Da VanCi deathdoula

Da VanCi deathdoula is about keeping an open mind, growing, and sharing the knowledge and experience I’ve gained along the way. Creating new ways to guide people through their mortality and the challenges that death and grief can bring into our lives.

I’m Vanessa Ciherean and I’m passionate about human relationships. Curious and enthusiastic, I’ve been exploring the many dimensions of grief, death, and dying for many years. I’m a trained Palliative Care Volunteer, a certified Death Doula through Going with Grace by Alua Arthur, and a certified Grief Educator through the Grief Educator Program led by grief expert David Kessler.

In the past few years, I’ve been part of Deuil’S (“grief” in French), a small team focused on education, support, and resources around end of life, death, and grief, founded by Swiss thanatologist and grief specialist Alix N. Burnand.

Alongside my volunteer work in end-of-life care, I have been facilitating Death Cafés in both the UK and now in Finland. Most recently, I also co-founded the first two Companion Voices groups in Finland (in Jyväskylä and Helsinki). This UK-based initiative offers comforting, soothing singing for people nearing the end of life.

I grew up in Geneva, Switzerland in a multicultural environment and spent several years living abroad, so I’m fluent in French, Spanish, Italian and English. I’ve been living in Jyväskylä, Finland since December 2023.