Our HOLISTIC DOULA CERTIFICATION:
Now is your chance to fully train with our DTC team & list of guest experts… live & online!
This 20 week program creates the opportunity for DTC members to hold space with an experienced team of instructors and to learn about the relational and holistic aspects of becoming a modern birth worker.
When you register for the Holistic Doula program you are registering to receive training in trauma-focused work, fertility, pregnancy, loss, labour support, postpartum support, infant feeding, and sex and body-positive frameworks that include the consideration of anatomical, physiologic, social, environmental, and diverse relationships. All of which form the essence and experience of being a modern birth worker with DTC!
At the end of the 20 week course you will be able to use the title:
- Certifying Birth Doula (or Birth Worker)
- Certifying Postpartum Doula (or Postpartum Worker)
And Additional Training in: ( 2 years to complete)
Fertility Support Practitioner and Infant and Pregnancy Loss Support
Please see the bottom of this page for upcoming start dates. We look forward to working with you!
Meetings and modules will cover, but are not limited to:
- Community commitment, practice guidelines, jurisprudence, and ethical considerations
- Conception, pre-conception, fertility, family planning, and diverse family relationships
- Sex-positive and body-positive anatomy and physiology, which sex is a part of birth
- Pregnancy, preparing clients for labour, self-care and safety-planning
- Virtual versus in-person support considerations, and rural versus urban birth work experiences
- Trauma-informed principles for care and trauma-focused support + counselling skills for our own trauma reflections
- Comfort measures for birth, a top to bottom approach to adaptive response options for minimizing flight/fight/freeze/fawn and the sensation of pain
- The variations of informed consent and what it means in the space of communication and advocacy
- Anti-oppression, discrimination and decolonization of reproductive and sexual experiences
- Medical procedures, interventions & reproductive bias across systems of medical care
- Loss, grief & mourning: the multi-dimensional aspects of trauma and loss
- Compassion fatigue, burn out, and vicarious trauma: self care planning and personal reflection by birth support themselves
- Counselling skills, community of care models, & working with clients to support their needs, traditions, and cultural practices
- Business and non-business models of support
Live Meetings:
Students will be asked to participate in 10 live meetings, via Zoom, with experienced DTC instructors and guest speakers.
A requirement for this program is that students must attend a minimum of 6 out of 10 live webinars to be recognized as having completed the program. Webinars will be recorded for playback purposes and sent to only registered members who have been provided the access to this course.
Students will have are offered 20 weeks to continue the full module expectations and to book their final exam (from the date of module access). During that time mentoring through DTC drop-in’s or requested one-on-one’s are available to all members.
We love to connect with you and support you on your journey!
Module One: You as Support+
- Intro, Scope of Practice
- Modern support models and
- Explanation of course and expectations
- Research practices
- Consent, trauma and informed care
Module Two: Family Planning, Fertility, Pregnancy, and Supporting the First Trimester
- Holistic options for fertility wellness and conception
- Cycle charting
- Conception control
- Fertility obstacles
Module Three: Mid and Late Pregnancy Support
- Anatomy and Labour Physiology
- Birth choices preparation
- The last weeks of pregnancy
- Holistic options for wellness
- Early labour support and needs to know
Module Four: Medical Options, complications, and alternatives
- Knowing medical options
- Medical vs holistic alternatives
- Complicated birth experiences
- Cesarean birth and vaginal birth
- Pushing and placentas
- Special circumstances
- Immediate infant care and procedures
Module Five: Communication and Comfort Techniques
- The three C’s of good support
- Enhancing your clients options for labour and birth
- Holistic modalities for pain and comfort
- Hands on techniques and positions
- The culture of holistic birth tools
- Mediation, mindfulness and breath
- Tips of the experienced doula
Module Six: Supporting the postpartum person
- Postpartum planning
- Nutrition and exercise
- Sex and intimacy post birth
- Pelvic floor health and well-being
- Recovery support – mind-body-emotions-spirit
- Supporting the family unit
Module Seven: Supporting the Infant and Feeding Solutions
- Infant to toddler feeding options
- Issues with feeding and solutions
- Infant sleep and brain development
- Infant milestone in the first year
- Bonding and attachment
Module Eight: Procedures and Protocols for working with clients
