5.0
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Beautiful
A beautiful sanctuary in the mountains to catch your breath. Great programming & community
End of Life Doula Training
Cameron's Staff Pick
End of Life Doula Training
4.899 reviews
375 Panterkill Road PO Box 70 Phoenicia, NY 12464 United States
February 23 - 27, 2026
About this Retreat
Your Guides
Henry Fersko-Weiss is a licensed clinical social worker and a death doula. He has worked with hundreds of dying individuals and their loved ones over a 20-year period. In 2015 he cofounded the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA). As its Executive Director and President of the Board, he spearheaded its growth into the preeminent organization in the field of end-of-life doulas. At the beginning of 2022l he left the organization to return to serving the dying directly and teaching in a more limited and selective way. His book, Caring for the Dying, The Doula Approach to a Meaningful Death, was selected as a best book of the year in 2017 by the Library Journal. In 2020 the book was reprinted under a new title: Finding Peace at the End of Life. Fersko-Weiss has taught extensively in the U.S. as well as internationally. He has spoken at numerous end-of-life conferences been written about in the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post and many other print and online publications.
Details of this retreat
Learn from the person who sparked the contemporary end-of-life doula movement.
Death is a reality that all of us will eventually face. How we face it will make the difference between a “good death” and one overshadowed by fear, loneliness, regret, and confusion. In our society, death is seen as a medical event instead of the sacred ending of a precious human life. You can restore a deeper meaning to the dying process by becoming an end-of-life doula and providing your services with genuine compassion. This is a role that is beginning to gain recognition and have a positive impact on how people die.
End-of-life doulas or death doulas give non-medical care to dying individuals, their friends, and family. They make this difficult time more manageable by offering emotional and spiritual support as well as providing informational guidance and presence at the bedside in the days and hours of vigil when death is close. They also offer grief support for loved ones after the death has occurred.
The death doula training utilizes lecture, case stories, guided meditation, discussion, and experiential exercises. These methods are designed to help you discover for yourself, and through engagement with other trainees, what it means to face dying and death with dignity, honesty, and a recognition of its sacredness.
You will learn how various illnesses impact the dying process, how to listen and communicate mindfully, how to use guided imagery, ritual, and structured life review, how to honor culture and differences in identity, and much more. In addition, you will learn how to move into a career as a death doula and build awareness of your services.
Answer the call in your heart to become a death doula and make a difference in lives at the end of their journey.
Schedule
Monday, February 23
3 - 4 pm Arrival and Check-in
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7 - 10 pm Opening Session
Tuesday, February 24
7 - 7:30 am Meditation
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:15 am - 12:15 pm Morning session
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 5:30 pm Afternoon session
6 - 7 pm Dinner
8 - 9 pm Evening Discussion
Wednesday, February 25
7 - 7:30 am Meditation
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:15 am - 12:15 pm Morning session
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 5:30 pm Afternoon session
6 - 7 pm Dinner
8 - 9 pm Evening Discussion
Thursday, February 26
7 - 7:30 am Meditation
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:15 am - 12:15 pm Morning session
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 5:30 pm Afternoon session
6 - 7 pm Dinner
8 - 9 pm Evening Discussion
Friday, February 27
7 - 11 am Check-out of Rooms
7 - 7:30 am Meditation
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:15 - 11:15 am Morning session
11:30 am - 12 pm Closing Ceremony
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch & Departure
*Please note that the schedule is subject to change at any time.
Death is a reality that all of us will eventually face. How we face it will make the difference between a “good death” and one overshadowed by fear, loneliness, regret, and confusion. In our society, death is seen as a medical event instead of the sacred ending of a precious human life. You can restore a deeper meaning to the dying process by becoming an end-of-life doula and providing your services with genuine compassion. This is a role that is beginning to gain recognition and have a positive impact on how people die.
End-of-life doulas or death doulas give non-medical care to dying individuals, their friends, and family. They make this difficult time more manageable by offering emotional and spiritual support as well as providing informational guidance and presence at the bedside in the days and hours of vigil when death is close. They also offer grief support for loved ones after the death has occurred.
The death doula training utilizes lecture, case stories, guided meditation, discussion, and experiential exercises. These methods are designed to help you discover for yourself, and through engagement with other trainees, what it means to face dying and death with dignity, honesty, and a recognition of its sacredness.
You will learn how various illnesses impact the dying process, how to listen and communicate mindfully, how to use guided imagery, ritual, and structured life review, how to honor culture and differences in identity, and much more. In addition, you will learn how to move into a career as a death doula and build awareness of your services.
Answer the call in your heart to become a death doula and make a difference in lives at the end of their journey.
