Manatee/Sarasota counties, Florida & online!
Reduce Fear, Stress, & Anxiety
CareDoula®
Educate, advocate, and serve with compassionate support and care during & at the end-of-life.
Melanie Ellerkamp CareDoula®
We offer non-medical respite care and companionship services
Melanie supports the grieving and has worked with people with severe illness, cancer, and women's health issues (endometriosis, miscarriage, & infertility). Melanie is an ordained minister and a member of NEDA, ADEC, IAAPHC, and APLB (pet loss bereavement).
Spiritual Death Doula.
What is an end-of-life doula?
“End-of-Life Doulas provide non-medical, holistic support, and comfort to the dying person and their family, which may include education and guidance as well as emotional, spiritual or practical care, from as early as initial diagnosis through bereavement." - The National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, 2020
Pictured is Melanie, comforting and supporting her father during his end-of-life. After his passing, she took care of notifying everyone, comforting family and friends, and taking care of his final arrangements and wishes. Then she started a bereavement group on Zoom and a Facebook page to help others with their losses..
Contact Us
Can we answer your questions?
We understand this is a difficult time, we honor and love you and your family! We are here to assist you. No judgement.
Please feel free to call or text us, we will return your message asap!
Melanie Ellerkamp CareDoula®
Sarasota, Florida, United States
Services - packages available
Respite
Non-medical companionship and respite care.
Comfort and support for your new diagnosis, your caregiver, friends, pets, and the whole family. Let's talk about how we can make this journey easier! We can work on answering the difficult questions, so you can spend more quality time with loved ones!
We offer free local in-home & online consultations.
Holistic Support
Our goal is to provide comfort, support, and love.
Sound therapy with Tibetan bowls, music, and energy work, like Reiki, can promote relaxation and aid in a myriad of ways. This is a great way to feel relaxed and supported in your journey. Whether you are the one who is sick, a family member, the caregiver, or a friend. This can be done in a group. Sound and energy is also soothing in the transitioning time as well..
Distant Reiki is available by appointment.
For pets
When your pet is diagnosed with a terminal illness, we can help you with preparing, planning, and support. We can also go to your appointments with you and offer stand-in service if you are unable to attend your pet's euthanasia.
This is one of Melanie's specialties!
Distant Animal Reiki Available!
gratitude
Love from Melanie-Quintessence CareDoula®
"I am truly honored to have had the amazing teachers and mentors, human, spiritual, and animal, that I have had in my life. I have met some truly amazing humans (and their animals). There is no greater honor than when you are holding space, sitting vigil, praying, channeling, offering relaxing energy and sound, and holding someone's hand while they leave this earth and journey into the next one. Thank you so very much!"
Get to know melanie
Background
"I knew early on that I had a gift with death. I used to be scared of it until I started losing family and friends. My earliest memory of death was my grandfather. He had suffered for a while and when my father told me of his passing, I said good. I knew how sick he was. I was 12. I knew then that I wanted to comfort people who were dying and their families. As it turned out, I gave my grandmother's eulogy when I was 24.
I grew up wanting to help everyone and every living thing! I am honored to be a part of a person's life, and death. I hope to help people feel less anxious and alone.
Last year, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and is thankfully doing alright. In 2018, my father was very ill for 8 months until he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and I became his caregiver. It was an honor! It made me realize I loved helping people and assisting them with their end-of-life plans!
I have been in the Veterinary field for more than 20 years. I started working as a kennel worker at an animal shelter, moved to an animal hospital, and became a Licensed Veterinary Technician. I also worked as a receptionist at an animal hospital and a pet cemetery.
Working in the veterinary field for so long, I noticed that people do not plan for their pets. When I got acutely sick, I realized that it was something I had to do for my dog. I have a plan for him and can encourage others to do the same.
The only certainty we have is that we will die one day, why not plan it ahead of time? Then our loved ones have nothing to worry about and your wishes will be fulfilled! We can then spend that time telling stories and loving!
Please do not be afraid to talk to your loved one, they need to know how you feel and that you are there for them.
