Birth Coach | Doula Training
The Future of Doula Care Starts Here
Community-driven, evidence-based, trauma-informed, coaching-oriented training for a sustainable, impactful doula career.
Choose the training path that works for you: online learning with in-person workshops and mentoring or fully online training.
Be Ready for What’s Next.
Become an Impactful, Thriving Doula.
A changing profession
There’s Never Been a Better Time to Become a Doula
The doula profession was born in response to a highly medicalized birth culture, and doulas have transformed the way families experience birth.
Now, the landscape of birth work is changing again.
- Reimbursement arrangements are changing.
- Clients’ expectations are changing.
- Healthcare systems are changing.
- The traditional model of being on call for a birth and providing many hours of physical support is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain as the sole foundation of a doula practice.
Doula care is becoming accessible to more families who may not have been able to afford it before.
This creates new opportunities for doulas to reach more families and build practices that extend beyond birth attendance.
But this shift is doing something else: it’s reshaping the profession itself.
As doula care becomes integrated into the healthcare system, the doula’s role is expanding and becoming more complex. Doulas are increasingly called upon to educate, facilitate, coach, advocate, and help clients navigate their care.
The question is no longer simply how to become a doula. It’s how to prepare for the doula profession that’s emerging.
A Different Kind of Doula Training
Our approach brings together four essential elements:
Evidence-Based
Learn how to provide reliable information while helping clients explore their options and make choices aligned with their values, preferences, and beliefs.
Trauma-Informed
Learn how to support clients by promoting safety, choice, control, and trust in their caregivers, while honoring each person’s unique beliefs, visions, and circumstances.
Coaching-Oriented
Learn how to facilitate transformational conversations that strengthen client agency, confidence, clarity, and ability to take action.
Community-Driven
Build relationships that continue beyond your training—creating a community of peers you can turn to for support, local resources, and backup.
This isn’t just a checklist of doula skills.
It’s a new way of thinking about birth work.
Beyond Information & Hands-On Support
Your Clients Don’t Need Another Expert Telling Them What to Do.
They need someone who can help them discover what matters to them, clarify what they want, and find their own way forward.
Expectant people can have a beautiful birth plan and access to plenty of evidence-based information, yet still struggle to make decisions based on their own values and perspectives, and take the actions needed to fulfill this vision.
Providing evidence-based information and hands-on support is essential. But information alone doesn’t create empowered decision-making. And physical support, while invaluable, doesn’t always address the deeper questions, fears, and decisions clients face.
This is where perinatal coaching changes the work and expands what’s possible for doulas.
Our doula training introduces coaching-based birth support and equips students with skills to bring this approach into their practice. For doulas who want to take their coaching skills further, our Transformational Perinatal Coaching program offers an opportunity to develop expertise in leading dedicated, billable coaching sessions.
Our Program
From Basics to Mastery
Learn it. Practice it. Experience it. Make it your own.
Our comprehensive doula training combines self-paced learning, live sessions, hands-on practice, and real-world experience, so you won’t just learn what to do—you’ll develop the confidence to practice your new skills in real birth settings.
15 Recorded online classes
Build a strong foundation with engaging, on-demand classes you can complete at your own pace.
18 Hours of live Zoom sessions
Engage in live Zoom sessions, discussions, and opportunities to ask questions. Learn alongside experienced instructors and fellow students while connecting the theoretical knowledge you acquire online to real-life birth work and the doula practice.
2 Hands-on practice workshops
Put your knowledge into practice. Develop practical skills through guided, hands-on training in a supportive environment where you can practice, receive feedback, and build confidence.
PLUS! Get matched with your first clients
Move from the classroom into birth attendance. Our client matching program connects you with families seeking doula support, giving you the chance to gain experience, build confidence, and put your skills into practice in a welcoming environment that supports your growth.
Ongoing Learning & Community
Your education doesn’t end when the training does. Continue learning through free educational events and stay connected to a community of birth professionals.
Explore Your Training Options
Ready to Become a Birth Coach Doula?
Birth Coach Method offers in-person workshops and mentorship in two locations: the San Francisco Bay Area, California, and the Boston area, Massachusetts. You can also choose fully virtual training from anywhere. Explore the option that best fits your location and learning preferences to find the program details.
Ready to Become a Doula Trainer?
