Interest list opens with early course updates, sample teaching and first access to applications.
Professional Doula Training
The Well-Grounded Doula Method
A 12-week, multidisciplinary training for doulas who want to support birth, protect postpartum recovery and care for the whole mother with wisdom, skill and professional integrity.
Founding Cohort begins January 12, 2027
12Weeks
78Core training hours
3Guest masterclasses
6 mo.HELD graduate access
Chinny John-PeterFounder, Lead Educator and Postpartum Care Architect
Faith-informed
Evidence-grounded
Culturally responsive
Whole-mother care
The program at a glance
Professional education with measurable standards.
This is not a weekend workshop or a vague promise of becoming a doula overnight. It combines structured study, live teaching, skills practice, specialist guest education, assessment and a separate field-practicum pathway.
12Core modules
12Live teaching sessions
3Saturday skills labs
12 mo.Learning portal access
Founding cohort timeline
A deliberate enrollment runway, not a rushed launch.
Students receive time to learn about the method, attend information sessions, review the syllabus and make a responsible financial decision.
The full application, syllabus, policies and confirmed faculty profiles become available.
The $897 paid-in-full priority tuition closes at 11:59 PM Central Time.
Final applications close at 11:59 PM Central Time. Payment plans must be established by December 14.
Portal setup, readiness checklist, policies, technology check and workbook access.
Thursday at 7:00 PM Central Time. Orientation is recorded.
Live classes are held Tuesdays from 7:00 to 9:00 PM Central Time.
Approved graduates document field experience and submit practicum evidence.
Designed for real maternal care
Train to support birth and protect postpartum recovery.
The Well-Grounded Doula Method prepares students to walk alongside mothers through pregnancy, birth, the first forty days and the wider postpartum transition. It brings together physiological knowledge, nonclinical support skills, maternal nourishment, cultural humility, faith-aware care, referral judgement and sustainable professional practice.
Students are taught to support informed decisions without directing medical care, to recognise concerns outside the doula scope and to build respectful relationships with licensed professionals.
Duration12 weeks
January 12 to March 30, 2027.
Weekly commitment6 to 8 hours
Live class, independent study, assignments and practice.
Live scheduleTuesdays, 7 to 9 PM CT
Twelve weekly teaching sessions.
Skills labsThree Saturdays
Dates are published before applications open.
Training hours78 core hours
Practicum hours are documented separately.
Replay policyPosted within 48 hours
At least 9 of 12 classes must be attended live.
Course accessJanuary 7, 2027 to January 7, 2028
Twelve months of learning-portal access.
CredentialCertificate of Professional Training
A separate Practicum Completion Letter is available.
Detailed learning outcomes
Graduates should leave with judgement, not just information.
By successful completion of the core training, students should be able to demonstrate the following outcomes.
- Explain the doula role, scope, ethical duties and relationship to licensed clinical care.
- Describe foundational pregnancy, labour, birth and postpartum physiology in non-diagnostic language.
- Demonstrate comfort measures, movement, positioning, environmental support and partner inclusion.
- Support informed decision-making without speaking for the client or directing medical care.
- Recognise maternal, newborn and mental-health warning signs and follow an appropriate referral or emergency escalation process.
- Provide culturally responsive and faith-aware care without imposing personal beliefs or assumptions.
- Discuss nourishment, hydration and infant feeding within a clearly defined nonclinical scope.
- Respond appropriately to perinatal mood concerns, trauma, grief and postpartum psychosis warning signs.
- Use professional communication, confidentiality, documentation and conflict-resolution practices.
- Create clear prenatal, birth, postpartum, referral and continuity-of-care plans.
- Develop services, pricing, contracts, backup systems and professional referral relationships.
- Complete a capstone care plan and demonstrate readiness for field practicum.
The curriculum
Twelve modules built around the whole maternal journey.
The course moves from scope and physiology into birth support, postpartum recovery, specialist referral and sustainable practice.
1
The Role, Scope and Ethics of the Doula
Professional identity, confidentiality, informed consent, documentation, boundaries and nonclinical scope.
2
Pregnancy and Birth Physiology
Foundational anatomy, hormones, stages of labour, normal variation and communicating physiology responsibly.
3
Labour Support and Comfort Measures
Positioning, movement, touch, environmental support, partner inclusion and practical labour support.
4
Interventions, Cesarean Birth and Decision Support
Induction, augmentation, pain relief, assisted birth, cesarean support and non-directive decision support.
5
Communication, Advocacy and Collaborative Care
Client voice, respectful advocacy, hospital relationships, conflict navigation and interdisciplinary teamwork.
6
Faith, Physiology and Respectful Birth Support
How God created birth, faith-aware support, cultural humility and respecting clients with different beliefs.
