Dear Community,
What an accomplishment - I taught 3 sections of the Childbirth for Professionals course and two complete birth doula training workshops online in January, and started a weekly series! I worked hard at innovation in 2020, and thank you so much for your support! The Wednesday evening class is FULL and I've added a spring section starting March 17th. Tell your friends who want a slower pace or weekend commitments, that I have courses for
them!
What else is new for you this month?
- I recorded a podcast on obstetric violence with two sex therapist hosts!
- Two new blog posts are ready to be released - one on race and one with new doula research!
- Powerful Prenatal Relationships has now been recorded for an online class
- Working With The Laboring Brain will be the official hallmark course that I'll be known for - it's in it's final stages of development.
- Writing!
How does training online differ from in person?
In crafting the online training experience, I had to think deeply about what matters to me in training a doula. I want them to feel nurtured, that their experience matters to me, and that we have connected on a personal level. That's how I doula the doula. In person I do that while presenting information. I can look at you, read cues, and respond accordingly.
In the online environment I had to focus on presenting information and have one to two training assistants that provide the nurturing. They are carefully chosen! They answer questions as they arise in the chat box and spend time in small group discussions. I use additional exercises and tools before the training to get to know people - and have to be very deliberate in asking for feedback. There's no incidental conversations as you're waiting for a
bathroom stall to open up.
Most of the time, people think it's the positioning and comfort measures that will be challenging to learn online. That really hasn't been the case - I've perfected solid teaching methods that work for the great majority of people. Plus I don't stop until the learner is confident.
The biggest challenge is that people underestimate what it takes to be a good doula! They don't realize that I'm training their bodies and brains in a new way of thinking and behaving. I'm developing the caregiving system of their brain - a part of their attachment system. It can be done well if they are fully invested. But people who take it lightly or think they can do something else while "sitting in" on the training quickly change their
mind.
Teaching online reminds me more of college instruction than anything else. So much is up to the learner. They have to find their own sources of hot and cold to experience gate control theory. They have to practice with the rebozo with their own friend. My role is to inspire them to do the exercises, just like I did at Madison College.
Those are my insights for today!