- Client meetings: from stranger to support person
- Labour support considerations
- Blood borne pathogens
- Infectious disease and safety measures to consider
- Child Welfare / Mental Health Crisis
- Working in clients homes
- Boundaries
Module Nine : Anti-Oppression, Social Justice and Advocacy
- Bias, privilege, and fragility
- Advocacy vs facilitation
- Oppression and racism in modern birth culture and work
- Supporting diverse families in a heteronormative, white-washed birth culture
- Learning to be an ally in the decolonization of perinatal health
Week Ten: Loss and Loss Support
- The role of loss support
- Compassion, empathy, and burn out
- Institutional experiences and at-home care
- Bereavement, Grief, and Mourning
- What to expect, your role
- Options for offering loss support
Week Eleven: Business Solutions and Sustainability
- Contracts and agreements
- Value and revenue
- Pro bono, volunteer, or charitable work
- Marketing
- Maintenance
- Collaboration
Week Twelve: Next steps
- Community practicum review and presentations
- Virtual class party!
Note: the order of these modules, titles, and content are subject to change prior to registration and at the discretion of DTC.
o Each week, you will gain access a new module that contains video and audio lessons, slide deck, hand outs, links and resource lists, worksheets, and reflection and/or quiz questions.
o You will have live webinars with one of our DTC instructors, staff, and/or perinatal experts. These webinars are held weekly. Howeer the day and time changes each session, please refer to your ticket for times and dates
- You must attend a minimum of 6 out of 10 modules to graduate from this program and are responsible for watching all missed sessions. All modules will be recorded for playback and shared only with registered members.
o Each week you will have assigned chapters from your required DTC reference guide. There will also be optional readings if you want to dive deeper into the topic for the week!
o At the end of each module you will submit your module assignments and complete a short quiz before advancing to the next content.
o You will be required to compete three community support projects (loss, labour, postpartum) and may be selected to present it to the group during the final live webinar.
o You will receive a certificate of completion upon completing all modules, a minimum of 6 of the 10 live webinars, all assignments, your community support projects and your online final exam.
New for 2022! Students will be asked to support three (3) clients within 1 year of writing their exam. An evaluation must be completed by the clients and students have the option of choosing which form of support they wish to offer. This requirement meets the expectations of provincial doula associations and ensures that persons completing this program can apply for professional liability insurance.
Estimate time commitment: 6 hours per week on modules, 2 hours per week for live webinars, approximately 30 hours for community projects and practicum.
Total expected hours over 14 weeks: approximately 120 hours
Contact hours with instructors: estimated at 48 hours
By registering for this training, you acknowledge and agree to the following:
Your presence at 6 of 10 live webinars, recorded, and with your camera on. No partial credit can be awarded
Training Information & Eligibility:
You have read through the Resources & Policies at www.doulatraining.ca, including but not limited to our Cancellation Policy, Equity & Inclusion Policy, Harassment & Discrimination Policy, and Complaint Policies & Procedures prior to registering. You acknowledge that all materials are taught in an online format and that you will be asked to submit quizzes at the end of each module and assignments at the end of your program, prior to writing a final online exam.
There are no age or educational pre requisites for taking this program and DTC works with providers across many countries, with only limited exceptions. If you are a provider outside of Canada or the United States we recommend that you contact any local doula associations to ensure that our programs can be used for any required authorization.
You have 20 weeks from the time you start this program to complete the modules. Extensions can be granted by request and will be granted under extreme circumstances (e.g., a humanitarian crisis, illness or injury).
Practicum:
Any additional costs related to the 3 client practicums are not covered by DTC. Doula Canada requires that all persons in this 14 week program submit client evaluations within one (1 ) year of completing their exam. Submitting the evaluations will allow you to maintain your life-time certification with DTC. Failure to submit an evaluation will result in removal from Doula Canada as a member in good-standing and revocation of certification status. Evaluations are provided by Doula Canada and students will be offered support by our team of mentors.