I am grateful to be able to do this work."
Melanie is not a mental health professional.
Gifts
" I began my spiritual journey when I was going through my own health issues. Learning how to coexist with my new normal was a challenge. I turned to alternative healing modalities and began learning, and sharing these practices with my family, pets, and others!
I learned about healing with energy, crystals, animal reiki, becoming a reiki master teacher, and music & sound therapy with Tibetan bowls. Then, using my intuition, and channeling, I began a practice to assist people and pets in their wellness, illness, and death. I am a constant student of the universe and in alternative fields."
The main reason for channeling intuitively through these modalities is to allow tranquility and relaxation to take you away from your pain, sorrow, and anticipatory grief, and quiet the mind for a little while. This helps everyone to feel more at ease, to be able to be present with their loved one during their last days, weeks, or months.
Interests
Melanie is a member of a non-denominational church. The Harvest is an all-inclusive church and she volunteers to play bass guitar in the worship band. She is also an Ordained Minister and can perform weddings, ceremonies, and celebrations of life.
Melanie enjoys playing in local Sarasota area establishments, and open mics.
Melanie works in the aging community, finding services, resources, and ways to help our seniors. She is also a hospice volunteer and teaches hospice reiki classes.
Melanie also enjoys writing/blogging/podcasting /educating, and learning more ways to assist all sentient beings in their spiritual journey.
We are here for you!
We believe in validation, inclusion, and love. No one dies alone.
You are seen and heard!
Please call or text us with any questions.
Melanie's memberships
Certified End-of-Life Doula
The CareDoula® mission is "to reduce suffering during advance illness and dying time by providing exceptional education, support, and resources to families, caregivers, and healthcare professionals."
For more information on the doula education Melanie chose, please click on the link below:
https://www.certifiedcaredoula.com/certified-caredoula.html
NEDA Member
NEDA's mission is to influence positive change in how people experience end-of-life by developing & advocating numerous efforts that improve access to a broad spectrum of holistic non-medical support provided by end-of-life doulas EOLDs). Their goal is to elevate the role of EOLDs to a position that is a recognized, understood, utilized, & well integrated into mainstream end-of-life care practices.
Companion Animal End-of-Life Doula
Companion Animal End-of-Life Doula.
Melanie has been a Pet doula as long as she can remember., and became certified so she can provide excellent care and comfort to you and for your beloved fur baby.
Pet Lovers, Let's Connect & Support Each Other
Call/Text Melanie 941-724-2385
Send an email to melanie@quintessencecaredoula.com
Melanie Ellerkamp
Certifications and Education
Ordained Minister. Universal Life Church.
Certified End-of-life Doula CareDoula® School for Accompanying the Dying.
Certified Companion Animal End-of-Life Doula. University of Vermont
Pet Loss Grief Counseling Trained Professional. PESI, Inc, formerly, Professional
Education Systems Institute. Certified.
Sound Healing Practitioner Certificate. Given through I am Healing Thru
Feeling, Marie Suk.
Advance Tibetan Singing Bowls Practitioner Certificate. Given through I
am Healing Thru Feeling, Marie Suk.
Grief Series Workshop. Channeling with Marie Suk
Reiki Master Teacher. Certified through Reiki for Your Life, by Sheryl
Schlameuss Berger.
Animal Reiki Certified Level 1 and 2. Certified through Reiki For Your Life,
by Sheryl Schlameuss Berger.
Animal Communication Certification. Omega Institute. By Danielle
MacKinnon.
Sound Healing with Tibetan Bowls, Level 2 certification. IASH (International Association of
Sound Healing), by Satya Brat.
Reiki Level 2 certification. Lauren Matzen, Acupuncturist.
Sound Healing with TIbetan Bowls, Level 1 certification. IASH (International Association of Sound Healing), by Satya Brat.
Deeksha Oneness Blessing.
Reiki Level 1 certification. Kathy Bradley and the Angels.
A.A.S – Veterinary Science
B.F.A – Communications: Radio and Television
A.A.S – Music Business