Guided Planning

Using structured guides, we will explore your values, beliefs, and wishes around end-of-life care. Through guided reflection and conversation, you will consider what matters most, translate those insights into tangible plans, and create personalized documents for advance care, legacy, and memorial preferences.

These plans can be revisited and updated as needed. A key outcome is creating organized documents that are clear, accessible, and easy to share. Along the way, we will explore different perspectives and approaches that may broaden your thinking or help translate long-held ideas into concrete plans.

Many people find this work challenging:

  • Most are not engaged in regular conversations about death, dying, or memorial planning.

  • Friends or family members who have experienced loss may avoid discussing medical treatment or end-of-life decisions.

  • Adult children may resist conversations about ventilators or feeding tubes.

  • Space may be needed after sessions for reflection.

  • Individuals coping with a sudden death might welcome or resist discussions about planning.

There are potential obstacles, and guidance can help navigate them. Planning conversations with loved ones can take time, particularly when wishes are not shared or agreed upon.

Advocacy and support are often needed; this is part of the doula approach I bring to this work:

  • We will discuss how to approach conversations.

  • Address the belief that talking about death hastens it.

  • Share feelings about hope in your spiritual life versus in medical contexts.

The structured guides from Empowered Endings and Conscious Dying Collective will result in clear, easily shareable written and video materials that assure your wishes are respected.

Our sessions focus on four areas: Physical, Emotional, Spiritual, and Practical. Over approximately seven weeks, each session zeroes in on one area, allowing for overlap. A reflection and review session midway addresses emerging questions and any misalignment with your goals.

A final session focuses on:

  • Completion

  • Next steps for documentation

  • Identifying any remaining work

Between sessions, there may be homework and encouragement to reflect, journal, or share your stories on your own. A three-month follow-up session is included to review progress with documents, family conversations, and memorial planning.

This format can be adjusted based on timing and priorities, including shortening the seven-week structure when appropriate. If sessions move too quickly—due to homework and documentation needing completion—either practically or emotionally, we can integrate an every-other-week schedule.

This work does not include legal advice, medical decision-making, or therapy. You decide what you share and with whom at every step of the process. Every conversation is confidential, and I work on a one-on-one model. For couples, separate sessions are encouraged, though working together in the same weeks can facilitate conversations at home if that seems most suitable.

This process is designed to empower you in making informed decisions about end-of-life care. Your unique journey deserves thoughtful planning, and I am here to support you every step of the way.