Support ME Doula Training
An expansive doula training & mentoring programme which is culturally inclusive and trauma-informed created by ethnically diverse doulas!
*** APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED AND WILL RE-OPEN IN SEPTEMBER ***
We prioritise our current volunteers so if you’re interested in applying and would like to get involved in our current projects, please join us as a volunteer.
This is an extensive programme with a holistic approach, building a community of doulas with regular mentoring and supervision. Our training is a combination of in-person and online sessions over 4-6 months and mentoring for a further 6-months. Culturally-safe and trauma-informed practice is at the core of our curriculum.
Support ME Doulas will train within a community, whilst offering care to families and supporting each other at work and in development. Our doulas are also required to continue learning and take an active part in NHS maternity transformation programmes and network within there local community.
Our doulas will create and support their communities in a way that hasn’t been done before!
About Support ME Doula Training
Our training is designed to develop trauma-informed doulas to provide culturally-safe care, over 6 months, giving them time for reflection before they start practising.
Supervision and mentoring will then be provided by Anna and Manisha to embed learning, increase confidence and give them the skills they need to be competent and successful.
The programme empowers doulas to work with a diverse range of clients. This is the only course that offers their students with awareness around topics like perinatal mental health, birth trauma and cultural safety – enabling them to work with families who require doula care the most.
By the end of this programme you will:
Understand the role & responsibilities of a Support ME Doula
In-depth understanding of birth physiology and optimal birth positioning
Know how to communicate with healthcare professionals and the whole family
Have the skills to support families in different situations inc. emergencies
In-depth understanding of breastfeeding, the 4th trimester and postnatal recovery
Know the importance of being cultural competence and how to work safely with different families
Additional monthly mentoring sessions:
The doula code
Contracts & agreements
Marketing
Directories & associations
Professional development
Doula self-care & resiliance
Meet your teachers:
ANNA RUTKOWSKA
Before I became a doula in 2017, I was a perinatal and breastfeeding supporter at the local children’s centre. I ran a support group for breastfeeding mothers there for a year.
I have a BA in Education and am a Level 5 Nutritional Therapist. I have been a doula since 2017, working in and around the Midlands, UK. I trained with Spinning Babies in 2019.
I trained with Make Birth Better, which specialises in Birth Trauma, and I finished the Perinatal Mental Health Illness, Risk, Care and Treatment course (Tavistock and Portman NHS).
I just graduated with an MSc in Psychology at the University of Lincoln. My focus is on perinatal mental health, birth trauma, and birth rights. My MSc thesis explores the maternity care experiences of migrant women who gave birth in the UK in the last two years, focusing on the impact of language barriers.
Since 2017, I have worked with more than 150 Polish families in the UK. I organise Polish antenatal classes in different locations in the UK and other courses for parents (in Polish). In 2020, I trained the first cohort of doulas, and I am mentoring new doulas who are just starting their journey.
In 2021, I founded a community organisation with Manisha Sheth and registered all projects under Support ME CIC. Now, I manage 39 volunteers in 8 different projects across the UK for Polish and Muslim families.
MANISHA SHETH
I’m an Indian Muslim and a mum of 3 boys. Before I became a part of the birth and perinatal world, I had a really difficult time with all of my pregnancies as well as experiencing postnatal depression and anxiety during and after my third.
This led to me training as a doula with Every Birth Matters, an Antenatal Teacher with The Real Birth Company and a Hypnobirthing teacher with KGH.
Over the years, I have also done additional training in Aromatherapy for Childbirth, Postnatal Depression, Domestic Abuse, 3-Step Rewind Birth Trauma Release and Perinatal Mental Health Illness, Risk, Care and Treatment course (Tavistock and Portman NHS).
I specialise in supporting families through the postnatal period and with emotional wellbeing. I now work with families as a Perinatal Emotional Wellbeing Practitioner, helping them manage perinatal anxiety and their emotional wellbeing; especially those who are pregnant after loss or infertility.
Within Support ME, I have started the Muslim Village project, offering pregnancy, birth and postnatal support to the Muslim community as well as developed our CPDs for professionals.
I’m now a counsellor with Zephyr’s – a charity that supports families who’ve experienced infant loss, an NHS Maternity & Neonatal Independent Senior Advocate, a cultural safety trainer for maternity staff and the co-lead for Nottingham City Race Health Inequalities project.
Next Steps
Our Doula Training Programme is delivered over 4-6 months and consists of:
2 x mandatory face-to-face training days, usually on a weekend
4 x mandatory online training sessions
Followed by:
6 x online monthly mentoring sessions whilst starting to work with families
Doulas will also receive consistent support from each other, encouraging a collaborative approach – which is one of the core values of the Support ME Doulas.
Support ME Doulas support each other, share their journey and learn from one another as well as more experienced doulas in the team. This is not virtual doula sisterhood, it is not just a marketing slogan. We are sisters, not a competition.
Location: Newark on Trent
Start Date: TBC
Fees: TBC
Application process: Applications re-open in September 2025. We prioritise our current volunteers so if you’re interested in applying and would like to get involved in our current projects, please join us as a volunteer.
Funded Places
We offer partial funding to cover training fees if you’re able to support families who are eligible for the Support ME Doula Care Programme, voluntarily. There are 2 options (subject to interview):
Receive 50% Funding: Support 4 clients (min 2 birth clients)
Receive 25% Funding: Support 3 clients (min 1 birth client)
Birth client placements include 1 antenatal appointments, birth support and 1 postnatal visit.
Postnatal client placements require 12-15 hours of support (min 4 visits).
Placements can start at the end of the training part of the programme (June/July) and you will have 18 months to complete them.
*** APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED AND WILL RE-OPEN IN SEPTEMBER ***
We prioritise our current volunteers so if you’re interested in applying and would like to get involved in our current projects, please join us as a volunteer.
