These are published on our website. We continuously update our training schedule and once courses are finalised they are posted on the website, so do please check this regularly.  In the meantime you can if you wish sign up to our Newsletter on our website, which will inform you of dates of forthcoming courses.  

The courses do get booked up quickly and we are sorry if you have been disappointed. On our website, if a course is full, you will have the opportunity to join the Waiting List for that specific course by clicking on the "Join waiting list" button.  If a place becomes available, you will be automatically notified and will need to respond within a specified time. If you do not respond within the specified time, then the place will be offered to the next person on the Waiting List. 

We don’t require you to have any formal academic qualification or come from a particular professional background.  Learners come from many different life experiences and careers.  We do require that learners are over 18 and we have the expectation that you will:

• feel an affinity for this subject
• are willing to embark upon a personal journey
• have maturity, sensitivity, adaptability, empathy and good communication skills
• are aware of, or open to, spirituality in all its forms
• wish to expand knowledge and become more confident with death and dying.

We advise against starting the training too soon if you have been recently bereaved and would ask you to contact us before making a booking if this is applicable so that we can discuss the timing with you.

The training is delivered by practitioners who come from an end of life support, teaching or training background.  The material is conveyed using a variety of approaches:  presentations, written information, discussion, audio visual, interactive imagery exercises (Imagework) and guided pair work.  It is largely experiential, and self-reflection, as a means of facilitating personal insight, is integral to the course.

Every member of the group contributes to the learning experience and knowledge base of the whole group. We encourage people to share commonalities and differences and expect learners to be able to accommodate diversity.  

The majority of our face to face courses take place in East Sussex (near Lewes), and we also offer completely online courses for those who can not travel.

We hold both residential and non-residential training.  Unless specifically specified, all courses are non-residential.

For non-residential courses tea, coffee and biscuits are provided, but not lunch (some of our venues have kitchens where simple lunches can be prepared).  There is a wide range of accommodation available locally (YHA, bed and breakfast or hotels) and we provide links to appropriate websites when we send enrolment information.  

Residential courses are advertised at the cost of the training and the additional fee for accommodation and catering is added at the registration stage.  Residential courses are fully catered.

The courses are offered by distance learning. They are based on our person-centred approach and the emphasise experiential learning, sharing and personal development, which we have adapted to an online format.

The costs were reviewed in June 2021 and currently are:

* Includes Crossfields CPD Registration Fee of £45 + £5 admin fee

** Includes Crossfields Diploma Registration Fee of £150 (£137 registration + £13 admin fee) for the certificate for the full Diploma.

The  Foundation Course: An Introduction to a Person-Centred Approach to Death and Dying is a stand-alone Crossfields Institute Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme and Quality Mark Programme. This means that Crossfields Institute reviews and monitors LWDW systems and the processes underpinning the quality and delivery of this training.  The fee for certification of the Foundation course is included in the course fee. Full attendance is required to gain the certificate. 

Please see FAQ "How do I progress through the training" for certification details of the full Diploma.  We also have full details on our relationship with Crossfields under Certification under About our Training menu.

The Foundation course is structured in one of three ways, depending on which training method you choose: face to face, blended or online.  The Diploma Modules are offered in either online or blended formats.

When booking, participants are expected to attend all the training days of the course on which they are registered. Transfers after partial completion will be possible only in exceptional circumstances.

Normally all three stages of the training are completed within 18 months to two years.  We do, however, appreciate that some people may require flexibility on the dates attended and may extend the period. 

Following completion of the Foundation Course and before enrolling on Diploma Module 1, learners will need to complete a progression assignment, which demonstrates their learning and experience gained on the Foundation Course.

Diploma Modules 1 - 4 are portfolio-based learning and the combined work is assessed at the end of the training. The full Diploma has the Crossfields Institute Quality Programme Mark and leads to the award of the Diploma in the Living Well Dying Well Person-Centred approach to Death and Dying.

We have full details on our relationship with Crossfields under Certification.

Our booking conditions are on the website and are as follows.  

• If you wish to cancel within 14 days of the booking date, you will receive a full refund of the price paid. 
• In the event of a cancellation after 14 days, the deposit element of 25% of the full course fee is non-refundable.
• If you cancel fewer than 28 days before the course starts, 50% of the fee will be retained;
• If fewer than 14 days the full fee will be retained.

All cancellations should be received in writing either by letter or email. In the unlikely event of cancellation by LWDW we can take no responsibility for participants’ travel/accommodation costs.  

We are a not-for-profit organisation and fees are structured so all courses are self-financing, therefore there is no scope to reduce fees.  We can, however, offer phased payments if required, so do please contact us about this office@livingwelldyingwell.net.   

No, some people feel very satisfied having completed the Foundation training and find they have all they need to inform them about death and dying for their own needs. Others decide to complete the Diploma Modules of the training to obtain the full Diploma.  There is a maximum period of two years between completion of the Foundation and beginning of the Diploma course.

Yes. The nature of the End of Life Doula training is quite different to existing palliative care training. Any experience you have will be very valuable for yourself and for the other members of the group, and you are welcome to use your prior learning when completing your Diploma portfolio.

From the Foundation course onwards, many people engage voluntarily with their community through simple awareness raising, everyday conversations or events about death and dying.  Following completion of the training and certification, some continue to volunteer and others choose to become self-employed and charge a fee for the work that they do.

Our sister organisation - End of Life Doula UK - was established in June 2018 as a community of practice and a membership association for Doulas who have trained or are in training with Living Well Dying Well.  Members of the association support one another to grow and develop their practice as well as provide the opportunity for like-minded people to get together through regional groups, professional development courses and national events.

LWDW does not employ Doulas directly and currently we do not charge for referrals that come through the LWDW or the End of Life Doula UK websites.    

Please go to our upcoming training events on this website to book and pay online. We will then be in touch with further information about enrolment.