BIDDEFORD, Maine — The University of New England announced Tuesday its newest certificate program—one that may surprise you.
The Biddeford-based college is now offering a professional certificate to become an end-of-life pet doula.
Tracey Walker, an adjunct professor and subject matter expert with the university, said this is the first time UNE has offered the program.
The college has been offering a certificate program to become an end-of-life doula for humans since last year.
Walker, who has worked in death care for 10 years in both human and veterinary medicine, said there's been a noticeable trend in interest around becoming a death doula.
"I've seen a real trend, especially for death doulas, and I've been an educator in this space for about five years," Walker said. "As death doulas, we do holistic non-medical, nonjudgemental care."
Walker explained that she has seen people who are already death doulas who want to further educate themselves and become more prepared because there has been an uptick in human clients contacting them about support for their pets, too.
"That's how it started for me, that previous clients would contact us and say, 'My dog was diagnosed with cancer. ... Can you help?' And we're finding that more and more," Walker said.
Death doulas can specialize in several different areas, including dealing with infant and child death, traumatic death, sitting vigil, doing paperwork, handling dementia care, and more. Another is animals and companion animals, which UNE will now offer.
The new online six-week program was designed in response to surveys filled out by students who have taken the human death doula course and expressed an interest in end-of-life care for animals.
Walker said the program will teach practical and emotional support skills. It will focus on practical tools needed to prepare both pet parents and animal companions for as easy of a death or as smooth of a transition as possible.
Topics include preparing students for tasks such as hospice care, palliative care, quality of life assessments, last days, euthanasia, body disposition options, and burial at home. But there is also an emotional component to the program to help handle emotions such as grief, coping, and bereavement.
Additionally, the curriculum will prepare the future pet death doulas how to handle their own emotions.
"A lot of times we need to be dealing with our own traumas and triggers before we can assist and hold that open space for someone. So we also speak to the emotional component for the participants in the course, making sure they understand their own emotions and can deal with them."
Students can expect program content such as recorded lectures, texts, journaling, quizzes, business building, and more. They will also participate in discussions with classmates to help build connections.
"Death care is community care, so we want to make sure we can foster connections when we can," Walker said.
The program also has an exercise component to allow students to become engaged even during an online course. Students will be tasked with assignments like finding a pet to take their vitals, researching body disposition options in their area, and learning regulations for burying pets on their property.
Walker said anyone can take this course, whether you are a veterinary professional, human death doula, or concerned pet parent. The program can also act as a steppingstone for those looking to turn this into a career.
"To further this into a career, we're finding that pet death doulas tend to work with hospice veterinarians, veterinarians who do home euthanasia, emergency veterinary practices, and it's few and far between," Walker said. "It's an emerging field."
The new End-of-Life Pet Doula certificate program at UNE will be offered three times a year in January, April, and September and costs $550. The first program will run from April 1 to May 12.
If you are interested in joining the first program, be sure to apply by the registration deadline on March 31.
For more information about the program, click here.
