Offer Community Support

Community-Based Doula Training Program

Our community-based doula training (CBDT) program prepares local individuals to serve families within their own communities.

About the Community-Based Doula Training Program

At TBEI, our goal is to increase the number of well-trained, caring doulas of and from the communities where high rates of maternal health disparities are most common. We’re committed to preparing caring doulas to serve the Tulsa area populations they identify with, right in the midst of their home communities where their sense of family and connection is greatest. This creates greater access for all.

By educating and preparing local doulas to serve the communities they know and love, we can create a nurturing, safe, centered experience for pregnant Black, Native, teen and justice-involved individuals.

Our program trains qualified applicants to serve these populations, ensuring that expectant birthing parents and families are treated with dignity and respect from conception to birth and the early months of parenting, when support is most valuable to improving the health of parent and child.

The effectiveness of the program emerges out of the trusting relationship between the community-based doula and the participant, established through the months of pregnancy, birth and early infant care. Consistent, dedicated efforts to center the participant’s experiences and promote their self-advocacy help to ensure happier, healthier, equitable birth experiences for all families in Tulsa.

Get notified when our next training applications open

Partnering for Greater Impact

Our doula training program is offered in partnership with HealthConnect One, a national leader in advancing equitable, community-based, peer-to-peer support for pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and early parenting.

Hispanic doula feeling pregnant women's belly.

Words From our Program graduates

Tulsa Birth Equity Initiative has been much more than a doula training program to me. It has become a community of sisters. The facilitators were amazing and insightful. This program helped me grow as a woman and a doula. It was such an incredible journey that I’m honored to have been a part of.

Maggie

Being in the doula training program taught me a lot. I didn't realize there was so much to learn about pregnancy & labor/delivery even after having 2 children of my own. I learned a lot and met so many great women in my class. My experience in the community-based doula training program was great.

Iterea

TBEI doula training has been life-changing and so empowering. In the program, I gained a deeper understanding of pregnancy and childbirth. I also gained a sense of community and sisterhood within my training group. I highly recommend this training program!

Calen

What Does the Training Cover?

Our Community-Based Doula Training Program is the only program of its kind in Oklahoma. It includes 20 informative sessions designed to prepare qualified local applicants to serve their communities. Sessions include:

Practical doula skills and concepts—such as birth as a life event, prenatal needs, doula care during pregnancy, and birthing techniques

Education that supports the needs of Black, Native, teen, and justice-involved parents—such as awareness of attitudes, beliefs and values, effective advocacy and communication, and addressing loss and grief

Interactive learning—including role-playing, hands-on skill development, discussions, lectures and videos

Am I Eligible?

To qualify for the program, you must:

Live in the Tulsa area
Be willing and able to compassionately serve the community
Though not required, a passion for collaborating with Black, Native, teen and justice-involved parents is a plus

What Is the Cost?

Our program is absolutely free to qualified applicants. We even provide a stipend, as well as childcare during in-person class sessions. If you meet the eligibility criteria listed above and are accepted into the program, there’s no cost to you. It’s a great way to train to serve your community!

Frequently asked questions

What Opportunities for Employment Will I Have?

Training with us provides you with many great opportunities for future employment.
Participants who successfully complete our CBDT program are eligible to apply for a position (if available) with TBEI as one of our community-based doulas. Graduates may also choose to offer services to family and friends. And many choose to start their own doula business.

What Is Required to Earn Training Certification?

Successful completion of our CBDT Program requires meeting the following criteria:

Attendance at 90% or more of the 20-session classes
Successful completion of all assignments and homework
Participation in required experiences outside of class—including 3 or more prenatal observations, childbirth preparation, 3 or more labor and births, 3 or more postpartum observations, and breastfeeding class