Advanced Prison
Doula Trainings
As part of our harm reduction approach to ending prison birth, Ostara Initiative offers an Advanced Prison Doula Certification. Certification training sessions are offered at regular intervals to experienced doulas working in carceral environments.
These trianing sessions prepare doulas to successfully care for, support, and empower pregnant and parenting people who are involved in the criminal justice system. Our trainers have decades of experience combined, both as doulas and as former birthing clients, and we take our aim to center the voices and experiences of directly-impacted parents seriously.
Become certified as an Advanced Prison Doula.
What to expect from the Advanced Prison Doula Certification
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Ostara Initiative is seeking to teach, mentor, and certify trained and experienced birthworkers who are already working with justice-impacted populations and those who have a direct pathway to working within carceral settings, including juvenile detention, immigrant detention, community corrections, jails, and prisons.
To ensure we are able to properly mentor each doula who completes the training workshop, we are only able to offer a limited number of spaces at each training. We will be saving every applicant's contact information and reaching out about future training opportunities, so if you are not selected to attend an upcoming training, you will be able to apply to one in the future.
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Core learning includes:
Creating culturally congruent teams
Centering lived experience in your work
A prison doula's "Scope of Practice "
Understanding the prison landscape
Pathways to incarceration
Tracing the history of systemic oppression
Trauma, addiction, and mental health
Nutrition within carceral settings
Boundaries, safety, and self care for the doula
How children are impacted by incarceration
Reunification and resources
Supporting birth as a prison doula
Supporting separation as a prison doula
Supporting postpartum as a prison doula
Program evaluation
Advocacy and access
Lactation within carceral settings
Prenatal education within carceral settings
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The training and certification fee will be announced as each workshop is planned and will not including travel or lodging costs. There may be opportunities for full and partial scholarships. These opportunities will be announced as workshops are planned.
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Equity and inclusion are foundational elements of Ostara’s community. To make the Advanced Prison Doula Training and Certification more accessible, we may provide scholarships.
It is important to us that we create a deep sense of belonging at this training and in the birth work community. Ostara Initiative values vast dimensions of diversity and strives to uplift all interested birth workers, especially those belonging to BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and justice-impacted communities. We encourage everyone to apply.
Acceptance to this certification track will include a training workshop (in-person), a certification exam, and 6 required, monthly mentorship meetings with other trainees and an experienced prison doula. After passing the exam and completing the mentorship, Ostara Initiative will grant a lifetime Advanced Prison Doula Certification to the doula and maintain a registry of certified prison doulas nationally to share with carceral facilities looking to provide doula care to those who are incarcerated and pregnant or postpartum.
Join us for the next Advanced Doula Training ▸ Sign up for Training Updates!
We will reach back out via email for updates on our next Advanced Doula Training and certification opportunity when you complete our “Receive Training Updates” form! Have other questions? Let us know via Contact Us.
❊ Training Feedback
Hear what others have said about our training:
The MNPDP training in Alabama was a transformative experience in many ways. From the meaningful, lasting connections I made to the tools I was able to bring back to my community, it continues to have a real impact both on my personal growth and in the work I do with people who are incarcerated.
— Rebecca M., Parent
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Participating in the prison doula training through the Ostara Initiative was a deeply grounding experience for BirthRoot Community Doula's team. The training helped us understand how to work more effectively and efficiently within systems that were explicitly designed to dehumanize us—and how to still hold space for compassion, dignity, and advocacy in the midst of them. We learned the importance of maintaining access to the prison while standing firm in our values, ensuring that incarcerated birthing people receive consistent, culturally rooted care and genuine support.
— Tica, Participant
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Custom
Training
Requests
Ostara Initiative is happy to consider specialized training requests tailored to organizations, educators, and practitioners interested in deepening their understanding of pregnancy, birth, and parenting in prison. If you’re interested in a customized training or workshop, please complete the form below to share more about your needs and goals.
Questions about the next Advanced Prison Doula Training should be directed to our Contact Us page. We also encourage you to sign up for updates to be notified when new training opportunities become available.
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