Register for Training
Registration Information
At-a-Glance Training Schedule & Registration
Frequently Asked Questions
Doula Entrepreneurs & Birth Visionaries 2014 Conference
Favorite Resources
The Doula Business Guide
Michigan Doula Survey
All about Doulas: A Consumer’s Guide
Herbal Recipes for the Childbearing Year
FREE Welcome Packet
Contains your choice of timely reports, coupons, and subscription to our monthly Birth & Parenting E-Newsletter. Sign up now. There’s no obligation — just great information!
Stay Connected
Visit CCY on Facebook
Follow Patty on Twitter
Connect on LinkedInShare this page
Doula Entrepreneurs & Birth Visionaries 2014 Conference
May 16-18, 2014 in Ann Arbor, Michigan
How to grow a sustainable business, improve birth outcomes and launch change initiatives
Who Should Come?
Conference Program
Registration & Information
Our Speakers
Who should come?
- Doulas, aspiring doulas and certified doulas in need of continuing education contact hours (earn up to 21.25 DONA-approved hours)
- Midwives
- Lactation consultants, breastfeeding counselors
- Childbirth educators
- Home Visitors who work with pregnant and newly postpartum women and their families
- Doula program administrators, advocates, birth visionaries and leaders
- Grant writers and would-be grant writers
~ Conference Program ~
Friday, May 16, 8:30am-5pm
REDUCING CHILDBEARING RISKS WORKSHOP
With Patty Brennan, Marsha Benz and Barbara Robertson
7.25 DONA Continuing Education Hours approved
FREE Workshop for Residents of Michigan (Non-residents welcome for a fee) ~ Lunch included (with vegetarian options) ~ Sponsored by March of Dimes
Are you interested in expanding your role to become an agent for social change? How can we better serve 
mothers and families who have increased risks and limited resources? How can we maintain balance when serving high-needs clients? In this workshop, we will address challenges faced by community doulas and support professionals that are often not covered in your core doula training. We’ll focus on:
- Preventing infant mortality
- Supporting women in emotionally and physically abusive relationships
- Communication techniques that support behavioral change (includes an introduction to Motivational Interviewing)
- Boundary challenges and strategies for doulas and support professionals
This program ties in with our Sunday program as an example of a grant objective funded by March of Dimes to provide “enhanced risk-reduction education.”
Friday, May 16, 7-9:30pm
WINE, CHOCOLATE & BIRTH SISTERS!
Join us for an informal Birth Sisters Night Out. We’ll provide a variety of beverages and treats. Featuring a talk and book signing with author Cynthia Gabriel whose book Natural Hospital Birth: The Best of Both Worlds is quickly becoming a “must read” for all doulas and childbirth educators. Cia will share her top four “Nitty Gritty Birth Techniques” focusing on what’s most important for a natural hospital birth. This event is free. No registration necessary. Join us!
Saturday, May 17, 8:30am-5pm
BUSINESS & MARKETING SKILLS WORKSHOP
With Patty Brennan, BDT, PDT(DONA)
7.0 DONA Continuing Education Contact Hours approved
From passion to profit … make a living doing what you love! Come and learn the skills necessary to be successfully self-employed in your birth-related (or other service-oriented) business. Topics include:
- Establishing a business entity—what’s the best model for your business?
- Money matters—setting and collecting fees, sliding scales, client contracts
- Record keeping essentials
- Small business guide to taxes
- Managing risk and limiting liability for doulas and doula programs
- Marketing strategies
- Social media, blogging, building your “list” and e-newsletters
- Networking to create a referral culture in your business (think “grass-roots outreach”)
- Goal setting and time management: How do I fit it all in?
Sunday, May 18, 8:30am-5pm
NONPROFIT START-UP, DOULA PROGRAMS & GRANT WRITING WORKSHOP
With Patty Brennan
7.0 DONA Continuing Education Contact Hours pending
Morning Session, 8:30 am-noon
Nonprofit Startup & Doula Programs
Do you have a vision for a nonprofit initiative or doula program designed to help moms and babies? Have you just begun to implement your vision? We can save you time and money by sharing hard lessons learned. Get your questions answered and share experiences.
- What are the pros & cons of becoming a 501c3 nonprofit corporation?
- How can you make a doula program sustainable?
- As a founder/executive director, how do you pay yourself a salary?
- What types of community partnerships will you need?
- What components of organizational infrastructure are required?
- What are some strategies for working successfully with volunteers?
- And more!
