The Curriculum
The
essence of the work of a doula/companion and group
facilitator is to be able to provide unconditional
emotional openness and support to women, men and
their babies. So having and/or developing the
ability to be emotionally present and supportive is
one of the foundations of our
training.
The meetings will provide an opportunity for the
students to experience being in a safe, held and
nurturing environment — a supportive setting where
they can practice their skills and hold an
emotionally supportive space for each other.
Most of the course theory is covered in-depth in
the distance modules, with assignments to do with
each one. The focus of the weekends is experiential
and practical. During these sessions we will use
our time together to experience, embody, create and
practice, anchoring the information learned in the
distance study modules. There will be common parts
to the weekends such as relaxation/self-hypnosis,
breathing, movement, creative activities, birth
art, listening and communication skills , etc..
Depending on the knowledge, skills and experience
of the group, the following topics will be covered
in the modules or/and the weekends:
Your
purpose and motivation
• The role of a doula/birth
companion/educator/facilitator
• Where are you coming from and where are you
heading? Why?
• What gifts, skills, knowledge, experience and
challenges
you bring with you.
• Creating your learning plan.
Support
• What is support? Assessing the current support in
our lives;
• Beliefs around being supported and offering
support.
• Mothering others and mothering ourselves.
• Sources of support during pregnancy, birth and
postpartum.
• The community as a resource: creating a
postpartum support network.
Intuition, inner knowing, wisdom from
within:
• How to connect and develop our intuition.
• Facilitating the development of intuition in our
clients.
The prenatal period
•
Culture, pregnancy and birth.
• Reproductive anatomy and physiology. The prenatal
imprint: from psychology to biology. Promoting
optimum inner and outer environment for the
well-being of mother and baby in pregnancy.
• Self-care in pregnancy: body,mind and spirit.
Complementary therapies for pregnancy.
• Caring for our relationships. Bonding.
"He's having a baby," the father's experience of
pregnancy.
• Exploring the essential teachings and challenges
of the pregnancy.
Birth as a right of passage. Pregnancy as
preparation for the initiation.
Welcoming or resisting change in pregnancy. The
pain body.
• Ritual in pregnancy: The Blessingway
•
Facilitating pregnancy circles (groups)
The
Natural Physiology of labour, birth and bonding:
• Body-own childbirth hormones. Empowering the
natural body mechanisms.
• Anatomy and physiology of labour and birth.
Normal labour and deviations from the norm. Labour
and Birth positions. Baby positioning.
• How fear affects labour. The relaxation and
hypnosis effect.
• Comfort measures. Positive interventions.
Holistic preparations for the birth:
• Supporting/guiding the woman/couple to prepare
themselves and their environment on all levels.
Conducting prenatal visits.
• Listening and effective communication skills.
Bonding with the unborn child.
• Transforming pain, fear and negative beliefs.
Causes and management of pain in labour. Vocal
relaxation. Centering. Relaxation. Breathing.
Visualisation.
• Risks and benefits of medical tests, techniques
and procedures. Caesarian births and VBACS.
• Writing a holistic birth plan. Homeopathic,
herbal and spiritual allies.
• Working within the spiritual and cultural ethos
of the birthing couple.
• Supporting the birthing family when birth or
pregnancy doesn’t go as planned.
The Birth:
• Creating and preserving a safe birthing
environment.
• Centering/holding Presence. Keeping the link with
the birthing child.
• Early labour assessment. Positive interventions.
Emergency situations.
• Recognising signs of personal activation and
tools for dealing with it. • Homeopathic, herbal
and spiritual allies.
• Bonding : why and how and the role of the doula.
After
the birth:
• Debriefing. The postnatal visits.
• Healing the birth of our children.
Sharing birth stories, healing birth trauma.
• Postpartum practices around the world. Needs of
the newborn child, mother and father (on all
levels).
• Breastfeeding.
• Creating a portfolio of organisations and
individuals to refer to which specialise in
addressing specific challenges such as post natal
depression.
• Facilitating postnatal circles (groups).
Working
in collaboration with the NHS:
• The history of childbirth through the ages and of
midwifery since 1900.
• The role of the midwife today. Rules, regulations
and governing bodies.
• Who is who in the Hospital staff.
• Establishing trust and mutual empowerment among
the birthing team.
Developing
your classes/Doula practice :
• Personal aims, needs and support required.
• Clarifying the personal, ethical and social
values involved in working as an educator / doula.
• Contracts, insurance.
• Marketing your practice. Where and how?
Advertising (inc creating promotional material:
cards and brochures), public speaking, liaising
with useful organisations and individuals.
• Doula Teams. Referring.
Teaching
/ Facilitating skills and topics:
• What is education? Teaching, modeling or
facilitating?
When and how? • Teaching and learning styles.
• Moving into the body: using movement, body
awareness, touch , etc. • Active Listening and
effective communication skills.
• Aims, objectives, teaching plans and working with
what comes up.
• Teaching knowledge based subjects.
• Using Art, crafts as teaching and healing
processes.
• Using teaching aids.
• Creating a safe, held and nurturing space.
Emotional intelligence. Presence. Boundaries.
• Dealing with challenging interpersonal
relationships in the group.
• When and where to refer. Self-assessment,
feedback and evaluation.
You will explore not only what to teach, but also
how to teach it using a variety of teaching
techniques. You will put your learning into
practice through teaching sessions within the group
and giving presentation to peers.
Course
schedule
