On this page Introduction to CINDEA Recognition Process General Requirements for a Recognized DM Questionnaire to become a Recognized DM Recognition for Other Roles in Pan-Death Process Questionnaire for a DD, TD, HFG, or FC Recognition Processing Fees

Recognition from CINDEA for Alternative Pan-death Services

Introduction to the CINDEA Recognition Process

Alternative Pan-death Care roles have only developed recently in our modern Western world, and are in the pioneering stage.Therefore, there is very little training available and no certification process.There has also not been any standardization of the requirements for various roles/facets of pan-death, or even what they are called.CINDEA recognizes that the term 'Death Midwife' has been used for a variety of facets of pan-death; however, we have chosen to restrict the use of this term to those who provide direct/'hands on' service to Death Journeyers and their families throughout the whole of the pan-death process.In part, this is to honour the publicly-understood term 'midwife', as related to birth midwives; in part, we wish to help the public be clear as to the distinctions between what different service providers are offering.

Some of the other major alternative facets/roles within the pan-death process include Death Doula, Thanadoula, Home Funeral Guide, and Funeral Celebrant (see the Emerging Practitioners section of the Pan-death Movement page for a description of these and other roles).A CINDEA-recognized Death Midwife offers all of these services — providing a continuum of care for the support of the Death Journeyer and their families.CINDEA has chosen to only list (here and on the Resources in Canada pre- or post- death pages) those Death Midwives who have gone through the CINDEA recognition process and confirmed that they offer direct support and guidance throughout the whole of the pan-death process.

We recognize that, because these alternative facets/roles are so new within our modern world, those offering them will have a wide diversity of background training and/or experience, coming from both formal and informal situations.This might include palliative care nursing or homecare, hospice volunteering, grief counselling, pastoral/spiritual care, funeral director experience, etc.It is quite possible that many of these people have been already providing pan-death care informally — without any designation acknowledging the continuum of their services.

We encourage anyone who is committed to supporting Death Journeyers and their families throughout the pan-death process to consider if they might qualify to be a Death Midwife, or one of the more specialized roles (Death Doula, etc.).Please review the recognition process below for a Death Midwife — or Death Doula, Thanadoula, Home Funeral Guide, or Funeral Celebrant — and contact us if you wish to consider CINDEA recognition.

We also hope that, by putting the recognition process and questionnaire on this site, those interested in receiving these alternative pan-death services will have a better understanding of what is being offered.If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to contact us.

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Questionnaire to become a CINDEA-Recognized Death Midwife
(contact us for a Word copy and CRC letter)

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Address:
Phone/email/Skype/etc. contact info:
Website URL. or other public listing, of your death-related services:
Present vocation or job:

Background:

a. Training/workshops in EOL/death care and issues.Please also clarify   i) the numbers of hours, days, weeks, etc. of these workshops or training sessions, and ii) if they included some form of final assessment by the instructors:   b. Related experience in EOL and/or death care (as specific as possible, including amount — months/years or cases — of experience in various forms of related counseling, hospice volunteering, pastoral care/chaplaincy, nursing, leading funeral or memorial services, etc.; apprenticeship to an existing Death Midwife, as well as any actual experience in helping a family facilitate an EOL/death process): Please respond to all questions in as much detail as possible.Feel free to take your time and consider these questions in depth — re your answers to CINDEA, and for your own self-awareness process.   c. Describe — in detail — what you understand a Death Midwife to be.How does that relate to your understanding of a Birth Midwife?   d. What events or experiences led you to consider becoming a Death Midwife, and why do you want to serve as one?   e. What are the challenges of each stage of pan-death?What stages of pan-death are you most comfortable or uncomfortable with, and why?   f. An important part of being a Death Midwifery is knowing the limits of your own skills.Describe at least 3 situations where you, as a Death Midwifery service provider, would refer your clients to a provider of specialized skills.   g. What are the elements and procedures of post-death care, if the body does not go to a funeral home?What documents and supplies will you need available?   h. It is normal for anyone to have biases of some sort, based on their own backgrounds.   What are your biases regarding any of the personal choices or beliefs of the Death Journeyer and their family?Which of these biases would you be willing to put aside, if they make a choice that does not fit with your personal values? — and why would you be willing to do so?   i. Describe your own understanding or beliefs about the after-life and/or soul's journey, and how you would approach this subject in caring for the Death Journeyer.   j. What experience do you have in   i) making conventional funeral arrangements, and ii) developing and/or leading funeral or memorial ceremonies?   k. How do you care for yourself?What emotional, spiritual and/or community support systems do you have?What emotional or spiritual self-care avenues or meditative practices do you follow?   l. Do you perceive any connections between Death Midwifery and ecology?If so, what are they?

Upon completion and acceptance of the recognition process, a recognized Death Midwifery stamp will be available for use for listings on this and the CINDEA Resources in Canada pre- and post- death pages, as well as the applicant's own website or business card.

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CINDEA Recognition for Other Roles in the Pan-Death Process

Please check the bottom of the Pan-death Movement page for a description of the other roles in alternative services in the pan-death process.CINDEA offers formal recognition of a Death Doula, Thanadoula, Home Funeral Guide, and Funeral Celebrant — although CINDEA-recognition for these roles is not required to be listed on any of the CINDEA Resources pages.Such services, however, must have a public listing (its own website, listed as such on another website, in the phonebook, etc.).

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Questionnaire to become a CINDEA-Recognized
Death Doula, Thanadoula, Home Funeral Guide, or Funeral Celebrant
(contact us for a Word copy and CRC letter)

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Address:
Phone/email/Skype/etc. contact info:
Website URL. or other public listing, of your death-related services:
Present vocation or job:

Formal Recognition from another organization (example — Thanadoula training from the Institute of Traditional Medicine, Home Funeral Guide training from Final Passages, etc.) — please send us a scan of any certificate or diploma for this training;

OR please answer the following questionnaire

1. Background:

a. Training/workshops in the particular facet of pan-death care you wish recognition for.Please also clarify   i) the numbers of hours, days, weeks, etc. of these workshops or training sessions, and ii) if they included some form of final assessment by the instructors:

2. Experience in the field — including any related experience with other pan-death facets:

3. Specific Services offered to the public:

4. Future Expectations — further training that you intend to take, additional services, etc.

Upon completion and acceptance of the recognition process, a recognized Death Doula, Thanadoula, Home Funeral Guide, Funeral Celebrant stamp will be available for use for listings on this and the CINDEA Resources in Canada pre- and post- death pages, as well as the applicant's own website or business card.

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Recognition Processing Fees

CINDEA-recognized Death Midwife		$50 for original recognition process
CINDEA-recognized DD/HFG/FC — Original Fees — or for Death Midwife update		$25 for original recognition (DD/HFG/FC) or for DM renewal process (every three years)

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