Become a Client
This Program is the Living/Dying Project’s flagship program, offered at no cost to participants.
This program offers individual support for those dealing with an illness, with grief, or with caregiving responsibilities
One who wishes to use this life event as an opportunity for awakening and/or companionship can receive an intake evaluation. During the intake, we will discuss the client’s spiritual needs and assess their openness to receiving guided meditations, engaging in deep inquiry, and connecting with themselves, others, and what they perceive as Sacred, whatever that may mean to them.
This includes the possibilities of conscious living, conscious dying, spiritual healing, remarkable remission, and freedom without avoiding the physical and emotional needs that illness, grief, or caregiving responsibilities presents. Opening to this investigation, one has the opportunity to go beyond attachment, contraction, and denial – entering the path toward healing.
You will be matched with a trained volunteer who will meet with you on a free-of-charge, ongoing basis. Locally, our trained volunteers work directly with clients. We also have volunteers who can work with clients non-locally over the internet. Volunteers meet in support groups and receive ongoing training. They are encouraged to have a contemplative spiritual practice to nurture their work with clients.
We also offer online ongoing support groups which gives clients the opportunity to meet others who are also doing this work. We believe these services creates a special container to serve clients in their desire to practice and work with their unique situation.
We serve clients at all stages from anywhere in the world. Our intention is to be together with awareness and compassion.
For those facing illness:
One who wishes to use this critical life event as an opportunity for awakening can receive an intake evaluation and discussion of the client’s spiritual needs, discussion of the meaning of healing, guided meditation, relaxation, centering, and become aware of the obstacles to inner healing.
This includes the possibilities of conscious living, conscious dying, spiritual healing, remarkable remission, and freedom without avoiding the physical and emotional needs that illness presents. Opening to this investigation, one has the opportunity to go beyond attachment, contraction, and denial – entering the path toward healing.
We serve clients at all stages of illness from anywhere in the world — from diagnosis to recovery or death. Our intention is to be together with awareness and compassion.
What is your position on Medical Aid in Dying?
The Living/Dying project does not take a position on Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD). Our volunteers provide compassionate spiritual support to all persons and their families without regard to their choice about MAiD. We do not assist with the preparation and/or administration of any medication including those used for MAiD.
For those dealing with grief or caregiving responsibilities:
One who wishes to use grief or caregiving responsibilities as an opportunity for deeper inquiry and awakening can receive an intake evaluation and discussion of the client’s spiritual needs, discussion of the meaning of healing, guided meditation, relaxation, centering, and become aware of the obstacles to healing.
Opening to this investigation, one has the opportunity to go beyond attachment, contraction, and denial – entering the path toward healing.
You will be matched with a trained volunteer who will meet with you on a free-of-charge, ongoing basis. Locally, our trained volunteers work directly with clients. We also have volunteers who can work with clients non-locally over the internet. Volunteers meet in support groups and receive ongoing training. They are encouraged to have a contemplative spiritual practice to nurture their work with clients.
Please Note:
This program is for individuals who reach out to us personally. Although well intentioned, when folks reach out to us on behalf of someone else, we find that we are often met with confusion or resistance. If you feel your loved one could benefit from working with a volunteer, have them look at our website, social media, attend a support group, listen to the podcast, etc., and if they are interested, they are welcomed to email or call us to set up their own intake appointment.
Contact Living/Dying Project
Please email us at [email protected] or call 415.456.3915 and let us know that you would like to discuss becoming a client, and schedule an intake appointment.
Intake Appointment
This will be a 30-45 minute conversation with our volunteer coordinator who will discuss with you your situation, background, and specific needs for support from the Open Circle program. We will record this information in a computerized intake form that will stay confidential among the Living/Dying Project staff only. During this call we would learn more about you and your situation as this information helps us in matching you with an appropriate trained volunteer. Some of your information will be shared with your assigned volunteer so they can better serve you.
Volunteer Match and Meetings
It takes about 2 – 10 days to be matched with a volunteer. Once we’ve identified a volunteer, the LDP volunteer coordinator will contact you by email to introduce you to your volunteer, and establish the connection. We ask the volunteer to initiate the next contact so that you will know you have been received into our support network. Then, it is up to you and your volunteer to settle on how you would like to meet – by phone, Zoom, or as the situation allows, in person. We encourage starting out with weekly meetings to build the relationship; after that, the pairs typically find their own way regarding the frequency and duration of their meetings.
If you don’t feel a connection with your volunteer after 2-3 meetings, please reach out, and we’ll be happy to discuss finding a better match for you.
Ending Meetings
There may come a time when you feel you are approaching the completion of your work with your volunteer. Options include meeting once a month, every 6 months, just yearly, or ending it altogether. We understand that there is a natural course for many of these relationships, with an ending that may signal a completion and fulfillment of the client’s original hope and purpose.
Common Experiences
The volunteer/client relationship is unique for every pair. Ultimately you can think of your volunteer as a spiritual companion. Foremost, we would hope that you have the experience of being fully met just as you are, with careful and sensitive listening. You may request certain kinds of interactions such as shared readings, guided meditations, or any inquiry that addresses your concerns or supports your spiritual path. This is an opportunity for you and your volunteer to co-create an experience that is enriching for both of you.
It’s also important to clarify the purpose of this program by describing what it is not.
Volunteers are expected to attend all agreed-upon meeting times, but they are not on call outside of those sessions. Of course you are welcome to reach out to them to schedule an additional session at any time and they may or may not be able to accommodate. Additionally, volunteers do not provide advice or guidance on marital, family, money, or medical matters. Their role is to support you specifically in your spiritual inquiry and journey.
This program is not licensed therapy as our volunteers are showing up in the context of spiritual companionship. In addition to working with our volunteers, we recommend considering licensed professional therapy, particularly if you’re processing trauma, as our volunteers are not trained to provide trauma support. Licensed therapists bring specialized skills for trauma recovery that complement the compassionate companionship offered by our volunteers. Together, these resources can provide a more comprehensive support system for your healing journey.
On our website, we offer many resources to support you on your path. These include twice-monthly support group meetings, podcasts, spiritual support group meetings, a recommended reading list, free talks, online guided meditations, and a regular speaker series where we dive into a wide variety of topics that address our shared human condition of mortality and spiritual awakening.Â
Again, we welcome you to our community and hope that you will benefit from the many offerings. It is an honor to serve you!
