tuesday, March 4, 2025 – 11:00 AM MST

    • Introductions, orientation and overview of the syllabus.

    • Creating the space

  • Thursday, March 6, 2025 – 6:00 PM MST

    • 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.

  • Tuesday, March 11, 2025 – 11:00 AM MST

    • 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.

  •  Thursday, March 13, 2025 – 6:00 PM MST

    • 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.

Module 2: Know Thyself

Independent Study April 15 - 25, 2025, sessions 5-8

      • 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).

      • 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.

      • 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?

      • 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

April 29 - May 8 2025, Sessions 5-8

    • Tuesday, April 1, 2025 – 11:00 AM MST

      • 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.

    • Thursday, April 3, 2025 – 6:00 PM MST

      • 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.

    • Tuesday, April 8, 2025 – 11:00 AM MST

      • Lecture: Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).

      • History: Variations of assisted suicide across cultures.

      • Discussion: Ethical considerations for death doulas.

    • Thursday, April 10, 2025 – 6:00 PM MST

      • 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

May 13-22 2025, Sessions 13-16

  • Tuesday April 15, 2025 – 11:00 AM MST

    • 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.

  • Thursday April 17, 2025 – 6:00 PM MST

    • Transition your passion project into a sustainable business.

    • Learn networking and marketing basics for death doulas.

    • Create and refine client contracts together.

  • Tuesday, April 22, 2025 – 11:00 AM MST

    • Student presentations of final projects.

  • Thursday, April 14, 2025 – 6:00 PM MST

    • Final student presentations.

    • Closing ceremony.

Blue text logo with words "Evolved Deathschool" in a decorative font.

Apply for Deathschool Scholarship

Interested in the course? Fill out some info and maybe you get one of the 3 offered scholarships!

Check Out Our Other Courses