GINA COLTON, DEATH DOULA
My name is Gina Colton.
I'm a licensed clinical social worker with extensive experience in grief, loss, and life transition. I am INELDA-trained as a death doula, or an end-of-life companion, as I like to call it. My background includes work in palliative care and hospice social work. My most important qualification is that I carry a deep appreciation for the complexity of our humanness. My only agenda is to companion you where you are, as you are, and as you need.
As your End-of-Life Companion, I am here for the sacred tasks of deathwork. I companion those who are considering death, preparing to die, or actively dying. I companion the grieving, which might look like grieving while dying, grieving someone who is dying, or grieving someone who has died.
Dying is a task of living, and even though it is part of the constant cycle of life, the sacred work of death can feel isolating and lonely. I walk alongside – with – and as you need.
How I can help
Considering death
Sometimes conversations about death are uncomfortable, and not everyone has someone willing to lean into topics of mortality, meaning making, and legacy. I provide a safe space for exploration.
Preparing for death
We don’t give up hope; we change what we hope for. As you near the end of life, I can serve as your companion as you curate an important time. I am able to:
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Help you articulate what’s most important in terms of your physical space
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Listen while you tend to your emotional space
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Assist you with legacy projects like letters and messages to those who have been important to you
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Sort and label photos
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Draft a brief memoir or obituary
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Organize a celebration of life, before death or after – or both.
It’s an expansive list of possibilities, and I am always open to discussion.
As you die
I am not a nurse or a medical professional qualified to administer physical care at the time of imminent death. However, I can offer steady companionship in a time of great transition. You share your hopes for your final moments, and I hold that space with tender reverence.
Collaboration
As your end-of-life companion, I work alongside you and collaborate with your chosen people in accordance with your wishes. Perhaps that’s hospice, friends, family, or clergy. My intention is to add presence and support.
Pricing
As an End-of-Life Companion, I offer services based on prepayment or at-time-of-service.
In-person support:
$60 per hour
Phone or virtual support:
$50 per hour
Researching and resourcing:
$40 per hour
As a clinical social worker, I continue to offer grief counseling as part of my private practice. That work includes assessment, planning, and implementation of modalities for supportive counseling. Those services may be billed to health insurance if available and appropriate.