7
Postpartum Physiology and Recovery
Normal recovery, cesarean recovery, rest, the first forty days, warning signs and continuity of support.
8
Infant Feeding and Lactation Foundations
Early feeding expectations, positioning foundations, scope boundaries and timely lactation referral.
9
Maternal Nutrition and Nourishment
Culturally rooted food care, hydration, food safety, recovery nourishment and appropriate nutrition referral.
10
Perinatal Mental Health, Trauma and Referral
Baby blues, depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, intrusive thoughts, postpartum psychosis and emergency response.
11
Doula Restoration, Boundaries and Self-Care
Doula self-healing and rest, nervous-system care, burnout prevention, backup systems and sustainable service.
12
Building and Launching Your Doula Practice
Positioning, packages, consultations, contracts, pricing, client experience, referrals and ethical marketing.
Multidisciplinary guest faculty
Specialist masterclasses from the wider HELD community.
Core teaching is led by Chinny John-Peter. Selected modules will also include one substantial live or recorded session led by an appropriately qualified maternal-health professional.
Lactation Foundations for the Nonclinical Doula
Early feeding expectations, common concerns, supportive communication, scope limits, red flags and timely referral.
Planned: IBCLC or qualified lactation professionalPerinatal Mental Health, Postpartum Psychosis and Referral
Mood and anxiety disorders, intrusive thoughts, trauma, psychosis warning signs, family response and emergency escalation.
Planned: Psychiatrist, psychologist or licensed perinatal clinicianClinical Birth Care, Interventions and Collaboration
Induction, pain management, assisted birth, cesarean care, maternal warning signs and respectful teamwork with the clinical team.
Planned: OB-GYN, certified nurse-midwife or licensed midwifeFaculty transparency: Founding guest faculty invitations are in progress. Names, credentials, headshots and biographies will be published only after written confirmation. A guest session does not imply that the educator has endorsed or accredited the entire program.
The HELD graduate pathway
Your training should not end when the course closes.
Graduates who successfully complete the program, meet professional-conduct standards and keep their account in good standing will be invited into the HELD Graduate Circle.
Six months of complimentary founding-graduate access
HELD is a multidisciplinary maternal-wellness community connecting doulas, physicians, midwives, nurses, lactation professionals, therapists, advocates and community leaders.
Professional communitySelected expert conversationsPeer reflectionReferral relationshipsMaternal-health advocacyOngoing learning
Continued access after the complimentary period will follow the HELD membership terms available at that time.
Completion and practicum
Two achievements, documented honestly.
The core professional-training certificate and the later field-practicum letter are separate. This makes it clear what each graduate has actually completed.
Certificate of Professional Training
- Complete all 12 modules and required coursework
- Attend at least 9 of 12 live classes
- Complete replay reflections for up to 3 missed classes
- Attend or complete all 3 skills labs
- Score at least 80 percent on required assessments
- Pass the final skills demonstration
- Submit the capstone client-care and referral plan
- Sign the code of ethics and scope agreement
- Bring tuition fully current
Practicum Completion Letter
- Birth pathway: 3 births and at least 24 client-contact hours
- Postpartum pathway: 3 families and at least 36 client-contact hours
- Combined pathway: 1 birth, 2 postpartum families and at least 40 hours
- Submit the practicum logbook, reflections and client evaluations
- Complete practicum by September 30, 2027 unless an extension is approved
- Students arrange clients or approved placements unless placement support is confirmed in writing
Included resources
Show students exactly what they are buying.
The founding cohort receives a guided workbook, editable professional templates, an online learning portal, sample teaching and practical documentation tools.
Guided workbook
Reflection prompts, case studies, safety questions, skills checklists, capstone pages and practicum documentation.
Template vault
Editable intake, consultation, scope, birth preference, postpartum planning, referral, evaluation and business documents.
Learning portal
Weekly modules, teaching videos, live links, replay access, downloads, assessments, progress tracking and practicum resources.
Founder and Lead Educator
Meet Chinny John-Peter.
Chinny is a doula, Postpartum Care Architect and maternal-health advocate working at the intersection of birth support, postpartum nourishment, cultural care, public-health advocacy and community building.
She is the founder of Mama Mayen Wellness and creator of HELD by Mama Mayen. Her approach centres the mother as a whole person, not an afterthought to the birth event, and teaches doulas to combine compassion with scope, judgement and sustainable professional practice.
Doula and postpartum-care educator
Founder, Mama Mayen Wellness
Creator, HELD by Mama Mayen
Maternal wellness and safer-birth advocate
Credential integrity: Additional certifications, degrees, professional memberships and verified service figures should be added here only with exact supporting documentation.
