After you complete your doula training, you can consider different business models and explore options, such as: building your own doula practice, partnering with another doula, or joining an established doula collective. As you embark on this new journey, there are a few considerations to keep in mind.
To begin, research the groups available in your area and how they differ in services offered, organizational structure, mission statement and values. Do you know any current team members? Are you compatible with the individuals you might work with? Are you comfortable with the processes and needs of the group?
It is also important to be aware of the collective’s specific policies and procedures, including: payment structures, social media, client confidentiality, and any additional or ongoing training requirements.
Knowing what you need from the team, and what the team needs from you provides clarity and helps you assess whether your interests are aligned. A thorough familiarity with job expectations and requirements will help you appreciate the structures they have in place.
A healthy understanding of your own strengths and desires, work habits and ability to be flexible, will go a long way in ensuring your growth and success. A team that is open to sharing skill sets, and working together provides a supportive environment to a new doula.
There are many benefits for new doulas to experience doulas available for guidance and instruction. Many teams will provide ongoing education, a review process after a complex case and support in times of need.
You may find teams or collectives with alternative structures, and may have different offers and benefits that differ from those described above. Exploring the best fit before committing is a must.
Make sure you take the time to build relationships with other members of the collective. Team building activities help bring the team closer together; strengthening bonds by attending team meetings and events, or participating in online internal discussion forums. Finding your place within a team takes time, but the effort builds lasting relationships and helps establish yourself in the community.
However, working together has its own set of challenges. As teams expand, there may be different opinions and personalities that affect group dynamics. Different levels of success within the team can evoke different emotions and responses. Different work styles or work ethics may change over time, requiring the team and its members to reassess priorities and direction on an ongoing basis.
Additionally, some individuals are accustomed to a work structure with clear outlines of roles, responsibilities and processes that must be followed to ensure deadlines are met in a timely manner. It can be challenging if you suddenly become responsible for your own business development and work independently. Being your own boss requires self-discipline. Without it, the responsibility for building your own client base and promoting yourself within a team can lead to confusion and frustration. Regular and open discussions and communication help foster a relationship of trust, and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
In summary, working within a collective provides many opportunities to connect, develop and grow as a Doula.
In addition to the collective model, there is also the agency model – where doulas are hired as independent contractors with administrative support: that is, paperwork, contracts, and business conduct are handled and conducted through agency. There is a deductible for these services. Then you work with someone else. This can provide more structure and clear expectations for people working more effectively within this model. The agency model allows you to focus on the work you love, and not on the many demands of business development.
Regardless of the type of team or group, to have a fulfilling doula career, it’s important to do your homework and carefully consider options to make sure your work environment is right for you. Best of luck!
About the Author
Sonya Duffee’s journey to supporting and empowering families through birth began shortly after the birth of her own children. With over 20 years of experience in a variety of birth settings including home births, hospitals and birth centers providing prenatal, delivery and postnatal care to expectant families in the community. Sonya Duffee has attended over 1000 births in Saskatchewan, Alberta, New Mexico, Texas and Colorado providing personalized, individualized care to meet the needs of her clients. From 2002 to 2007 she was the only community-based Midwife in Regina, Saskatchewan providing home birth services. Sonya has held many positions in local, provincial and national organizations. Past appointed member of the Saskatchewan College of Midwives and various working committees for the implementation of regulated midwifery. Past President and active member of the Doulas of Regina Association as well as past-advisor for the Canadian Doula Association and her involvement in the birthing community through CAPSAC, Birth Unlimited, Friends of the Midwives and the Midwifery Association of Saskatchewan. She is Director of a community-based organization called The Family Room in Saskatchewan and has contributed to birth-related publications such as BEARTH and BIRTHING Magazine.
Sonya is currently CAPPA certified as a Labor Doula, Postpartum Doula and Childbirth Educator, former board member of the Doula Association of Edmonton and proprietor of Full Circle Birth Collective in Edmonton, Alberta.
In early 2020, she became one of the founding members of a nonprofit organization called Birth Society, which promotes inclusive education and birth support in underserved communities.
As a member of the Certified Labor Doula Faculty and Certified Doula, she shares her passion for childbirth, educating Birth Attendants, Doulas and Community Health workers in supportive care, continuing education and Doula training since 2005. These experiences have been instrumental in her work in implementing and promoting family-centered care.
