A professional guide and checklist for safety and ethics with transitional threshold support.

Supporting individuals through death, dying, and profound grief requires exceptional care, cultural humility, and ethical clarity.

This downloadable safety and ethics checklist was created for death doulas and death care practitioners exploring or working alongside psychedelic-assisted care in palliative and grief contexts.

The guide brings together medical awareness, trauma-informed practice, and professional ethical boundaries into a clear framework designed to support responsible care.

Whether you are studying emerging psychedelic practices or strengthening your professional standards, this resource provides a grounded ethical compass for navigating these sensitive and tender spaces.

What This Guide Supports

Psychedelic experiences can bring profound insight, but they also amplify emotional vulnerability, making preparation and ethical safeguards essential.  This checklist helps death doulas and the death care ecosystem:

• Create safe and supportive environments for psychedelic experiences

• Maintain strong ethical boundaries and informed consent with clients

• Coordinate with medical, hospice, and mental health professionals

• Implement trauma-informed approaches to grief and dying

• Prepare clients thoughtfully before experiences

• Provide meaningful integration and follow-up care

What Is Included in the Checklist

This guide covers key pillars of safe practice:

1. Legal and Institutional Alignment - Understanding professional responsibility and local policy considerations.

2. Medical and Psychological Screening - Reviewing medical history, medications, and mental health stability.

3. Consent and Preparation - Establishing informed consent and conducting preparation sessions with clients.

4. Trauma-Informed Care - Supporting clients with compassion while preventing retraumatization.

5. Safe Set, Setting and Staffing - Creating a calm environment with appropriate support and monitoring.

6. Ethical Boundaries - Maintaining professionalism and protecting client autonomy.

7. Integration and Follow-Up - Supporting reflection and meaning-making after the experience.

8. Documentation and Ethical Review - Keeping records and engaging in professional debriefing when appropriate.

Who This Is For

This guide was created and designed for:

• Death doulas

• Death midwives and deathwalkers

• Psychedelic integration coaches

• Grief professionals

• Hospice-adjacent caregivers

• Spiritual care providers

It is particularly valuable for professionals seeking ethical grounding in our emerging psychedelic-informed care models.

What You Will Receive

• 3-page digital PDF ready for download and print

• Structured Safety and Ethics Checklist

• Clear professional reference for practice

Use it as a personal study resource, professional reference, or team discussion tool.

Why Ethical Frameworks Matter

Working with people who are dying or grieving involves profound emotional openness and vulnerability.  Psychedelic experiences may bring healing, insight, and peace, however, they can also uncover deep trauma or existential fear.  Ethical preparation, cultural humility, and clear professional boundaries help ensure that these experiences remain supportive rather than harmful.  

This checklist helps practitioners stay rooted in compassion, safety, and respect for each individual’s unique journey.

Important Disclaimer

This resource is intended for educational and professional development purposes only. It does not provide medical or legal advice. Practitioners are to always follow local laws, professional guidelines, and medical consultation when appropriate.

Created by Jennifer M Brown of Under the Root

Presence-based death doula goods and support services for individuals and loved ones navigating death, dying, grief, and transitional thresholds.