COVID-19 Guidelines

Here at Doulaing The Doula, we are VERY interested in continuing our two decade long tradition of training people in high quality doula support skills.  We are also invested in minimizing any spread of coronavirus at our events. All of our 2020 and 2021 trainings went well. It doesn’t just take us though, it takes the full investment of all of our participants too.  (I am fully vaccinated.)

With that in mind, here are our DTD COVID19 Safety Guidelines and our limited liability form as downloadable PDF’s.  All participants are requested to follow the guidelines and sign the form.  Participants who have been exposed or who have been lax in following the guidelines are welcome to switch to a later training.

Here are photographs from the June 2020 training in Madison. You can see how far apart the tables are during lecture/group discussion.  There are also photographs of people participating in different learning activities.  You are always given the choice to participate fully or watch according to your level of comfort.

Safety Guidelines For Trainings: DTD COVID19 Safety Guidelines.docx

Two Weeks Before the Training:

• For the two weeks before we meet I will ask that if you are gathering with others out in public or in a small gathering that your companions physically distance themselves or wear masks.
• I ask that you physically distance and wear a mask when in the presence of other people.
• I ask that you not pet strange dogs or cats, who can carry the virus on their coats for at least three or four hours.
• Please wash your hands and avoid touching your face, or wear gloves to keep yourself from getting the virus from surfaces.
• If you have been exposed or possibly exposed to COVID-19, I ask that you wait the full 14 days before attending. This may mean switching to a later workshop.
• I will provide you with a liability waiver to read and sign. The document states that I can minimize your risk of getting the virus but I cannot guarantee you won’t be exposed or infected. It outlines the precautions and modifications that are being made.

Day Before the Training:

• Do not attend if you have a temperature, diarrhea, fever, low pulse oxygen (below 90%), or unexplained stomach upset, muscle aches, or fuzzy headed thinking.

The Training Environment:

1.  Tripled the size of the meeting space and cut my maximum to 14 people.
2.  Training assistants will also follow the guidelines.
3. Physical distancing in the learning space to help people avoid breathing on one another.
4. Multiple opportunities for hand washing during each break and before each small group exercise.
5. There will be plenty of hand sanitizer. This should provide recommended protection for any exercises involving closer proximity than 6 feet.
6. Allowing people to watch instead of participate if they feel it is “too close”.
7. Doing demonstrations and skills training with one dedicated person.
8. You will receive your own dedicated pens and supplies to use for activities.
9. Food items in the snack area are in single packs. There are plenty of tongs to select teabags, fruit, or snack bars so we don’t need to use hands. Hand sanitizer and napkins are available when tongs are impractical.

These photos are of our 2021 and 2022 Milwaukee Meeting Space. The room is 28′ x 24′: