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1. We could go on and on. but in short, the use of racially, socially and culturally aligned Doulas as part of a person’s care team has proven medical, mental, physical and emotional benefits.
2. We are a dedicated group of doulas and perinatal health advocates who love to incorporate the wisdom and cultural healing practices of our ancestors into our care, while providing culturally relevant care and evidenced based services.
3. We come to the people as the people because we are the people.
4. We provide in-person support in CT, MA, RI, NY, NJ, PA, MD, FL, NC, NV and GA as well as virtual support no matter where our clients are.
What does the training look like to become an Earth’s Natural Touch Certified Interdisciplinary Doula (sm)?
Our Interdisciplinary Doulas complete 14 months (120+ hours) of rigorous training covering a variety of topics that prepare them to support families through basic fertility, pregnancy, labor, birth, postpartum, lactation, and grief and loss, using advocacy, research & more. Completing Homework, Projects, Class Presentations, and passing the Final Exam are requirements.
* We do currently offer abridged training only through Agencies and Organizations. These trainings are designed to enhance your ability to fulfill the current role/responsibilities that you hold within said institution.*
Why is our Doula Skills: Beyond the Basics Training Program so long compared to the average 2-5 day Doula training?
Because we know that after just 3-4 days of training, it can be challenging to navigate all of the complexities that often come with supporting families in undervalued communities, who are living with the weight of historical and generational traumas, while navigating institutional racism and all of the social & institutional determinants of health, which can all influence their reproductive choices, options, and outcomes. This program encompasses a wide range of knowledge from Conception through to Birth to Postpartum and many things in between such as Nutrition, Grief & Loss, Toxic Relationships, Birth Justice, Trauma Informed Care, Lactation & Much, Much More through several training units. Overall, this training will prepare you to support families in many environments and through a wide range of circumstances encompassing the Full Spectrum standard and beyond; becoming an Earth's Natural Touch: Birth Care & Beyond Interdisciplinary Doula (sm).
Well… Since the training is so long, do I have to wait until I graduate to support my family? Nope. You will be well prepared to support clients way before you graduate. Remember, this training is called the Doula Skills: Beyond the Basics Program.
You will be learning beyond the basics of a typical doula training program.
Is this training offered virtually?
Yes! Like most Doula Training programs, ours is now being offered virtually. As responsible care givers, our goal is always to keep ourselves and the families we support safe.
What do the Earth’s Natural Touch: Birth Care & Beyond Doulas and Perinatal Health Advocates focus on?
Preconception and Fertility, Antepartum Care, Labor/Birth Doula Support, Postpartum Doula Support, Birth Justice, Lactation Support, Grief and Loss Support & More. We even have teams that you may be selected to join if you remain part of our sisterhood including Research / Writing Team/ Advocacy & Policy Work, Mocha Milkshake Cafe, Fertility Journey Partners, Grief & Loss, Birth Photography & more. We offer our grads an opportunity to continue to build our sisterhood so that we can collectively continue to make systemic change and create sustainable work, and educational opportunities together.
What kinds of advocacy work is ENT involved in?
This is a REALLY important question to ask the training organizations you are considering because it helps you to understand the functions & goals of the organization you choose to train with. We could train Doulas every weekend with a 3-5 day training and make money doing so. However, we are not interested in training hundreds and thousands of Doulas, then sending them out into an unstable or nonexistent workforce. As founding members of the Connecticut Doula Coalition, Doulas4CT, we have been working for almost 5 years with legislators, community members, and organizations both in and out of state, to ensure that equitable, culturally responsive doula care is accessible to the families who would benefit from it the most, and also so that doulas can make a living wage doing the work they trained to do. We hope that local change will influence national change for all Doulas. We facilitate workshops on the Black reproductive experience for medical professionals & medical students and enjoy speaking at colleges and universities. We are focused on creating sustainable, long-term systems for doulas and families, and value quality over quantity. We are also working in partnership with local and national organizations to impact birth outcomes in undervalued communities. Our partners include Bridgeport Prospers United Way, March of Dimes, New Haven Healthy Start. The CT State Office of Early Childhood, and others.
Who should apply to take this training?
The program is appropriate for Doulas-to-Be and Newly Trained/Certified Doulas who are looking to gain additional knowledge and skill to be able to provide better support to their clients and to be part of a supportive collective. Many Doulas have expressed the lack of skill, diversity, cultural responsiveness or cultural and experiential alignment in the training that they have previously taken. Rest assured, if you are of the global majority, you will see yourself in this program. Our curriculum covers knowledge of a variety of cultural practices. You will graduate with a wealth of knowledge and the ability to handle and navigate tough situations and circumstances. If you need assistance along the way, you have an entire Doula Sisterhood to support you... And we are DEEP and well connected to each other!
What certification will I obtain when I have completed the program?
You will be an Earth's Natural Touch: Birth Care & Beyond Certified Interdisciplinary Doula (eCID).
Why is there an application process to this training program?