Professionalism:
You will show up on time and be fully present for each live session that you attend, acting in a professional manner. You will reach out to our faculty or any staff if any unexpected issues arise. You agree to take full responsibility for addressing your needs in the area of accessible learning, self-care, and compassionate treatment of peers and DTC staff. The faculty and staff reserve the right to remove trainees at any time if the trainee creates an unsafe or unprofessional environment for you or other trainees, or for any reason that does not represent the policies of DTC.
Accommodation:
Doula Training Canada follows the Accessible Canada Act (ACA). We ask that if you are in need of any special accommodations that will allow you to take your training with us online, please email us with special requests at least fourteen days before the scheduled training. If, during the training, a need for an accommodation arises, you are expected to contact your instructor and/or DTC staff immediately and we will work with you to discuss the best possible solution.
Confidentiality:
You are asked to respect the confidentiality of other trainees and our staff during your time with DTC. Confidentiality with clients will be discussed by your trainer/s. Trainees who observe a problem with another trainee are asked to bring the problem to the lead trainer for the specific session or DTC administration, as per the set policies and guidelines. Similarly, if a staff member acts unprofessionally we ask that you email DTC administration as soon as possible.
Preparedness for doing your own work:
Throughout your training you will be expected to participate in working through your module content in the role of doula support or perinatal support. You are responsible for your own scheduling, discipline, and follow through on projects and module expectations. In registering you recognize the set amount of time that you have access to the program and agree to work towards completion in the timeframe set forth by DTC and its vocational expectations. Mentoring can be accessed by emailing our staff at info@doulatraining.ca and we are always prepared to assist you if you communicate your questions or needs. Each program at DTC may have a slightly different timeframe and we encourage you to review these details prior to registering.
Who may apply:
This course is for new registrants only. Those who have previously registered with DTC in either the Self Study (virtual) training or the in-person workshop option should continue in their studies under that format.
Options for tuition fees:
Instalment plans are available via Sezzle. If this is not an available option to you please contact info@doulatraining.ca to discuss other payment plan options with DTC. Our registration staff is happy to work with you to discuss Etransfer, PayPal, or Square payment preferences that we can support you with.
There are no required texts for this program as the modules contain all the information you need.
Highly recommended additional texts for this program:
Toni Weschler (William Morrow Paperbacks, 2015)
A comprehensive read that will introduce you to topics ranging from fertility, pregnancy, conception, and loss.
Well-researched this book will cover topics about physiology, biology and psychology… from a feminist perspective.
This book will help unpack years of oppression and colonization, help us look at modern structures, introduce us to history and culture, and provide a lens into allyship and anti-racism.
Payment, Refund/ Cancellation Policy:
This 14 week program costs $1,150 CAN. You may choose to pay it at one time, or in 4 equal payments (deposit + 3 instalments). Students who choose the instalment plan recognize that they must login every 30 days and make payment. Failure to do so will result in removal from the program and loss of all fees paid to date.
Registrants acknowledge the DTC cancellation policy at the time of registering and recognize that they have 7 days post registration to request a refund of fees paid to date. After 7 days, but within 30 days, registrants can request a DTC credit that must be used within 1 years time.
Your one-time fee covers:
• Instructor fees
• Online access to all modules, digital downloads, resource guides, audio or video lessons, beautifully designed client handouts, professional interviews, and worksheets.
• Live reviews and group learning sessions
• Access to instructors, via email, to work through learning concepts, get support, or answer questions
Your fee also covers membership to DTC, exam fee/s, additional mentoring, and ongoing invitations to DTC member events!
*applicable taxes not included in base fee
Important note: All persons who complete this program will be considered a perinatal support in Loss, Labour and Postpartum Doula work. The training is taught completely online through modules, videos, audio, hand outs, assignments, and weekly live webinars. All persons who register for this program must abide by the DTC practice guidelines, codes of conduct and outlined policies against discrimination and harassment.
