How much does this cost?
My rate for doula work is $30 per hour. I have some ability to offer a sliding scale for payment. If you would like to work with me but aren’t sure it’s in the budget, get in touch and let’s see what we can work out! There are more details of other services here.

How soon should we start working together?
Ideally, we’ll have at least a few months together so that we can work through all your end-of-life planning and needs without a rush. The data around end-of-life care suggests erring on the side of sooner rather than later is the way to minimize isolation and distress while creating the best end-of-life process possible. But working with a death doula still has significant benefits even if it’s for a relatively short amount of time.

How often do we meet?
That’s entirely up to you and how you want to utilize my services. In our first session, we’ll design a schedule based on your needs.

What geographic areas do you serve?
I serve all of Tillamook county; Pacific City, Manzanita, Rockaway Beach, Garibaldi, Tillamook, and all the towns in between. I’m open to working with those outside the county, including in Astoria, Cannon Beach, and Lincoln City, though those may require a slightly higher fee depending on travel time and costs.

Is a death doula the same as hospice care?
No. While a death doula can collaborate with your hospice team as part of your care, they are not a replacement for hospice care.

Is a death doula only for those in hospice care?
Nope! Anyone can work with a death doula. Certain services may be more relevant if someone is in hospice or has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, but others can be undertaken well in advance of the end of life.

Is a death doula only for [insert group of people here]?
Not at all! I’m comfortable working with people from all walks of life, and I believe anyone can benefit from end-of-life work or care.

That being said, given my professional background, if you are queer, trans, or a survivor of sexual assault or domestic violence I may be an extra-good fit for you.

Do you offer remote services over Zoom/Skype/Etc?
Yes! I prefer to work in person when possible, but if remote support is the best option for you and your circumstances, I’m happy to do that.

Can you offer medical care?
No. Death doulas are not permitted to offer any kind of medical assistance or advice. I can, however, help you figure our how to have conversations with, or express needs to, any members of your medical care team.

How do I get started?
By booking a 30 minute, free consultation!

About Your Doula

Who are you?
That’s me in the photo on the right. Sam Wall, LMSW NEDA-Proficient, and trained in death doulaship through the Peaceful Presence Project.

In slightly more words than that; I graduated from UW Madison with a masters degree in social work in 2017. When I became a death doula, I chose to do so with training from Peaceful Presence, as they’re well-regarded and based in Oregon. I also opted to take the test offered by the National End of Life Doula Alliance to make sure I was proficient in the skills and knowledge needed for this work.

Have you always been a death doula?

No. Prior to feeling called to this career, I worked eleven years in the field of sexual health and relationships education for young people.

Isn’t that a bit of sharp turn, career-wise?
Yes, and no. Sex and death are certainly very different experiences. But both are topics that many of us struggle to talk about, and where being open-minded, non-judgemental, and hard to shock are all useful skills in educating and assisting people with them. My day to day work was mainly direct service, meaning I spent it talking people through a variety of sensitive, stressful, or vulnerable situations.

Think of it this way: I’ve stood in front of a room full of teenagers while talking about tampons and penises without breaking a sweat. Whatever you need to talk with me about as your death doula, I can handle it.

Why did you become a death doula?

I’ve been interested in the death positive movement and the different forms end-of-life-care ever since I read Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty. I remained interested in the field, watched and read everything I could about it over the next decade. When I first learned about death doulas, I thought it sounded like an amazing and much-needed profession.

Whenever I read or heard about the work of caring for the dying or the dead, there’d be a pull in my chest I couldn’t place. It struck, and strikes, me as one of the most fundamental and oldest forms of care one human can offer another. It didn’t click until later that what I felt, and feel, is a “calling” toward death doulaship. I reached a time in my life when it felt right to answer that call. Morningstar is the result.

On a big-picture level, I do this work because I believe that our right to dignity, to empowerment, and to being heard doesn’t end when we fall terminally ill or step closer to death. Dying, death, and grief bring up all manner of difficult emotions for people. Sometimes that results in turning away from those who are terminally ill or dying. By being a death doula, I play some small part in reversing that tendency by talking about death and loss, helping people make sense of it or plan for it, or simply sitting with them in it without flinching away.

Will the rabbit be coming with you?
Sadly, no. She passed away a few years ago. She was kind and welcoming to everyone she met, comforted me in some rough moments, and was a great listener. All traits I strive to embody as a death doula, though I’m nowhere near as soft.

Have a question I didn’t get to? Contact me at morningstar.deathdoula@gmail.com