Are you a seasoned doula ready to take the next step in your career? Bring our doula training program to your region and train the next generation of doulas.
Still deciding?
Be Inspired by Our Graduates.
Every doula starts somewhere. Hear how our graduates built their confidence, developed their skills, and began their journey as doulas.
“The material was rich, spanning the history and philosophy of birth, the anatomical and physiological processes of birth, and practical ways to support birth givers and frameworks to aid birth givers in their decision-making while laboring.” When I had questions about my client’s unique cases, Neri was available via text and extremely resourceful. By attending birth as a student, I built confidence in applying the material I learned. To add a cherry on top, through the program, I’ve finally found a community of like-minded people who are equally passionate about birth. I couldn’t recommend her program more!
“After taking Neri’s doula training, I attended a birth for my practice hours. This was only the 3rd birth I had ever attended as a doula.” After a full day of working with my client, the other midwife pulled me aside and said, “I can’t believe it! The other midwife just told me you are a doula in training. I thought you had been doing this for years; you seem so confident, and your suggestions for your client have all been spot on!” Needless to say, I was so proud of that comment. I’m grateful to Neri for empowering me to work this way fresh out of her doula training course!
“Even in the 4 or so weeks, I felt quite prepared. Everyone thought I had been a doula for years because of the questions I asked, the understanding I demonstrated when speaking with nurses and doctors, and the positions and exercises I did with the mom and dad.” I just wanted to say that although I am still processing my first birth, I am in complete awe of how miraculous and incredible that experience was for mom, dad, me, and their family. There were tears, crying, laughter, dancing, prayers, wailing, and everything in between. It was so transformative, and I have never experienced anything like it. I’m looking forward to continuing my journey.
“I am so happy and blessed to have found this program! The program is extensive, and you will learn a lot.” The hands-on training made me feel more confident going into the line of work. Neri makes it easy to set you up to succeed. The online community for BCM provides resources and virtual meetings to help navigate you on your journey starting out.
Frequently asked questions
Your Questions Answered
Is being a doula a good career choice?
A successful doula career requires more than completing a certification. The field is changing, and the doulas who thrive will be the ones who learn how to provide meaningful, professional services throughout the childbearing process, not only during labor.
How much does the training cost, and are payment plans available?
Use the Registration button to view the current tuition, enrollment options, and available payment plans.
Will I get a certificate?
Yes. Upon successfully completing the certification requirements, you’ll receive a printable training certificate from Birth Coach.
How long does it take to complete the program and earn the certificate?
You can complete the training requirements in approximately six months. In addition to completing the coursework and practical requirements, you’ll need to support clients through their births to earn your doula certificate. Because birth opportunities and schedules vary, some students may need additional time to complete all certification requirements.
How will I get the clients I need to support to earn my certificate?
You won’t be left to figure this out on your own. We’ll help you reach out to your community until you enroll the two clients you need for certification. In the Bay Area and Boston, you can also benefit from our client-matching program to help you connect with families.
Will I learn how to establish my doula practice?
Absolutely. We believe professional doula training should prepare you not only to support births, but to build a career.
You’ll receive practical information and strategies for launching your practice, including:
- Business licenses
- Contracts
- Liability insurance
- Advertising
- Networking
- And more…
Does the training certificate meet insurance reimbursement requirements?
Our training meets the educational requirements for doula practice in California and Massachusetts, including the core training topics required under the Medi-Cal training pathway.
A certificate is only one part of the enrollment process. Additional requirements can include CPR, HIPAA training, birth experience, provider enrollment, and payer-specific credentialing or contracting.
Because reimbursement requirements vary by payer, always confirm the current requirements directly with the insurance company or reimbursement program you plan to work with. Training prepares you for professional requirements; enrollment and reimbursement are separate processes.
Do I have to work as a traditional on-call doula?
No.
There is more than one way to be a doula. You can build a traditional birth-support practice, join a group practice, work with an agency, develop a prenatal-focused service, integrate coaching into your work, or create a combination that fits your strengths and lifestyle.
The future of doula care is not one-size-fits-all. Neither should your doula career be.
Start your doula career
Ready to Begin?
Choose the training option that works for you, with in-person local mentoring or fully online with no in-person mentoring. Review the program details and take the next step when you’re ready.