Doula Programs: Doulas as Outreach Workers?

Experience has demonstrated that newly-trained doulas joining a community-based doula program will require additional training beyond the core topics of the standard birth or postpartum doula training curricula. Since doula programs are often aimed at families with limited resources who are considered to be at risk, ongoing education on medical and social risk factors is needed. These include signs of premature labor, smoking cessation, substance abuse, nutritional concerns, differentiating between baby blues and postpartum depression and between postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis, and more.

As a doula trainer, I am acutely aware of the multitude of related topics that I simply do not have time to cover in my basic doula workshops, or can only mention in passing. These include domestic violence and the doula, cultural competency, perinatal grief and loss support, effects of sexual abuse on childbearing women, setting and maintaining personal boundaries, and more! I would be extremely hard pressed to just pick one of these topics as the most important.

Doula programs need to provide enhanced training that addresses these topics so that the doulas feel truly prepared to provide skilled support to the families served by the program. Lack of preparation will blow the inexperienced and idealistic doula out of the water. She needs some tools and a good, strong base of administrative support from program staff.

Have other programs found this to be true as well? How have you addressed these issues?

The Doula Programs blog provides a forum for doula program visionaries and implementers to consider common challenges, ask questions, and learn from each other. Patty Brennan is the author of The Doula Business Guide: Creating a Successful MotherBaby Business.

Posted by Patty Brennan on November 25, 2010 • Filed under Doula Programs
Comments (1)

Comments

One Response to “Doula Programs: Doulas as Outreach Workers?”

  1. Diana Thornton on November 26th, 2010 at 2:52 am:

    This sounds GREAT! I’d love to see labor and postpartum massage training/practice included in the expanded training!