The Professional Doula Program offers over 60 hours of direct instruction to equip you with the skills & knowledge you need to be a successful birth doula.

In-person workshops provide 16-18 hours of instruction; the Professional Doula Program provides you 60 hours of instruction! Teaching doula training in this format provides an opportunity to expand on the course material in ways that are impossible within the time constraints of an in-person training workshop. Time is spent going in depth into topics which are necessarily short in an in-person training workshop.

Additionally, we have designed this program to engage a variety of learning styles as well as encourage interaction and active learning. We’ve taken all the best parts of in-person training and brought them into the 21st century so you can learn the way you learn best, at your pace!

No! This training course includes multiple ways of participating actively as you learn, including interacting with the instructor along the way, creating community with your fellow students, collaborating on assignments with other students, and expanding your skills to create a successful doula practice.

No! This course is designed to meet your learning needs. The program not only includes a printed training manual, but includes online portions which are self-paced, live discussions with the instructor and the rest of the class, a private Facebook group for activities and questions along the way, a variety of assignments which will engage you and further your learning experience, and an in-person skills day in which you will sharpen your hands-on skills.

You can access the training platform and the live online meetings with an up to date smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. You will need a Facebook account and access to either Google Docs or Microsoft Word.

An important part of the Professional Doula Program is the in-person Skills Day.

This is a day-long required workshop in which we practice hands-on labor support skills as well as other key skills for the birth doula to master. Skills Day is held in the Denver metro area and lunch is catered .

On a space-available basis, you can participate in Skills Day more than once, as well, returning to master specific skills and to enjoy a day of community with new doulas!

Live meetings are recorded for later viewing, but may not include instructional video portions due to copyright and licensing restrictions. Alternate video suggestions may be requested. Recordings of meetings will be posted in the student Facebook group, where you can view them and add any questions you have to the comment section. This will fulfill your requirement.

Missing Skills Day may be more complicated as Skills Day is only scheduled a few times per year. Students who miss Skills Day will need to attend a later Skills day, and will need to arrange attendance in advance.

The guided portion of the program is nine weeks long. You have access to the student online group and all the online portions of the program for a year. The optional certification program is self-paced and can be completed alongside the course.

Graduation from the Professional Doula Program requires that you complete all the online modules of the program and that you attend the in-person Skills Day.

Rocky Mountain Doula has been training professional doulas in the region since 1998.  The Rocky Mountain Doula certification program is a self-paced program which places emphasis on expanding skills, professionalism, and continuing education.

• Rocky Mountain Doula certification is permanent.
• The certification program  is included in the course fee.  The only additional fee is for a blood borne pathogen class (under $50), paid directly to the agency teaching the course (two options are offered and others can be approved).  You may wish to purchase books from the Required Reading list; this is optional.
• No ongoing costs or membership fees
• No changing rules or arbitrary requirements
• No evaluations to obtain from professionals who are not doulas and may not understand the profession
• Accepted by the State of Colorado for Medicaid Provider eligibility (which includes Tricare eligibility) and Carrot

The certification program is straightforward, self-paced, and can be completed quickly alongside the training course.

Rocky Mountain Doula offers a Diversity Scholarship (50% off registration) for BIPOC students, LGBTQ+ students, students in rural communities/reproductive health care deserts, and students receiving public assistance. 

Registration options include payment in full or a three month payment plan available on the registration page. 

Some students may qualify for a six month plan by applying to PayPal Credit (please apply directly for this prior to registration and reach out to the instructor for a PayPal invoice for registration to use this option).

In a word, no. First of all, your career and YOU are worth more!
Also, do you remember the saying “You get what you pay for”?

A cheaper training is not going to be as complete, and will not include all of the skills you need. If you’ve done some research, you’ve seen online boards and groups where doulas discuss aspects of their work. Look for boards or pages not owned by any particular certifying body and check out what these professionals say about what has been most important about their training.

Definitely! Look for instructors who have a great deal of experience both in the field and as instructors.

I worked actively as a doula from 1998 to 2015 (when a car accident and back surgery ended my hands-on practice), and I’ve been teaching doula training workshops for since 2005. I have been designing and updating doula training curriculum for an evolving profession and changing times since 2005, as well as mentoring and training new doula training instructors. Extensive experience in an instructor really matters when you are launching your doula practice. Begin YOUR practice with confidence!