How is EDC different than other certifying agencies?

We are proud to be going against the grain so to speak, to be shaking things up, and doing things better here at EDC. Here are just a few ways we are doing that:

• EDC is built upon faith-based and Christ-centered principals. We build our practices around teachings of our Heavenly Father and His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we have built our curriculum around conservative Christian values, morals, and beliefs, as well as using traditional family and identifying language in all our material, including our training curriculum.

• EDC's student body is made up of women belonging to many different Christian religions and backgrounds, therefore students will become culturally and religiously competent during their training with EDC, and our curriculum includes first and foremost Biblical teachings, but also will include the perspectives of multiple differing Christian theories and religious backgrounds to represent the entire Body of Christ, as well as our student body. 

• We believe that as a doula, your clients will come from many different religious backgrounds (Roman Catholic, Orthodox Catholic, Anglican, Protestants, Latter-Day Saints, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Seventh-Day Adventist, Nondenominational, Multidenominational, etc., and it would be unethical and negligent on our part to not cover differing religious/cultural backgrounds and perspectives in our training. 

• We believe our Heavenly Father created man and woman who are divinely designed with equally important, yet different abilities, responsibilities, and roles within the marriage, the family, and society. We honor and cherish God's design for men and women, for masculinity and femininity. We know and respect the truth that only women give birth and breastfeed their babies, therefore we do not train our doulas about the LGBTQ lifestyle or how to specialize in working with the social/emotional complexities within the LGBTQ community. An advanced training with a liberal-rooted/secular agency would be recommended before working with LGBTQ families, as we acknowledge that it takes special training and more advanced skill sets to serve this population.  

• Acknowledging and knowing who your ideal clients are is respected and encouraged. We do not force you to be all inclusive in your practice.  

• We have a comprehensive curriculum that integrates the ancestral wisdom, philosophy and principals of a doula combined with professional coaching methods. We know you want to give your clients the very best care, and now you can. EDC has created an exclusive education like no other.

• As it pertains to birth work and women and children’s health, we believe in informed consent and in a truly blended space where the necessity and respect for medical care providers and modern medicine, meets ancestral traditional women’s wisdom of birth practices, as well as complementary herbal & botanical integrative medicines. It is not an us against them mentality seen in other doula and birthing communities. We also value and appreciate OBs and midwives personal experiences and anecdotal evidence. 

• We believe in true advocacy. Some women will not have a voice due to trauma or lack of understanding. You are their advocate and we encourage you to speak up when/if needed to protect your client.  

• We believe in integrating a holistic approach to birth work if you choose. You will learn about essential oils and herbal remedies for pregnancy, birth, postpartum and babies. 

• We believe in and respect the evidence-based research that doulas improve birth and postpartum outcomes for mothers and babies. We also built our curriculum using evidence-based materials that includes education from the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just to list a few. We also believe in trusting our womanly wisdom and anecdotal truths. 

• We believe every professionally trained Elite Doula has the autonomy in making her own choices as to what is best for her and her clients while running her own business. You are your own boss - not EDC. While The Elite Doula & Co provides comprehensive training, each doula runs an independent business that is not managed, monitored, or held liable to EDC. In other words, we do NOT regulate your private practice! This includes respecting your personal and/or religious views as it pertains to your target market.

• EDC trainer/mentors are highly qualified doulas who run their own successful practices. They too are not employed by EDC, rather they are independent doulas with independently owned agencies, and they have been carefully selected by EDC to provide our students with the skill set and hands-on training necessary to complete the Elite Doula training.

• We believe doulas can wear many hats and can have a wide-range of scope of practice - given she has the training and/or appropriate credentials to legally practice in her state. Therefore, EDC will never regulate our graduates' scope of practice, as this is so individualized based on one’s own training and credentials. Again, you have autonomy over your own private practice. The same autonomy and respect we afford our clients.

• While we believe every woman should have a doula, and we believe in community, acts of kindness, volunteering and altruism - we maintain that every Elite Doula Birth Coach has worth and value - deserving a full professional wage for her valuable services.

• We Do Not Train to Support Women Choosing Abortion As Part of Our Pro-Life Full-Spectrum Training! Rather, we cover everything from fertility all the way through infant care - meaning pro-life full-spectrum or a generalist practitioner. 

• We believe in training our doulas in all areas - a pro-life full spectrum doula - and let you decide if you want to specialize in one particular area or not. One price - no hidden fees to EDC. 

• We take your training very seriously - just like you do. We want you to succeed!