Frequently asked questions.

When do the courses start and finish?

Labor & Birth Doula Training and Postpartum Doula Training are both completely self-paced courses. This means that when you sign up, you get full access to the course immediately, and work your way through the modules in your own timeframe. You’ll also receive the zoom login for our weekly live group mentoring sessions led by Juli upon registration, which will offer you access to these group learning sessions at no extra cost to you.

Advanced Full Spectrum Doula Training and Childbirth Educator Training are both hybrid courses where you work through weekly modules on your own time, and we meet weekly in our live zoom classroom. These two courses are offered three times per year, and the most up to date course dates will be shown on our registration page.

Are there any prerequisites required to take your classes?

There are absolutely no prerequisites. Our courses are written to be accessible to all who would like to join, and you don’t need experience or prior subject knowledge before beginning.

Are your courses DONA certified?

There is a common misconception that DONA is an accreditation agency - they are not. DONA is one training organization, and Cornerstone is another. We carry equal merit in our training and certification, and DONA does not decide which organization is “up to standard.”

All training organizations are different, and we recommend looking into the philosophy and lens of the training you choose to be sure it is in alignment with your own, as well as the training content and support offered to ensure you are enrolling in a training program that meets your own needs, and that of the communities that you plan to serve.

There is currently no accreditation for doula training programs, and it is not required to be certified to practice as a doula or birthworker.

Is online training just as good as in person training?

Believe me, we had our reservations about online doula training, as well. Through the development of these courses, we were surprised to learn that the online format is just as good, if not better than in-person training. When we host our in-person training, the classes are intensive 8 hour days. And through taking these courses in smaller modules at your own pace, there is so much more opportunity to digest the information on your own terms. We have accessibility top of mind in all course creation, and offer closed captions, as well as replays of our live online sessions. We also build community into the courses, so that you will have the opportunity to connect with others who are going through the trainings, as well as live, virtual group mentoring with your trainers. Further, we were able to add even more content to the online trainings than we have in our in-person courses, due to not being held back by scheduling constraints. You are getting an incredibly comprehensive and inclusive education that leaves nothing out.

Tell me more about the live group mentoring. What can I expect?

Included in our Labor & Birth and Postpartum courses is access to a weekly live zoom Q & A (group mentorship) call. The live, optional group mentorship meetings facilitate community building, peer support, and provide you with real-time access to your trainers, who are available to answer questions and offer mentoring throughout your learning experience. We extend these free live calls to you for 3 months after completion of your course/s to support your transition into practice.

What happens when I complete my online training?

Immediately after you complete a course, you will receive a certificate of completion, and can begin your birthwork practice. If you plan to become a Certified birthworker (Labor & Birth, Postpartum, or Full Spectrum), you can begin to work on your certification requirements and complete the certification packet. All details found here. Once you complete the requirements and submit your completed certification packet to us via email, you will receive your certification and a new, updated certificate that reflects this milestone. We are here for you through the process, and can help answer any and all questions that come up while you're completing the requirements.

How long will it take me to complete each course?

Childbirth Educator Training meets weekly for 15 weeks and Advanced Full Spectrum Birthwork Training meets weekly for 14 weeks. You’ll have access to the course materials for 3 weeks after the course ends to ensure you have enough time to complete all assignments.

Labor and Birth and Postpartum trainings are “go at your own pace” without live meetings, so the timeline for completing these courses really depends on you. Labor & Birth is 15 modules, and Postpartum is 12 modules. In each learning module, you will have at least one video lecture to watch, and these range anywhere from 20 minutes to 5 hours. You can start and stop the videos, take breaks and re-watch as many times as you need to. After you complete the video lecture, you'll have other learning activities to complete, which will include handouts to read, online research to complete, extra short supplemental videos, skills practice, short writing or art exercises and quizzes. You can expect to take as much time as an in-person course to complete these online courses, but you can also go at your own pace, so you can take much longer if you need to. Since there is so much information, you can take your time digesting each module, and start the next when you feel ready.

What is your refund policy?

Because your purchase opens immediate access to the course, we cannot offer refunds. All payments made to Cornerstone via the Teachable platform are non-refundable and non-transferable.

What are your certification requirements?

You can read our full statement on certification, find all certification requirements, and our certification packet here.

How do I stay connected after I complete my training?

You will be offered the opportunity to join our Cornerstone birthworker Database, which is a resource for our birthworkers to stay connected, find local sibling birthworkers, form partnerships and peer groups, and to use for your resource and referral list.

You will also be invited to join our private Facebook group, which is a very active space where we stay in community through peer interactions, work opportunities, partnership building, and all things community building. Our birthworker community is robust and active, and we encourage you to become a member.

We also have plans for the post Covid future, including yearly Cornerstone retreats and Conferences.

Where is your online classroom?

Follow this link to sign up for classes, and to log into your Cornerstone online classroom.

Didn’t find the answer to your question here?

Send us an email! Prefer to talk to someone on the phone? Give us a call at (510) 501-7868.