About

What Is an End of Life Doula?

An end of life doula, sometimes called a death doula, is a non-clinical companion who supports people approaching the end of life, as well as those close to them.

Support may be emotional, practical, spiritual or family-focused. This can include helping people think about their wishes, prepare for conversations, feel less alone, or navigate some of the human and personal aspects of dying.

Doulas do not replace doctors, nurses, counsellors, legal advisers or emergency services. Their role is usually to work alongside existing care and support, focusing on presence, reassurance, planning and companionship.

What This Platform Is For

Find a Doula is an independent platform designed to make end of life support easier to discover, understand and connect with.

Using the platform, you can:

• search for end of life doulas and support services across the UK
• explore professional practitioner and organisation profiles
• find organisations, training providers, community groups and related support services
• compare areas covered, approaches, support offered and contact details
• connect directly with practitioners and organisations through their profiles

Each practitioner and organisation works independently, so services, availability, fees and ways of working will vary.

Why Find a Doula Was Created

Finding the right support at the end of life can be difficult, especially when people are already dealing with illness, grief, uncertainty or family pressure.

Find a Doula was created by Henry Goodlock, an independent software developer from Gloucestershire, after his father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. While trying to find support for him and his family, Henry discovered how difficult it could be to understand what help was available and where to find it. At the time, he had never heard of end of life doulas. Looking back, he believes that having access to that kind of support could have made a meaningful difference to both his father and those around him.

That experience inspired the creation of Find a Doula: an independent platform that is not owned or operated by any training provider, membership organisation or care provider. Its purpose is to help people discover, understand and connect with end of life support, while raising awareness of the valuable work carried out by doulas, organisations and the wider end of life support community.

Henry is not an end of life doula himself, and Find a Doula does not provide care directly. Its role is simply to help people find trusted information, explore available support, and connect directly with the practitioners and organisations that are right for them.

For Individuals and Families

If you are planning ahead, supporting someone close to you, or facing an end of life situation now, Find a Doula can help you explore support options that feel appropriate for your needs and preferences.

You may be looking for someone to talk things through with, help with planning, support family conversations, offer companionship, or provide a calm and consistent presence during a difficult time.

You can browse profiles at your own pace, learn more about different practitioners and organisations, and contact those whose approach feels right for you.

For Doulas, Practitioners and Organisations

Find a Doula also provides a professional platform for those working in end of life support to present their work clearly, professionally and accessibly.

Members can create a professional profile that explains who they are, the support or services they offer, where they work, and how people can contact them.

Individual doulas can maintain their own practitioner profile, while organisations can present their services, training, community work or support provision. Where relevant, practitioners can also link their profiles to organisations they are connected with.

We hope Find a Doula makes it easier for more people to discover compassionate support when they need it most, while helping to strengthen and raise awareness of the end of life support community across the UK.

To learn more about how we approach trust, verification, member standards and responsible representation, please visit our Our Principles page.