Shelby Pratte

Hi, I’m Shelby, and I am a Death Doula. I have always been drawn to the world of death and dying, and 2023 was the year that I decided to fully step into this passion.

I was never drawn to careers in medicine, but felt a calling to caretaking, connecting with people, and education. I channeled this into the world of animal care and working with children and families by teaching horse back riding lessons, being a camp counselor, creative writing teacher, wildlife educator, animal trainer, and zookeeper.

2020 and the Covid-19 Pandemic was an incredibly difficult time, and like so many others, I took a hard look at my life, my goals, and what more I wanted to do with my time here on this earth. I started to lean more and more into my interest in death and dying around the world, read amazing books, and found amazing teachers. With the support of my wonderful husband, 2023 was the year I jumped in, and took the course through Going with Grace, to explore and become a Death Doula. I then joined the National End of Life Doula Alliance, and became credentialed as NEDA Proficient.

Where I can Serve

I serve the San Gabriel Mountain cities on the east side of Los Angeles, CA.

These include: Glendale, Highland Park, Eagle Rock, La Crescenta, La Cañada, Altadena, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Alhambra, Arcadia, Temple City, San Gabriel, San Marino, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, Azusa, Glendora, Covina, West Covina, and San Dimas.

  • Shelby specializes in the pre-planning aspects of death and dying. This includes Advanced Directives, clearing/organizing your house, planning out what will happen to possessions after the death has occurred, legacy projects, and mediating conversations with a client and/or their family about death and dying.

    Shelby also offers non-medical caregiver respite, pet care, and friendly companionship visits for the dying.

  • Most Death Doula’s do not offer every type of service that falls under the category of death work, but Shelby wants to make sure each client gets what they need. Shelby can have a discussion about other types of services on a client by client basis, or can offer an alternative Doula that she trusts.

  • Though there is a lot of overlap for Morticians and Death Doulas, particularly around funeral planning, Morticians are specifically licensed to embalm and bury the body. Death Doulas are often the “bridge person” between the doctors trained to heal a person, and the Mortician/Funeral Director trained to care for the body after the person has passed.