Schedule
Monday, February 23
3 - 4 pm Arrival and Check-in
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7 - 10 pm Opening Session
Tuesday, February 24
7 - 7:30 am Meditation
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:15 am - 12:15 pm Morning session
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 5:30 pm Afternoon session
6 - 7 pm Dinner
8 - 9 pm Evening Discussion
Wednesday, February 25
7 - 7:30 am Meditation
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:15 am - 12:15 pm Morning session
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 5:30 pm Afternoon session
6 - 7 pm Dinner
8 - 9 pm Evening Discussion
Thursday, February 26
7 - 7:30 am Meditation
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:15 am - 12:15 pm Morning session
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 5:30 pm Afternoon session
6 - 7 pm Dinner
8 - 9 pm Evening Discussion
Friday, February 27
7 - 11 am Check-out of Rooms
7 - 7:30 am Meditation
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:15 - 11:15 am Morning session
11:30 am - 12 pm Closing Ceremony
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch & Departure
*Please note that the schedule is subject to change at any time.
Getting Here
Menla, 375 Panterkill Road PO Box 70 Phoenicia, NY 12464 United States
Accommodation
Deluxe Queen
Deluxe Queen Room with Queen Bed and Private Bathroom
Free Phone and Hi-Speed Wifi Internet Access Available
Air Conditioning
All Rooms in Lhasa are Handicap-Accessible, Including Four Rooms with Wheelchair Accessible Showers.
Deluxe Queen Rooms are Available in Lhasa Inn and Kathmandu House
* Please note that rates include meals and accommodations
Economy Single - Shared Bath
Standard Single Room with a Twin Bed and Shared Bathroom
Bathroom is Shared with One to Six Other Guests on Your Floor.
A phone is not available but high-speed WiFi is available in the room
Phone Access Available in Nearby Conference Center and also Lhasa in Business Center. All calls are free of charge.
This Lodging Type is not ADA Compliant.
* Please note rates include meals and accommodations.
Economy Double - Shared Bath (Shared Room)
Standard Double with Twin Beds and Shared Bathroom
The bathroom is Shared with other rooms on the same floor.
High-speed Wi-Fi is available in the room.
Phone Access Available in Nearby Conference Center and also Lhasa in Business Center. All calls are free of charge.
This Lodging Type is not ADA Compliant.
* Please note that rates include meals and accommodations
* Please note: this is an open door policy room, meaning there are no keys to lock the door (we have lockers you can use at Lhasa if needed)
* This booking is for one bed in a double shared room: We May Assign You Roommates if You Do Not Register with others
Economy Quad - Shared Bath (Shared Room)
Standard Quad Room with Quad Twin Beds and Shared Bathroom
Accommodations Fee Includes All Meals.
High speed Wi-Fi is available in the room.
Phone Access Available in Nearby Conference Center and also Lhasa in Business Center. All calls are free of charge.
This Lodging Type is not ADA Compliant.
* Please note that rates include meals and accommodations
* Please note: this is an open door policy room, meaning there are no keys to lock the door (we have lockers you can use at Lhasa if needed)
* This booking is for one bed in a quad shared room: We May Assign You Roommates if You Do Not Register with others.
Customer Reviews
Verified
5.0
Verified
Amazing!
What a tender, clean, wonderful space. One can feel the thoughtfulness and contemplative consideration given to each and every detail. The room felt that it was always mine, like I was coming home to a place I've known well, in that it felt so welcoming and open. Beautiful!
5.0
Verified
awesome in all ways
Beautiful location, extraordinary staff, teachers, spa healers, food--accommodations lovely.
5.0
Verified
Exactly what I needed in this retreat….
My retreat was wonderful. It had everything I was looking for and more. A weekend of yoga, meditation, hiking, and some nice connections with people. Roseanne was wonderful. I would happily do another retreat with her in the future.
5.0
Verified
The Reconnection Retreat; Nuturing the soul through the 5 elements of nature
As the retreat leader of this particular retreat I want to express how Divine the setting was. There is a natural levity on the property that can’t be explained , only felt.
All of the thoughtful spaces were just so amazing to hold presence for those magical “ Menla moments” that seem to organically occur there.
The staff is beyond accommodating. The food delighted the senses and nourished our bodies. The housing accommodations felt warm and welcoming like a sweet embrace that lingers in the memories.
I still find my face with a random smile through the days after as my thoughts drift back again and agin to the place called Menla.
All of the thoughtful spaces were just so amazing to hold presence for those magical “ Menla moments” that seem to organically occur there.
The staff is beyond accommodating. The food delighted the senses and nourished our bodies. The housing accommodations felt warm and welcoming like a sweet embrace that lingers in the memories.
I still find my face with a random smile through the days after as my thoughts drift back again and agin to the place called Menla.
