+ Are there any prerequisites?

You do NOT have to have any prior clinical or medical experience to attend this workshop.
You do NOT have to have given birth or witnessed a live birth to attend this workshop.
You do NOT have to be a woman or identify as a woman to attend this workshop!

HOWEVER, you do need to prepare yourself to commit fully, 100%, for 3.5 days. You can prepare yourself by…

• Reading the DONA International position paper
• Familiarizing yourself with Penny Simkin’s, The Birth Partner
• Preparing yourself, mentally, for three and a half full days of course work.

Your payment confirmation email will contain additional videos and reading materials to familiarize yourself before the beginning of the workshop. The week before the workshop, you will receive HOMEWORK to complete before class begins. The assignment consists of: 1. interviewing someone else about their birth experience 2. Imagining and recording your own ideal birth experience 3. Creating a postpartum plan. Participants find this takes them roughly 4 hours to complete this pre-work.

Throughout the workshop, you will also be given daily emails with resources to support your doula practice.

+ Are scholarships and payment plans available?

Yes! We proudly offer PARTIAL scholarships for persons of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Payment plans are also available for everyone.

At Graceful Fusion, we strive to fulfill the mission of DONA International by providing “a doula for every person who wants one.” We recognize the atrocious birth outcomes for minority communities in America and how strong, stable doula support can make a difference. We also recognize that not everyone birthing couple is a heterosexual, cisgender pairing or even a couple. No matter where the need comes from, our workshops aim to train doulas to support everyone in our communities. Through our scholarship program, we strive to create a more diverse doula community to serve a growing, diverse family population.

We offer PARTIAL scholarships based on financial need to doulas of color and LGBTQ+ community members who have demonstrated a commitment to community service based on the priorities listed below. Please take the time to read and truly consider if you fall into one of these categories before applying for a scholarship. If not, we encourage you to consider a payment plan option. Nicole herself utilized a payment plan option when she attended her first DONA International Birth Doula workshop 16 years ago.

These workshops touch so many lives, we are more than happy to work with you to make your attendance possible!

To request a scholarship application, please reach out via our contact page. We will consider your application, then respond with either a partial scholarship or a payment plan option. Priority is given to staff, families, and volunteers associated with the Family Health and Birth Center, Mary's Center for Maternal and Child Care, Inc., doulas of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community who have a record of involvement with their community and intentions to support minority birthing people in their home community. You will be asked to fill out a very brief online application and provide two letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak to your involvement in racial and social justice. From there, you and Nicole will discuss what you are able to afford and develop a plan that works for you.

Please note that because we offer a limited number of scholarships, payment plans are available for everyone. Please visit our contact page to inquire about payment plan options. Click Here to Register for a Workshop.

+ What is your refund policy?

Cancellations made at least three weeks prior to the start of the workshop will be granted a full refund, minus a $75 administrative fee. Cancellations made within 21 days of the start of the workshop are not eligible for a refund.

If you need a last-minute cancellation, you are more than welcome to attend our next training. These transfers are subject to space availability and will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. We will know if space is open in the next workshop seven days prior to that workshop, and we don't hold space in the workshop for people who have missed a previous workshop.
In cases of family emergencies and/or sudden, SERIOUS illness, attendees may be able to transfer credit to a later workshop date with the payment of a $50 administrative fee.

+ Is attendance mandatory?

Workshop participants must attend the entire training to receive their certificate. In other words, you must attend all 3.5 days to receive your certification.

+ How are the workshops taught?

All classes are taught via zoom until the end of 2021 and potentially beyond. Classes will NOT be recorded so you must be able to attend all the sessions listed live with videos ON!

+ Will I be DONA certified when the workshop ends?

This workshop is the FIRST required step to get DONA certified. Upon workshop completion, you'll recieve a certificate of attendance which can be used to pursue DONA certification. More details can be found on DONAs website.