Lunch Break, noon-1 pm
Afternoon Session, 1-5 pm
Grant Writing Skills
Avoid common mistakes that make the difference between, literally, thousands of dollars and zero dollars for your program. In this workshop, we will provide an overview of the grant writing process. Learn to read a Request for Proposals (RFP) critically and think strategically. Emphasis will be placed on securing funding for maternal-infant health initiatives. You will have an opportunity to write SMART “outcome objectives” for a sample proposal. Grant writing is a logical, step-by-step planning process, very similar to a business plan. Write a good grant and you have a mini business plan!
Fees, Registration & Information
Sign me up for this entire Amazing Conference now!
cforms contact form by delicious:days
cforms contact form by delicious:days
cforms contact form by delicious:days
cforms contact form by delicious:days
cforms contact form by delicious:days
cforms contact form by delicious:days
Refund Policy
A full refund, minus a $25 processing fee, will be provided upon request through May 2. After that time, refunds will not be issued, though students may transfer their registration to another training offered by the Center.
Meals
A selection of organic, yummy snacks and beverages will be provided throughout the conference weekend. We will take a one-hour lunch break each day. You can bring a lunch with you (we have a microwave and refrigerator on the premises) or go out for lunch at any number of nearby restaurants. We have a cozy backyard patio available for relaxing when the weather is nice. The Friday workshop includes a catered lunch (with vegetarian options available).
Bring the family!
Ann Arbor is a great destination for the whole family. We have many of the attractions of a large city without the traffic nightmares. Downtown Ann Arbor is inviting for pedestrians and offers a wide range of ethnic restaurants. For the kids, there is a fabulous Hands-On Museum, the University of Michigan’s Natural History Museum and astronomy observatories, a rock climbing gym, city parks, and natural preserves, as well as canoeing and paddle boats on the Huron River. Detroit is 45 minutes east and the ever-popular Cedar Point Amusement Park is just over two hours south in Sandusky, Ohio. (My kids have made a long day trip of this many times ~ send them on Friday so you can join us for Friday night’s festivities guilt-free!)
Breastfeeding Policy: In-arms breastfeeding babies under six months of age are welcome in sessions. If you do bring your baby, please be prepared to leave the room if your baby becomes fussy or otherwise disruptive (there is space available for this). The needs of breastfeeding mothers of older babies will be accommodated as follows: your baby can be brought to you during scheduled break times; you may also pump in class or (if preferred) in adjacent private space, as needed; and a kitchenette, with refrigerator and freezer, is available for your use.
Our Speakers
Patty Brennan, BA, BDT(DONA, PDT(DONA) has been a maternal-infant health advocate and visionary for over thirty years in her varied roles as a childbirth educator, doula, and DONA International birth and postpartum doula trainer. As the founder/executive director of two community-based volunteer doula programs, Patty is an experienced grant writer (with an 85% funding rate for proposals submitted), a doula program development specialist, and nonprofit start-up consultant. Patty has been self-employed her entire adult life and is passionate about helping others to be successful entrepreneurs. Her book, The Doula Business Guide: Creating a Successful MotherBaby Business, is a comprehensive guide to a variety of doula business models and related issues. Currently, Patty is the owner/director of Center for the Childbearing Year, a childbirth education and doula training center and also serves as Executive Director of Michigan Doula Connection, a nonprofit volunteer doula program.
Marsha L. Benz, MPH, MA has worked for the University of Michigan Health Service for over twenty years. Her specialties include alcohol and drug use prevention and harm-reduction; social marketing; brief, and motivational interviewing. She has assisted on extensive motivational interviewing research projects at Michigan State University School of Nursing and the University of Michigan School of Public Health and has been a Motivational Interviewing Trainer since 2010.
Barbara Robertson, MA, IBCLC is the owner/director of The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor. In addition to being an international board certified lactation consultant, Barbara is a breastfeeding educator, teaching classes for both expectant parents and breastfeeding professionals. Barbara served on the Board of Directors of the United States Lactation Consultants Association (USLCA) as Director of Professional Development for the past five years. She loves working with mothers and babies, helping them achieve their breastfeeding goals. In recent years, Barbara has come to a deep appreciation of the central roles that listening and communication play in supporting mothers. This has led her to study Motivational Interviewing techniques which she has been integrating into her work with great results.
Cynthia Gabriel, Ph.D. is an author, medical anthropologist, doula, and mother of three. She is the author of Natural Hospital Birth: The Best of Both Worlds and is currently working on a study of African-American birth in southeastern Michigan. She teaches anthropology at Eastern Michigan University.