A Healing Doula Academy
Become a Certified Grief & Death Doula Through Ritual, Spiritual Practice, and Deeply Rooted Care
A Healing Doula Academy is a comprehensive professional training for those called to work with grief, death, loss, and life’s major transitions. Through deeply layered modules, students explore grief and death care alongside ritual, ancestral practices, somatic and energetic work, cultural traditions, advocacy, ethics, and the foundations of building a doula practice.
This training is for you if you feel called to:
• Develop the knowledge and skills to support people through grief, death, loss, and transition
• Explore ritual, ancestral practices, spirituality, and somatic approaches as part of your doula practice
• Learn how to navigate conversations, boundaries, advocacy, ethics, and the realities of client care
• Build a meaningful doula practice rooted in your values, skills, and lived experience
• Become the kind of practitioner who can stay present with what others may not know how to hold
Inside the Academy, you will develop a multidimensional foundation in:
• Ritual and ancestral practices across cultures
• Somatic, energetic, and nervous system awareness
• Practical grief and death care
• Communication, advocacy, ethics, and client boundaries
• The inner work required to hold space for others without losing yourself
This Academy is open to all who identify as women, inclusive of trans women and those who feel aligned with a woman-centered container.
By the end of your training, you will have a foundation for:
• Supporting individuals and families through grief, death, loss, and transition
• Creating and facilitating meaningful rituals and sacred ceremonies
• Understanding the emotional, physical, spiritual, and cultural dimensions of dying and grief
• Communicating with clients and families while practicing appropriate boundaries and ethical care
• Advocating for clients and helping families navigate systems that may not understand their wishes or traditions
• Developing your own doula practice, services, and professional identity
• Standing grounded in your role as a Grief & Death Doula
Two Ways to Become Part of the Academy
Both pathways include the complete A Healing Doula Academy curriculum and certification process. The difference is how you want to learn.
Self-Paced — $1,997
Move through the Academy on your own schedule while remaining connected to the community and receiving ongoing access to Sundari and Academy resources.
Collective — $3,700
Learn alongside a small group through weekly live sessions, guided discussion, case studies, seasonal ritual, direct messaging with Sundari, and deeper integration.
A Six-Module Professional Training: Please click the button below to see full details.
- Module 1 - Ancient Spiritual Practices and Cultural Awareness for Grief and Death
- Module 2 - Sacred Movement, Somatics and Energetic Bodywork for Grief and Death
- Module 3 - Ancestral Veneration, Sacred Ceremony, Ritual, and After Death Care
- Module 4 - Plant Medicine, TCM, Ayurveda and Holistic Support for Grief and Death
- Module 5-Facilitating Difficult Conversations, Advocacy & The Medicine of Witnessing
- Module 6 - Ethics, Legal Considerations, Boundaries & Building Your Doula Practice
- Final Assessment & A Healing Doula Academy Certification
Your Academy Experience Includes
Learn directly from Sundari Malcolm, Grief Expert, Spiritual Guide, Author, and founder of A Healing Doula Academy. With more than 17 years of professional experience supporting people through grief, death, birth, and major life transitions, Sundari brings lived experience, professional training, spiritual practice, and years of working with individuals, families, organizations, and communities into the Academy.
Monthly Office Hours
Join Sundari for live conversation, questions, discussion, and continued learning throughout your training.
Guest Teachers & Spiritual Thought Leaders
Learn from practitioners and teachers whose work expands the conversation around grief, death, spirituality, ritual, culture, and healing.
Lifetime Curriculum and Resource Access
Return to your Academy materials throughout your professional journey.
Certification
Complete the required coursework and final assessment to receive your A Healing Doula Academy Certification.
Continued Community After Graduation
Your relationship with the Academy does not end when you receive your certificate.
Investment Details
Path 1:
The Certification Pathway
A Self-Paced Experience
Investment: $1,997
2 and 3 Month Payment Plans Are Available
For students who want the full A Healing Doula Academy education with the freedom to move through the curriculum on their own schedule, while remaining connected to the Academy community and receiving ongoing access to Sundari and Academy resources.
Your $1,997 Certification Pathway Includes:
• Six comprehensive training modules
• Lifetime access to the Academy curriculum
• Final assessment and Academy certification
• Monthly live office hours with Sundari Malcolm
• Direct access to Sundari for questions and guidance
• Private Academy community
• Guest teachers and specialized workshops
• Practical frameworks for client care and doula work
• Guidance around boundaries, ethics, advocacy, and building your practice
• Extensive supplemental resources
• Continued community and professional development after graduation
When you graduate, you will leave with:
• A comprehensive foundation in grief and death doula care
• Practical tools and frameworks for supporting clients and families
• A deeper understanding of ritual, spirituality, ancestral practices, and somatic care
• Greater clarity around your role, boundaries, ethics, and responsibilities as a doula
• A foundation for developing your own doula practice
• An A Healing Doula Academy Certification upon successful completion
Path 2:
The Collective Pathway
A high-touch, intimate learning experience for those who want to go deeper.
This is a 3 month cohort.
Investment: $3,700
The Collective is not simply the Self-Paced Academy with live calls added. It is a more intimate learning environment built around connection, discussion, integration, accountability, and direct access to Sundari.
Limited to 6–8 participants, The Collective is designed for students who want more than self-paced study. You will move through the Academy curriculum together, meet weekly with Sundari, discuss real-world scenarios, ask questions as they arise, and have space to integrate the material into your own practice.
Your Collective Pathway Includes:
- Weekly live group sessions with Sundari Malcolm for guided learning, discussion, case studies, and Q&A.
- Seasonal gatherings centered on ceremony, ritual, embodiment, reflection, and integration.
- Complimentary membership in the private Academy Community, including monthly workshops, discussion circles, networking opportunities, and ongoing professional development.
- Direct access to Sundari Malcolm via email and WhatsApp for questions, guidance, and support throughout your learning journey.
This pathway is designed for those who value community, live interaction, and the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and practice alongside a small, supportive group of peers.
Fall Cohort: CLOSED
Winter Cohort: Priority List Now Open until December 1 2026
Join the Winter Cohort Priority Interest List to receive:
- Early notification when enrollment opens
- First access to available start dates
- Program and curriculum updates
- Exclusive Academy news, workshops, and events
There is no obligation to enroll. Joining the list simply ensures you’ll be among the first to know when registration opens.