Doula support for perinatal mental health needs: perspectives on training and practice

Doulas are perinatal support professionals who increasingly serve parents across socioeconomic brackets. Although present during a time of significant emotional upheaval, doulas receive limited training in emotional support. Research has shown that brief clinical trainings for health professionals can prevent or mitigate depressive symptoms in mothers of all demographics. Such training has not been extended to doulas. These professionals have sustained, intimate contact with parents that uniquely positions them to combat a significant public health concern: perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. We surveyed 252 birth, postpartum, and community doulas across the U.S. to investigate perceived emotional support needs of their clients, as well as doulas’ comfort in addressing these needs, their desire for further training in emotional support, and their training format preferences. Regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between responses and participant demographics. This study found that doulas overwhelmingly desired more training in emotional support and that nearly all doulas perceived symptoms of emotional distress in their clients. Doulas with more years of experience, doulas who spent more time with clients, and doulas with additional training in emotional support tended to perceive symptoms at higher rates. The development of a brief clinical training for doulas may mitigate the perinatal mental health treatment gap and address doulas’ self-reported training needs. Results suggest that such a training would a) refine doulas’ sensitivity to clients’ mental health referral needs, thus allowing doulas to further their public health impact while remaining within their scope of certification, and b) build skills in addressing and preventing common symptoms of emotional distress.Psy.D.Includes bibliographical reference