Who & Why

Hello! We are Katie (left), Martha (middle), and Jess (right), and we are the crew leading Doula Training Center.

We intimately know the journey it takes to become a doula, the struggles to run a business, and the many reasons to celebrate this work. Our journey to become seasoned doulas was not straightforward, but with our collective experiences and knowledge, we hope to change the trajectory for aspiring doulas.

Doula Training Center (DTC) was launched in October 2021 in response to the demand for comprehensive, quality doula trainings that is responsive to cultural and trauma-informed practices. Using Oregon-specific research, we developed an evidence-based curriculum that capacitates doulas as eligible for the Traditional Health Worker (THW) registry in Oregon.

We understand the barriers doulas face going through this state designation, and we actively work to simplify the pathway forward. While we believe our training is enough to equip our students, we offer ongoing mentorship support post-training to guide and navigate situations that may come up.

We are proud to announce that DTC’s curriculum was approved by the Oregon Health Authority in 2023.

Katie Minich, Program Director
THW Doula, BS Anthropology/Sociology, MA student Applied Anthropology

Katie is a wife, mother of three, Traditional Health Worker doula, and current master’s student in the Applied Anthropology program at Oregon State University.  Katie has been a birthworker for nearly a decade and holds a BS degree from SOU in Sociology and Anthropology, and in addition to research, activism, and birthwork, she is an author, artist, and yoga instructor.