National Center for Death Education (NCDE)
The National Center for Death Education (NCDE) is an educational center dedicated to promoting knowledge and understanding in the field of Thanatology. NCDE aims to help people enhance their own awareness of death as well as provide them with the resources to support the dying and grieving of all ages. We provide ongoing learning opportunities for professional caregivers and others designed for acquiring and maintaining a current knowledge base, as well as developing creative and useful skills for providing care associated with end of life, bereavement and loss.
To achieve this goal, NCDE offers on site and online continuing education programs on death and grief, including an annual Summer Institute, Seattle Winter Institute, online courses, funeral service series, and other courses and workshops throughout the year. Courses and workshops taken through NCDE can lead to a Certificate in Thanatology. NCDE has an extensive collection of library resources, including books, journals and videos. NCDE is proud to offer the Program of Thanatology, Palliative Care and the Arts.
Our philosophy and educational approach grows from the belief that death and loss are part of the continuum of life. Dying and/or grieving people have an absolute right to be supported and validated, to grieve in their own time and in their own way. We further believe that, for the great majority who are grieving, their grief is normal and non-pathological. Grief, in its many forms needs to be experienced and expressed within the contexts of families, communities, and with those who have had similar experiences.
