The 12 Biggest Mistakes You Can Make when Choosing a Doula Training
Formal training is not required to become a doula, but many aspiring birth professionals choose to take a training anyway.
All the options available can be overwhelming. There is so much variety, and when you’re new it can feel intimidating to choose one.
I see a lot of the same questions and misconceptions coming up among newer doulas in Facebook groups, and I want to address the common pitfalls I see folks fall into when trying to make this decision.
Here are the twelve biggest mistakes you can make when choosing a doula training:
1. Expecting a training to cover all topics you could ever need to know for your doula career
I like to think of a doula training as the main course of a meal. Is it important? Sure. Is the meal complete with just that? Nope. What about side dishes, beverages, appetizers, desserts? A primary doula training or certification program can be really helpful, but don’t think of it as the be-all and end-all of your education in birth work. You can always add specialized continuing education, mentoring with experienced birth workers, and more to help round out your learning as you move along this path. If you’re looking for the most comprehensive program possible, you might pass up another program that would be a better fit for you that you could complement with additional workshops, courses, reading, or mentorship down the road.
2. Not researching the company/organization
Learn about the training programs you’re interested in. If you plan to certify, does the organization put any limits or boundaries around the way you practice that you don’t agree with? For instance, there are some organizations out there that limit a doula’s role when it comes to advocacy. But many of us got into this work specifically to help address the mistreatment of pregnant and postpartum people in the US. This often requires advocacy within a medical system that is designed with its own needs in mind, instead of patients’ needs. If your certifying organization prohibits you from speaking to medical providers on your clients’ behalf, your advocacy role will be extremely limited.
I encourage you to read any position statements an organization has published, as well as any “standards of practice” or “practice guidelines” for their trained and/or certified doulas. If you decide to move forward with a formal doula training program, choose one that aligns with your values.
3. Choosing a training program because it is “the biggest,” “the oldest,” or “the most well-known”
This doesn’t mean anything! Just because a doula training company/organization plays a good PR game doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for you.
Remember, formal training/certification is not even required to practice as a doula! There is little to no benefit to training with an organization based on whether it is the oldest, biggest, most well-known, etc. Look for value alignment and program content rather than age and size.
4. Not being realistic about the training timeline
Many training programs have a defined period of time in which to complete assignments or other requirements. Depending on what’s going on in your life, it might make sense to look at a program that doesn’t impose any time limits so you can go completely at your own pace. (Some programs charge a fee for getting an extension on deadlines, so this is good to be aware of ahead of time.)
5. Choosing a training program based on what might allow your services to be covered by insurance
Getting doula support covered by insurance is a VERY fraught issue. There are doulas fighting hard to get more insurance companies to cover their services, and there are doulas who are terrified of what the insurance industry’s involvement would mean for doula work. Since insurance coverage for doula services is still very rare, the likelihood is that very few (if any) of your clients’ insurance plans will cover doula services at all, let alone care about where you got your training. Don’t let this be a deciding factor as you move forward.
In reality, since formal training or certification is not necessary to practice as a doula, putting any limitations around what kind of training a doula has shows the insurance industry’s ignorance about our work. Rather than catering to that for the (again) VERY few cases where insurance might cover doula services, it’s much more important to choose an organization you actually WANT to learn from.
6. Assuming that online-only trainings are lower quality
While some may be lower-quality, others are fantastic. The same can be said for in-person trainings!
Remember that people did all kinds of things virtually during the early days of the pandemic. If doulas could provide all-virtual labor support for clients while we were not allowed in hospitals, we can definitely learn doula skills virtually. If you know that your learning style and/or neurotype will make an in-person or virtual training better for you, that’s great knowledge to have. But keep in mind that you can always take additional workshops and classes virtually or in-person down the line to complement your initial training.
7. Choosing a program based solely on cost
While of course cost can be an important factor - and maybe even a defining one - when it comes to doula training, choosing a training just because it’s the cheapest may not serve you well going forward. Remember that when you become a doula, you are essentially changing careers (or starting your first career). Often when changing careers, people need a new degree or accreditation of some kind. And usually those cost a lot of money. Relatively speaking, becoming a doula has a pretty low barrier to entry. If doula training programs feel expensive to you, compare the cost to a 2- or 4-year degree that some people complete in order to change careers. If you go on to have a thriving doula practice, you will make up the cost of your training quickly.
In case it helps to hear a real-life example: In 2015 we spent a combined $3,750 on initial trainings (for birth doula, postpartum doula, lactation counseling, and childbirth education). We made up that amount within our first 7 clients - and that included one pro-bono client and several steeply discounted clients. In our first full year of taking clients, we made $13,500 - almost 4 times what we initially paid for our trainings. Pretty good return on investment!
If cost is absolutely a deal-breaker for you, there are several doula organizations out there that offer scholarships (Birthing from Within, Birthing Advocacy Doula Training, and Doula Training International come to mind).
8. Choosing a program just so you can be on their website’s doula listing page
Some doula training companies/organizations have a “find a doula” type of page on their website where people who have trained with them can have a profile. In our experience, very few people actually get clients that way! There are also lots of other places online where you can list your business, so don’t feel like this is a make-it-or-break-it thing!
9. Forgetting to read the fine print about “recertification”
Some doula certification programs require you to “recertify” every year or every few years in order to maintain your certification status. And often this requires a fee. If you aren’t interested in fulfilling certification requirements past your initial training period, make sure to choose a program that offers “lifetime certification” with no additional requirements in the future.
10. Not listening to the voices of marginalized folks who may have been harmed by an organization
There are several prominent doula organizations that have been publicly accused of harm, especially by people with marginalized identities (Black, Indigenous, People of Color, trans/nonbinary/gender-non-conforming, disabled, queer, etc.). Some organizations are so controversial Buzzfeed has written about them. Google the name of a program you’re interested in and comb through the results with a critical eye before you pay for a training.
11. Assuming that your future clients will set a lot of store by where you got your training
Lay people outside of the birth world have very little idea of the nuance around doula training. In our 9+ years of practice, only one prospective client has asked us where we got our training or whether we are formally certified. If you’re worried about the decision of where to train because you think it will matter to your future clients, you can definitely relax! Just choose a program that feels best for you, not anyone else.
12. Getting “analysis paralysis” and not making a decision at all
This is a big one! It can feel so overwhelming to choose a training program. Many aspiring doulas put off getting started because they stay stuck in the decision-making process. If you’re serious about moving forward and you have a short list of programs you’re interested in, choose one and go for it!
