A Year of More Than 12 Months

by Henry Fersko-Weiss

For the first time that I can remember January doesn’t feel like a new year. Of course, it still maintains its position as the first month on the Gregorian calendar that is used throughout most of the world. But psychologically, emotionally, and even on a practical level I feel like we’re in the middle of a year that began last April. That’s when we moved our doula training classes online—where they remain today—due to the devastating and ongoing pandemic of Covid-19. That was followed a month later by the death of George Floyd, which propelled us into a deep engagement with the whiteness in our organization and a commitment to reevaluate everything we do internally and externally through the lenses of equity and inclusion.

Along with some structural changes we decided to make, these events led to months of reimagining our organization that is still ongoing and may carry us through all of 2021. So, for now, we’re still involved in a year that seems to go on and on. All the projects we began ages ago last April are still being pursued.

Nonetheless, we do have plans for the months to a year ahead. For one thing, we will continue actively diversifying from the Board level down to the contractors who work with us part-time. Pastor Corey Kennard has just joined our Board. In next month’s newsletter you will be able to read a profile on him written by one of our new contractors, Lisa Feldstein, who is also a Co-Chair of our BIPOC Advisory Council. We are looking to expand our Board further this year with the addition of other people from the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Another project is the expansion and redesign of our newsletter. We have had a very strong following for the newsletter over the years, but we want to give our readers even more reason to open the newsletter each month and engage with the articles, blog, and features inside it. The newsletter redesign will be unveiled in the March to April timeframe. So, look forward to more information and news about end-of-life doula care, profiles on doulas from our doula directory and the larger community of trained doulas, tips and techniques, as well as entertaining features.

We will also be putting our certification process online, making it easier for those seeking certification to complete the packet of information and present the case material needed to get certified. As I know we have said before, our certification process doesn’t involve just taking our training. The training is step one. The rest of the effort in getting certified requires working on cases: writing in detail about those cases, including verbatims of conversations with a dying client and their loved ones; evaluations; letters of reference; an essay exam and more. This process takes time and entails a good deal of effort. In the end, we report back to each applicant at great length about what we see in their work and how they might continue to develop as a doula. It is a tremendous learning opportunity, which is well worth the effort, and gives you a credential that we believe will distinguish you among other end-of-life doulas.

The months ahead will also see us deliver a new website design and content, additional educational offerings, and some innovative and exciting new approaches to supporting the work of doulas. These efforts started back in April and have yet to bear fruit, which is why January doesn’t feel like a new beginning. Can a year last more than twelve months? How about 18-20 months? Stay tuned to read about all that we will unveil in this extra-long year we continue to inhabit as the months move on.