Curriculum review
Reviewer names will be published after real review.
The program is building a multidisciplinary review panel. Each name and review statement will be added only after the professional completes the agreed review and gives written permission.
Obstetric or midwifery reviewerBirth physiology, interventions, maternal warning signs and escalation.
IBCLC reviewerInfant feeding foundations, lactation scope and referral boundaries.
Perinatal mental-health clinicianMood disorders, trauma, grief, psychosis and emergency response.
Maternal-nutrition reviewerNourishment, hydration, food safety and professional scope.
Senior doula and ethics reviewerScope, documentation, client communication and practicum standards.
Founding cohort tuition
Premium enough to deliver substance. Clear enough to trust.
The founding priority rate rewards early commitment. The standard rate begins after November 1, 2026.
Founding Priority Tuition
$897 paid in full
Available through November 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM Central Time.
- 78-hour core training
- 12 live classes and 3 practical skills labs
- Three planned specialist guest masterclasses
- Workbook, template vault and learning portal
- Assessments, capstone and skills demonstration
- 12 months of course access
- Six months of HELD Graduate Circle access after successful completion
Policies and access
Read the terms before making payment.
The signed enrollment agreement controls. The summary below is written plainly so students can understand the core expectations before applying.
Refund policy
A full refund is available within 7 calendar days of purchase if the student has not attended orientation or a live class and has accessed no more than 10 percent of the course. After that window, tuition is non-refundable except where required by law. Approved transfers are governed by the signed enrollment agreement.
Withdrawal and deferral
Withdrawal must be submitted in writing. Withdrawal does not automatically cancel an installment agreement. One transfer to a future cohort may be considered before January 18, 2027, subject to space, account standing and written approval.
Replay and attendance
Recordings are posted within 48 hours when technically available. Students must attend at least 9 of 12 weekly classes live. Up to 3 missed classes may be completed by replay and a written catch-up reflection. Skills-lab requirements must also be completed.
Course access
Access begins January 7, 2027 and ends January 7, 2028. Materials are licensed only to the enrolled student and may not be shared, resold, copied into another training or presented as the student's own curriculum.
Payment plans
Installment plans are agreements for the full tuition. Access may be paused when a payment is overdue. The core certificate and practicum letter are withheld until all applicable tuition and academic requirements are complete.
Professional conduct
Harassment, confidentiality breaches, academic dishonesty, unsafe conduct, misrepresentation of scope or serious code-of-ethics violations may result in removal under the signed enrollment agreement.
Credential and recognition
The Well-Grounded Doula Method is an independent professional education program offered by Mama Mayen Wellness. Successful core completers receive a Mama Mayen Wellness Certificate of Professional Training. Students who later complete the approved field-practicum requirements may receive a separate Practicum Completion Letter.
This program does not confer medical, nursing, midwifery, lactation or mental-health licensure. It is not currently represented as university credit, government approval, insurer recognition, hospital-system approval or accreditation by a third-party doula certifying body. Students are responsible for checking the requirements of employers, reimbursement programs and jurisdictions where they plan to practise.
Priority interest list
Be first to receive the full application.
Join the priority list for the January 2027 founding cohort. Applications officially open October 1, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Before you apply.
Who is this training for?
Aspiring doulas, existing birth workers, maternal-wellness advocates and professionals who want a structured foundation in birth, postpartum recovery, cultural care, referral judgement and ethical practice.
Is this course only for Christians?
No. The program is faith-informed, but students are trained never to impose their beliefs. Clients and classmates from different faiths, cultures and family structures must be treated with dignity and respect.
Do I need prior experience?
No. The founding cohort is designed to support beginners while still offering experienced caregivers a structured whole-mother framework. The application helps determine fit and readiness.
Will the guest professionals teach entire modules?
No. Chinny John-Peter leads the core curriculum. Each selected specialist will contribute one substantial live or recorded masterclass within the relevant module.
Will sessions be recorded?
Yes, when technically available. Weekly class recordings are expected within 48 hours. Attendance and replay limits still apply.
Will Mama Mayen place me with practicum clients?
Not automatically. Students arrange their own clients or approved placements unless placement support is offered and confirmed in writing.
What happens after graduation?
Eligible graduates receive a six-month complimentary invitation to the HELD Graduate Circle for continued learning, peer connection, professional dialogue and maternal-health advocacy.
Can I call myself medically licensed or nationally accredited after this course?
No. This training does not create a healthcare license or claim third-party accreditation. Graduates must accurately describe the Mama Mayen Wellness credential they earned and verify local requirements.
Equipped to care. Called to serve. Built to last.
Build the knowledge, judgement, boundaries and community needed to support mothers with integrity.
Join the Priority List