Equipping Birth Professionals Worldwide

Childbirth Educators and Doulas have filled a huge gap that began to grow during the industrial revolution. Before that time, women used to help their daughters, sisters, cousins, and friends prepare for birth and would help them through labor and delivery. As countries became more industrialized, families grew apart and were less involved in each other’s lives. Hospitalization and medicalization of birth grew that gap into a huge chasm as hospital policy further separated birthing women from family and friends. As a result, there were fewer and fewer women who knew how to help other women prepare for birth or help them during the birth experience.

After decades of separation and less-than-fulfilling birth experiences, we are discovering that childbirth is an enormously important event in a woman’s life and women desire good memories of that experience. Childbirth Educators and Doulas have risen to the occasion, are skillfully preparing and tenderly serving birthing families so women can be more actively involved in decision-making and more in control of their experiences.

Because of this, we are so excited to play a part in helping birthing families around the world have better experiences through our extremely comprehensive training and certification program for Christian childbirth educators and doulas as part of the Charis Course for Childbirth Professionals.

Charis offers dual certification for Childbirth Educators and Doulas because both need nearly the same education and training. 

Charis has chosen a means for Childbirth Educators and Doulas to acquire education that gives structure, accountability, and the freedom of independent study.  

The structure is important so that the standards and goals are clear. When a student is sure of the goals, the goals are much more easily attainable. In programs where there is too much flexibility, people have a hard time pacing themselves and are unsure if they will cover everything they need. Charis provides well defined standards and goals to assist each student in confidently completing the educational requirements.

Accountability may be the most valuable part of the format. It provides an environment where the student is consistently encouraged and challenged. Charis Coaches (Mentors) and Peer Partners provide the support, encouragement, and accountability needed to avoid procrastination. Sharing the experience with a peer partner enriches the learning experience and provides the dimension of comradery which, among other things, simply makes the experience more enjoyable.

Independent study is an extremely valuable life skill that will be fostered throughout the educational process. In other words, facts and information will not be spoon fed to the students. Charis students will be pointed in the right direction and coached in how to acquire knowledge on their own. It has been proven that a combination of independent, hands-on, and discovery learning leads to a higher rate of retention of information and concepts and a better working knowledge of the subject matter.