Pregnancy and childbirth are often difficult experiences for women who have experienced trauma. Exposure to interpersonal trauma is common in the United States and women experience high lifetime rates of child abuse, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence. These past traumas often impact reproductive health.
This course provides practical recommendations for implementing trauma-informed care (TIC) in Doula practice and discusses examples and principles of TIC.
Course Prerequisite: Madriella Birth Doula Certification, Madriella Postpartum Doula Certification, and the Madriella Professional Development Course.
Course Requirements:
There is no textbook required for this course.
| Module 1 | Trauma-informed care Defined |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 | What is Trauma Informed Care? |
| Unit 2 | Research Assignment 1 |
| Unit 3 | The Need for Trauma Informed Care |
| Unit 4 | Responding to Trauma |
| Unit 5 | Birth Trauma Prevalence |
| Unit 6 | Causes of Birth Trauma |
| Module 2 | Effects of Trauma on Expectant Mothers |
| Unit 1 | PTSD related issues in pregnancy |
| Unit 2 | Maternal Responses to Prenatal Stress |
| Module 3 | Past Birth Related Trauma |
| Unit 1 | Fear of Sex and Childbirth |
| Unit 2 | Research Assignment 2 |
| Unit 3 | Postnatal isolation |
| Unit 4 | Aversion to healthcare and difficulty bonding with the baby |
| Unit 5 | The Risks of Undiagnosed PTSD |
| Module 4 | Different Types of Trauma: Interpersonal and External |
| Unit 1 | Interpersonal trauma |
| Unit 2 | External trauma |
| Unit 3 | Developmental trauma |
| Unit 4 | The Prevalence of Trauma in Pregnancy |
| Unit 5 | Research Assignment 3 |
| Module 5 | The Effects of Trauma |
| Unit 1 | Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) |
| Unit 2 | The Neurobiology of Trauma |
| Unit 3 | Childhood Sexual Trauma in the Doula Client |
| Unit 4 | Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Complex PTSD) |
| Module 6 | Implementing a Trauma Informed Doula Practice |
| Unit 1 | Opening doors long shut |
| Unit 2 | Fundamentals of a Trauma-Informed Doula Practice |
| Unit 3 | Characteristics Required for Working with People Affected by Trauma |
| Unit 4 | The Strengths-Based Approach and Post-Traumatic Growth |
| Unit 5 | Talking With People Who Have Experienced Trauma |
| Module 7 | Self-care for Doulas working with Traumatized Clients |
| Unit 1 | Burnout |
| Unit 2 | Compassion Fatigue |
| Unit 3 | Vicarious Trauma |
| Unit 4 | The Trauma Exposure Response |
| Module 8 | Course Summary and Final Exam |
| Unit 1 | Course Summary |