Bereavement Training Options for Doulas and Photographers
As a doula and birth photographer who serves loss families often, I often get the question: what training did you take? How can I learn how to support families going through stillbirth or miscarriage, a NICU loss or infant death? How can I learn and be ready to offer bereavement photography?
I attended my first stillbirth long before I took any trainings, so no, I don’t feel like you *need* an official training to support loss families or to document stillborn babes. If you’re an experienced doula, you’re likely familiar with most of what you need to know: how to hold space, to reach out to your community when you need it, how to help families feel centered, seen, and empowered to make decisions in the most vulnerable of circumstances. If you’re an experienced birth photographer, you’re likely already an expert in working with (awful) hospital lighting, documenting important moments without distracting from them, and creating art out of hard journeys that families can hold onto.
AND, while, yes, you have most of what you need (if you feel pulled to serve a family before you’ve taken any training, by all means, GO), more information and knowledge and preparation also is also well worth while. It’s empowering to know what to say when a family asks you if something is “normal” for a stillborn babe. You’ll feel more grounded in the uncomfortable space of grief when you have tools to lean on both in managing your emotions and knowing generally what to expect and what you can do to serve a grieving family that’s a bit different from you’re typical birthing families.
There are a handful of bereavement trainings out there, but they can be hard to find! So I’ve collected them here for you, and hope that they can be a good resource for you as you go out and serve grieving families.
Bereavement Trainings:
- Holding Space for Pregnancy & Infant Loss: Camille Hawkins
- Haven Bereavement Doulas
- Baby Loss Family Advisors
- IPPE: Allied Health Professionals Training
- Stillbirthday
Holding Space for Pregnancy & Infant Loss: Camille Hawkins
I took both a basic and advanced training in supporting loss families from Camille Hawkins, who now runs The Wellness Farm in Utah. Whle this was not a course specifically geared towards doulas, it came highly recommended by my fellow doulas (I attended with a couple of them), and I personally really found a lot of deep value in the resources, connections, and conversation we had together, including: practices for self-care when in the loss space, the impact of different demographics on loss, and how different losses can impact how we can support different families, creating memories, and so much more.
While my instructor no longer hosts regular trainings for professionals as she devotes her energy and time to the Wellness Farm, she has put together this helpful video for friends and family wanting to support their loved ones.
Haven Certified Bereavement Doulas
Dr. Abby Jorgensen is a doula and founder of Haven Bereavement Doulas, and a fantastic alternative to Camille Hawkins’ course (they’re both trained instructors with the Institute of Birth, Breath and Death, founded by Amy Wright Glenn). Haven Bereavement Doulas offers a variety of accessible online trainings and resources for bereavement doulas; from a free training to start to explore whether or not you want to offer bereavement doula support to quick trainings for when you’re just about to go attend a bereavement and need resources, to a full certification. Many doulas highly recommend her trainings, and I personally feel they cover all of the important points.
Baby Loss Family Advisors/Doulas
Sherokee Ilse is a bereaved parent, author, and founder of the BLFA/BLD program based on the east coast. Her program came highly recommended by the Pittsburgh Bereavement Doulas, a nonprofit organization providing families with bereavement doula support. The Baby Loss Doula program has two portions: an online learning portion, and an in-person workshop. Both are required for certification, as well as an extensive reading list, personal essays, and more. I deeply respect the work that the Pittsburgh Bereavement Doulas do – if you’re looking for something in-depth and comprehensive, love learning in-person, and have a few others in your area that would like to learn as well, this is an excellent option.
IPPE Certification for Allied Professionals (including Doulas, Nurses, and more)
The International Partnership for Perinatal Excellence (IPPE) is a new organization cofounded with the help of the Star Legacy Foundation (a national nonprofit that supports loss families) to support perinatal excellence for providers (OBGYN’s and midwives), allied professionals, and mental health professionals. Doulas are included in their allied professionals, and they have a certification that I’ve been piloting this last month and am very pleased with so far. The information is evidence based and useful, giving you the same information that nurses and other professionals are getting in supporting these families. They’re still working out a few kinks in how they’re presenting all the information in the most helpful way, but if you want to create a network with not only other doulas that support loss families, but nurses, OB’s, midwives, and mental health professionals as well, it’s well worth looking into.
Stillbirthday
Stillbirthday is a bereavement and general doula certification program founded by Heidi Faith. It is fully online, very cost effective (it’s frequently on sale under $100), and full of lots of information. I do hear a lot of mixed reviews about this training; while it’s full of useful information, the course is rather clunky to get around, the information isn’t very concise or updated often, and communication from the admin team is a bit slow. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s limited on funds and also wants to certify as a doula, and is willing to put in some extra work on their end to dig through the material.
Other Bereavement Resources and Certifications:
Though these are the certiciations and programs that I’m familiar with and comfortable recommending, I’ve also found some others that are worth looking into (as well as some free resources).
- The Miscarriage Doula: offers a miscarriage & loss certification training
- Sisters in Loss: Full Spectrum Doula Certicification includes resources for supporting loss, as well as in-depth doula training with an emphasis on supporting black families from a well-respected black doula and instructor; if Stillbirthday appeals to you because you can be certified as a doula as well, but you’re nervous about the disorganization, this is well worth your investment.
- Birth Arts International offers a bereavement doula certification
- The Grief Recovery Institute trains individuals in supporting grief (more from a support groups perspective, but still valuable)
- Birth Becomes You has the only resource I’m aware of for birth photographers looking to document a loss
- I’ve also created a Facebook group for bereavement photographers to provide support and information – come join us (don’t forget to answer the questions)!
Serving loss families and being in the space of death and grief is heavy and hard, but also deeply needed. Remember that you are capable, provide meaningful support as you are, and that I’m here for you, too! Emails and DM’s on socials are welcome to talk through what might be the best option for you.
