8 Questions to Ask when Deciding on a Doula Training Program
I found a great article, written by Robin Elise Weiss, PhD that discusses how to become a doula. She recommends you ask some basic, important questions when considering a doula training program. Here is a list of the recommended questions and International Doula Institutes answers.
Do I have to travel to attend the training?
No! You can do the IDI doula training program from anywhere you can get internet access, no travel necessary. This is especially great for moms with young children who can’t leave their children for long periods of time. It also saves a ton of money not having to travel.
How long is the training?
The doula training is a total of 9 sections and typically takes 6-12 weeks to complete. It is a go at your own pace program, so you can go as quickly or as slowly as you would like. If you work 1hr per day, you should finish it in 6 weeks.
What will I be taught during the training?
The International Doula Institute doula training program will teach you the Five Core Competencies of being a doula. And we also teach:
-Emotional Intelligence for the Doula
-Professionalism for the Doula
-Business for the Doula.
This is ALL included in the price of the certification program! We find that going above and beyond in our training, we prepare our doulas extremely well to hit the ground running in their doula career and work as much or as little as they would like.
Will I need additional materials? If yes, what?
You will need to purchase the books(about $100 total for all 8) or you can borrow them from a friend or the library.
What is the average time to complete the training and become certified?
The average is 1hr per day for 6 weeks. However it is go at your own pace so you can go much more slowly, or go much more quickly, you decide!
Other than the training fee is there a fee to be certified? Recertified?
There is a recertification fee every 3 years or $100. This is the only extra fee you will need to pay. We do not have any annual membership fee.
Is there a certification test? Is it in person or mail in?
Yes, it is an open book exam done in the online learning portal where you took you doula training.
How many certifying births will I need? Is there paperwork?
You need to attend two births as a birth doula after you have received your certification, within one year. We’ve found that it’s harder to gain clients when you don’t have your certification in hand. So we grant certification to you based on the in class work you complete and the video responses and interviews. So you get your certification in hand before you go to your first doula interview(which by the way, we train you on extensively so you are super well prepared to nail the interview!!) There is paperwork, you will provide your client with our evaluation form.
Source: How to Become a Doula
Author: Aliza Juliette Bancoff
Aliza Juliette Bancoff is a well-known doula and doula trainer who has been providing doula services to families for over a decade. She is the founder of Main Line Doulas, a doula group providing doula support in the great Philadelphia area for the last decade, the International Doula Institute, which provides online doula training and lactation training and certification programs and the International Breastfeeding Institute which provides lactation training and certification. She is the co-founder of United Birth, a company devoted to increasing access to doulas across the country to make the perinatal time safer both physically and emotionally. “Every birthing person deserves access to quality doula support. And we are working to make that a reality across the country. The work we are doing to get doulas to every birthing person will decrease the black infant and maternal mortality rate significantly by 2030.” Says Bancoff. Aliza is known for her compassionate and empowering approach to doula work, and she has been featured in numerous media outlets, including United Nations Maternal Health Report, Parent Magazine, CafeMom, theBump and many more. Aliza's journey into doula work began when she gave birth to her first child and felt a strong calling...