END-OF-LIFE CARE PRACTITIONER PROGRAM

Overview

The End-of-Life Care Practitioner Program is a direct response to an increasing public demand. Americans want more flexible options, alternative and improved services near the end of life. New approaches are needed that respect choice, honor personal integrity, and reclaim the spiritual dimensions of dying.

Faculty member Ram Dass with program co-leaders Ange Stephens and Frank Ostaseski

Dying is much more than a medical event. It is a time of growth and transformation. Yet conventional models still view care of the dying as "making the best of a bad situation." Progressive hospices and healthcare institutions are recognizing the opportunity and need for new professional and community educational programs.

Visionary EOL Care Practitioners are meeting these needs by developing trainings that reflect new paradigms in care that inspire and refresh caregivers. Our programs draw on the best of the medical model but reach beyond it to embrace the entirety of the dying experience.

"I have observed the unmet needs of people at end of life and seen and how poorly health professionals are trained to meet them. We have made death into a technological and management issue and robbed it of its holy significance and dignity... which diminishes us all. This program is offering a new way of seeing."
Rachel Naomi Remen MD
Co-Founder Commonweal, UCSF Medical School
Metta Institute Faculty Member

Individuals diagnosed with a life-threatening illness often confront complex care decisions, difficult psychosocial issues, and some form of spiritual crisis. They frequently feel overwhelmed and unprepared. Who can they turn to in this uncertain time and territory?

The End-of-Life Care Practitioner is a well-informed practitioner that can educate about the existing options without being restricted by a single model. As an advocate they assist clients in determining how to best use services, support, and relationships to meet their individual wishes near the end of life. As a skillful guide they can accompany, counsel, and explore the transformational process of dying.

We encourage graduates' creativity in meeting local end-of-life care needs. Graduates have established private consulting practices offering new client services. Others use developed skills to enhance existing psychotherapy or healthcare-related practices. Still others serve as institutional or community educators facilitating improved end-of-life care across the country. Our network offers graduates support by like-minded peers, shared resources, participation in collaborative projects, on-going education, and an exchange of mutual support.

"This program is not just about adding new skills to the same old you... it is encouraging transformation in the lives of the participants." Charlie Garfield Ph.D.
Founder Shanti Project, UCSF Clinical Professor
Metta Institute Faculty Member

Our EOL Care Practitioners are pioneers, change agents, intermediaries helping to return the soul to care giving. They blend ancient wisdom with contemporary expertise. They are practitioners who heal by listening, counsel by exploring, and guide by accompanying.

We are interested in candidates from differing professional disciplines and spiritual traditions. People who think outside the box. Those excited by the benefits of learning with like-minded peers. Individuals committed to live and work in accord with their highest values. Practitioners dedicated to transforming end-of-life care. If this sounds like you, we encourage you to apply.

Program graduate, Vicki Jackson MD, Dana Farber Cancer Institute addresses fellow EOL Care Practitioners

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