There is an application process because this is a serious commitment. Our sisterhood is strong, and our training can be very intimate. We want to be sure that you are comfortable with us, that you align with our values, and vice versa. This is more than just your typical Doula Training. This is a Sisterhood of Doulas. We are not a "Pay-To-Play" Doula Training Program. If you don't want to be loved in a circle full of supportive sisters, encouraged, and held accountable, please don't apply.
Why is Sisterhood so important to you in this work?
Being part of our Sisterhood is an amazing experience. This program has been compared to a Rite of Passage into a woman's own growth and development no matter how young or old she is. We have had students aged 16 to 60+. The sisterhood is a safe space to learn and explore ourselves and each other as we build bonds, heal our own traumas, support each other through life’s transitions, and of course work on assignments, presentations, community service, homework, projects & more. If you are selected to join the Information Session, you will get to meet some of the current students & graduates who can tell you more about their own experience.
How long has Earth's Natural Touch: Birth Care & Beyond been training Doulas? We are not new to this. We have been training Doulas since 2016. We are the largest Black Owned Doula Training Organization & Sisterhood based in the New England & NY Tri-State area. However, we have Doulas in multiple states across the country. Although we support all families, our program has always been designed to keep Black Families centered and highlighted.
When was Earth’s Natural Touch: Birth Care and Beyond Founded and by whom?
SciHonor Devotion began her studies in the field of Reproductive Health in 1999. She trained and certified as a Birth Doula, Postpartum Doula, Childbirth Educator, Maternal Child Health Specialist, Certified Lactation Counselor, Perinatal Mental Health Support Group Facilitator, Homebirth Midwife Assistant, and is now a Midwifery Student. She established Earth’s Natural Touch: Birth Care & Beyond in 2001. In 2016 the Dada Zuri Sisterhood (#DadaZuri) was born. SciHonor created the Doula Skills: Beyond the Basics Program in response to the need for more racially diverse and competent Doulas to support families from a culturally aligned & responsive lens.
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How to apply for the
ENT Interdisciplinary Doula Program ?
The first step is to send an INTRODUCTORY ESSAY as soon as possible. 1 page is sufficient. Tell us who you are, what job you currently do, your hobbies, school, family/support system, your birth experiences, whatever you want us to know about you, and what inspired you to apply to become an ENT Interdisciplinary Doula. Try not to wait until the deadline. Include your name, email, city/state, phone # and headshot on the document (Word, Google Doc formats preferred) by DEC. 26th, 2023. Email your essay of interest to...
ENTEnrollment@gmail.com with subject
"Introductory Essay - C8 - Your Name"
From there, your essay will be reviewed by our Enrollment Team. We will contact you by the end of February to let you know if we would like to learn more about you. If so, you will be invited to our Private, Virtual Information Session where you will learn more about our program, curriculum, teams, clubs, costs, etc. and meet some of the Graduates and Current Students. After you hear more about us, you can request to apply if you believe your goals align with ours.
We expect to start this cohort Spring 2024
In Birth Joy & Love,
SciHonor Devotion of Earth's Natural Touch: Birth Care & Beyond
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We provide Abridged Training for Agencies and Organizations for their staff who work with families. These Doula Skills can enhance their skills. We’ve trained for Agencies and Organizations in Connecticut and New York. If you are interested in having some of your staff members train with us, please contact us so that we can assess your agency’s needs.
ENT is committed to creating a network of Doulas and Perinatal Health Advocates that is anti-racist and liberation forward. In the United States, Black women have the highest rates of maternal mortality and morbidity. This Beyond Equity Training is designed for birth workers, medical professionals, and agencies or organizations who are invested in eliminating racial disparities in birth outcomes.
In this training, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of Black people in America, while acquiring the tools to recognize, understand, and confront their own anti-blackness. Participants can expect to leave this training with a firmer grasp of maternal health experiences for Black women, as well as the knowledge needed to eradicate the current systems of racism that still impact those outcomes today. We at ENT believe this knowledge is imperative in order to work effectively within communities that have been generationally divested in and undervalued.
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A Connecticut native, grew up an advocate for youth in foster care by sharing her own experiences within the foster care system. Her passion for advocacy for transforming inequitable systems grew out of this work, and led her to Washington DC, interning for both Senator Chris Murphy and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute where she published and presented policy recommendations around the overmedicating of youth in foster care. Precious holds a Master’s in Social Work with a concentration in community organization from the University of Connecticut. In 2016, Precious began organizing with the North End Action Team which broadened her lens of organizing and advocacy to include racial justice. In 2018, after being featured in Connecticut Magazine’s Top “40 Under 40”, Precious also became the Executive Director & Lead Organizer of the Middletown Racial Justice Coalition (MRJC). In 2021 Precious also became a Doula with the Ministerial Health Fellowship. In 2023 she was awarded the UConn School of Social Work's Trailblazer award. After serving six years at the MRJC, Precious also began a private therapy and doula practice centering Black girls, women, and fems. She sits on many boards and committees, including the Governor’s Hate Crime Advisory Council, and the Middletown Ujima Alliance.
Earth's Natural Touch: Birth Care and Beyond
PO BOX 1531, 120 Middle Street, Bridgeport, CT 06602
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