The Doula Program to Accompany and Comfort trains, carefully matches and supervises Doula Volunteers who visit individuals facing life threatening illness in their homes, healthcare facilities (nursing homes/assisted living), and in hospitals.

Our specially trained Palliative Care Doula Volunteers visit several individuals weekly in hospitals.

Doula Volunteers form meaningful relationships that can last weeks, months, and often several years. Our Volunteers find their lives as enriched as the lives of those they visit.


Becoming A Doula Volunteer

Our Doula Volunteers are trained over an eight-week period. The Doula Volunteer Training is led by professional staff with expertise in end of life.

The training is interactive and consists of experiential exercises, assigned readings, discussion and lecture. The men and women who become Doula Volunteers get to know the person they visit beyond their diagnosis, sharing this end stage of life, as illness progresses.

Doula Volunteers receive weekly supervision from professional staff and attend regular continuing education meetings at which they share experiences and receive additional training. Annual activities are held to bring together the Doula Volunteer community as well as honor the lives of those whom the Doula Volunteers have served.

Please note: We currently do not accept individuals who are healthcare or social service professionals to become Doula Volunteers. However, we do offer professional training on end of life issues.

Other Opportunities to Volunteer

We welcome your expertise. There are one-time and ongoing opportunities to help support the Organization. These include events planning, fundraising, PR/marketing, IT, data entry and general office assistance. .

To learn more about becoming a Doula Volunteer or General Volunteer, e-mail Laurie Massry at lmassry@doulaprogram.org or call the Doula Program office at 212 706 0398. We would appreciate hearing about your interest in this work.