Nutrition & Wellness
Alumni Stories: Siri K. Zemel, Ph.D.
Siri K. Zemel, Ph.D., transformed a thriving career in health care into a journey of profound self-discovery.
Understanding Holistic Support, Comfort, and Care in the Final Chapter
Our online end-of-life counseling certificate is your introduction to thanatology studies, preparing you for the indispensable work of providing support and comfort leading up to an individual’s death. You will study the following:
- Thanatology from a contemplative and mindfulness-based approach to palliative and end-of-life care
- How to address the chronically ill, dying and their families
- Dying and theoretical models of grief
You will also explore approaches to providing mindful support to grieving, your own philosophy of death, and how the merger of psychology, medicine, sociology, philosophy, and spirituality influences this necessary pursuit. This program offers experience applicable toward certification by the Association for Death Education and Counseling, though some additional requirements are not included.
Contemplative End-of-Life Care Job Outcomes
Upon graduation, you will have an enhanced skill set and deepened perspective to augment your current practice or, with the appropriate licensure, expand into other roles and settings, including:
- Hospice and palliative care
- Chaplaincy
- Counseling
- Social work
- Integrative health care
- Therapy
- Coaching
Learn more about end-of-life job opportunities.
Other Mind-Body Medicine Programs
Interested in another certificate within Mind-Body Medicine? We offer multiple programs that may align more closely with your goals.
Program Components
Admissions Requirements
Applicants who are Saybrook students in good standing may register for this certificate through the registrar as an addition to their current curriculum. Saybrook students in good standing are not required to submit additional documents for application. Saybrook student applicants for the certificate must be master’s or doctoral students in any Saybrook University master’s or doctoral program.
External students and students at large who possess at least a bachelor’s degree are eligible to enroll in the Contemplative End-of-Life Care Certificate program. External students must provide the following:
- Professional resume or CV
- Official transcript from an accredited bachelor’s degree or master’s degree
- Personal statement
It is preferred, but not required, that applicants have some professional experience relevant to end-of-life or palliative care.
Invest in Your Future
Saybrook University remains committed to keeping higher education affordable and accessible. Our Financial Aid Department is ready to offer guidance and support in determining suitable financial assistance tailored to your needs, including potential scholarship opportunities, grants, and more.
Cost
Saybrook wants you to have the information you need to make an informed decision about your academic and career aspirations. Our cost calculator provides an estimated cost of attending Saybrook to earn your Contemplative End-of-Life Care Certificate.
Sample Courses
Contemplative Approaches to the Chronically Ill, Dying, and Their Families
This three-credit course examines philosophical concepts and current scientific knowledge, including current neuroscience research, for end-of-life care and palliative care. Subject matter will include the importance of cultural humility and community building in the care of dying persons and their families. You will explore philosophical approaches to human suffering and deepen your personal understanding of the dying process. The course will challenge you to cultivate a courageous presence with the ill, the dying, and their loved ones, encompassing compassion, resilience, and self-care.
Contemplative Approaches to Grief and Loss
Contemplative approaches to grief and loss support individuals in navigating the deep territory of loss, grief and the bereaved. In this three-credit course, you will examine and integrate elements of several theoretical models of grief, as well as explore how contemplative approaches can enhance both the one who is serving and being served when providing and receiving mindful grief support.
Evidence-Based Skills in Contemplative End of Life Care
This three-credit course introduces evidence-based skills for palliative and end-of-life care that are foundational to the specialization and certificate. Engaged in a service-learning model throughout their semester, you will examine, integrate, and demonstrate evidenced-based skills in values, ethics, knowledge, communications, and professionalism in the practice of providing contemplative end-of-life care.
Catalog
Please refer to our academic catalog for more information on the Contemplative End-of-Life Care Certificate program.
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Online Certificate Experience
Our Contemplative End-of-Life Care Certificate program is a 100% online program. While the core of this program is completed asynchronously, there are some optional synchronous, online features designed to deepen your educational experience. We call this a Virtual Learning Experience (VLE). In addition to the VLE, you will begin your studies with a virtual Welcome Week. Welcome Week activities, including a program orientation, are held online during the week before the start of Fall and Spring semesters. The in-person Community Learning Experience (CLE) is also available for you to explore. The CLE is held every odd-numbered year. It is optional and not required to complete the program.
Mind-Body Medicine Faculty
Saybrook’s Mind-Body Medicine faculty are practitioner-scholars dedicated to advancing their field through continued practice and comprehensive instruction. Meet one of our faculty members below.
Associate Professor and Core Faculty, Mind-Body Medicine Program. Contemplative End-of-Life Specialization Coordinator
- Palliative Psychology practice with a focus on spiritual midwifery at the end of life and grief support
- Recipient, CIMHS Faculty Excellence Award
- National leadership in the American Psychological Association
- Mentored by national and international end-of-life thought leaders including Charles Garfield, Ph.D., Joan Halifax, Frank Ostaseski, and Angeles Arrien, Ph.D
UNBOUND: Mind-Body Medicine
Guided confidently through our outcomes-based, person-centered approach, you will navigate the intersection of mental, emotional, and physical health to help care for those in need.
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The Role of Nutrition in Mental Health
Discover how nutrition plays a critical role in mental and physical health. Learn a holistic approach to treating physical and mental signs of poor nutrition. Nutrition plays a critical role in mental and physical health. A diet rich in essential nutrients supports brain function, promotes positive mood and reduces the risk of mental health disorders […]