Riley Keough’s Death Doula Training: What Exactly Is a Death Midwife

Actress Riley Keough has completed training to become a “death doula” — a person equipped to guide a dying person and their family through the complicated process of death on every level. Keough revealed the personal news on Instagram on Sunday, and fans speculated that the new ambition might be related to the loss of her brother, Benjamin Keough last year. Still, some are unclear what a death doula or “death midwife” really does.

Keough wrote that she is now “an almost certified” death doula after completing a course with Sacred Crossings in Los Angeles, California. This is one of several training courses for the relatively new profession of death doulas, but the niche is growing steadily. As the name suggests, death doulas guide families through the process of death at every level and help them process the intense emotions often associated with loss. In a 2019 interview with USA Today, death doula Janie Rakow explained it at length.

“We journey with the person who’s dying and their family to help them navigate through the whole end-of-life process,” said Rakow, the president of the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA). “It’s a brand new movement. It’s kind of an adjunct to hospice where we’re there for them to provide emotional, spiritual and physical support.”

The “physical” aspect of that support does not include medical care or nursing services, Rakow stressed. Instead, a death doula helps a dying person and their family understand what is coming, what to expect and how to best prepare for the ordeal. They may help the dying person prepare their will, and in many cases prepare other mementos like letters or craft projects to leave behind for their loved ones. Most importantly, they spend time with a dying person and talk with them about what is coming, with a familiarity, insight and comfort that their family may not be prepared to provide.

“Most people don’t know what to expect,” said John Schadek, who hired an INELDA-certified death doula to help with the passing of his mother in 2019. He said that it was “well worth it,” adding: “It’s a valuable resource that almost anybody could use.”

A doula that USA Today spoke to at the time said that she charged anywhere between $30 per hour and $100 per hour depending on the services she was providing, but prices can vary greatly. The death doula profession is not regulated or overseen, and certifications are not even necessary for a person to offer the service. Rakow advised readers to look into the organizations their prospective death doula had been certified by if any, and to interview them before hiring them to see if it would be a good fit.

Still, Keough raved about the “community” of death doulas she has now joined, “who are teaching and training people in conscious dying and death work.” The actress said she looks forward to practicing her skills and contributing when she is ready.