Abortion Companion Training: Fall 2022

Applications closed

We’re excited to launch our third Dopo Abortion Companion Training this fall! 

At Dopo, we define an Abortion Companion as “Anyone that can physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually hold space for someone before, during, and/or after abortion.”

This course is for anyone that is deeply invested in creating space, resources, and care for all people who have abortions. There are no prerequisites for joining aside from a commitment to anti-racism, Reproductive Justice, and support for unhindered access to abortion care. 

If you want to do communal abortion work (as a doula, companion, educator, friend or whatever you choose to call yourself) on an inter-personal level, then this course is for you! You will leave this training with the skills to be the abortion companion that your community needs - because all of our communities are different. 

Applications close on July 3rd, after which we will review all applications. Folks will then receive an update about their application on July 11th.

Please note, this course will be held online and you are welcome to join us from wherever you are in the world🌍

What can you expect?

Eight 2.5-hour long live sessions facilitated by Carly, Zachi, and guest trainers. Each week we’ll focus on a different area of abortion support: 

• Week 1: Introductions (to Community + Abortion Companionship)

• Week 2: What’s an Abortion?

• Week 3: Foundations of Support 

• Week 4: Physical + Emotional Support Practices

• Week 5: Abortion Companion Q+A

• Week 6: Exploring Scenarios

• Week 7: Values Exploration

• Week 8: Reflections + Building Your Practice

  PLUS, you’ll also have:

• Recorded content of the sessions 

• Weekly deeper learning prompts 

• The option to become a member of the Dopo co-operative

• A private community group to connect, share, and keep the conversations going with the Dopo companion community via Mighty Networks 

• A folder of resources including reading lists, research papers, events etc. to support your learning 

• A certificate of Completion (for those who complete all eight weekly reflections)

• The opportunity to attend group office hours and 1-on-1 support sessions with Zachi and Carly

When and where will the course take place?

We’ll be running two cohorts (all online) this Fall, one on Wednesdays and Sundays. On both days, the live session will run from 10am - 12:30noon PST/ 1pm - 3:30pm EST / 6pm - 8:30pm GMT.

WEDNESDAY

• Week 1: September 7th

• Week 2: September 14th

• Week 3: September 21st

• Week 4: September 28th

• Week 5: No class

• Week 6: October 12th

• Week 7: October 19th

• Week 8: October 26th

How much does this course cost?

We work on a self-certified sliding scale and no one will be turned away for lack of funds. The sustainer rate of the course is $700/€658/£560 and there are multiple community rates ($600, $500, $300, $200) for folks to choose from. PLUS you can choose to pay in one go or in installments.

Are there any “scholarships” available?

Not in the traditional way you might think of them! 

It’s up to each individual to determine how much of the course fee they can pay. We ask that you consult Alexis Cunningfolk’s “Green Bottle” before applying and requesting a reduced fee. 

We encourage you to seek all means of funding before choosing your payment option. Some universities and employers have funds for opportunities like this.

Why does this course cost money?

The decision to charge or not and how much, is personal as with other companionship (also known as doula) courses from birth to death. Running a course of this nature takes a significant amount of labor and technology. 

Charging is a recognition for the value of our time and knowledge which for us is just as valuable as other roles in society. However, we also need funds to pay for the technical support and subscriptions that allow us to physically run the course and pay our translators and guest facilitators too! 

We will never turn anyone away for lack of funds. You can always email us at training@wearedopo.com if you have more questions.

What language will the course be held in?

The course will be run in English, but there is a commitment to making it as accessible as possible for folks globally and all accommodations necessary, including translation of materials and interpretation of the live sessions, will be made for those that aren't able to engage with the course content in English.

Who’s running this course?

This course is run by Dopo. We are a co-opeartive redefining what a successful abortion looks like by centring people and their emotional and physical care before, during, and after an abortion. 

The facilitators of this course are Zachi Brewster (she/her) and Carly Manes (she/her). Zachi and Carly are both abortion companions with over ten years of collective knowledge and experience in providing abortion support across the US (Carly) and internationally (mostly Europe (Zachi).

Is there a certification at the end of the course?

While we offer a certificate of course completion to those who attend all course sessions and complete all homework assignments, there is no professional certification that comes with this course. 

At present, there are no abortion companion certification programs in any country that we are aware of. We appreciate that this type of knowledge is seen as communal and that certification should not be a barrier to doing this work.

How can I use the skills from this course in my community?

There are many different ways to use these skills and knowledge. For example, Zachi works with individuals one-on-one and also holds groups sessions., Some of those folks compensate her for her time. There is a portion in the course that talks about clients, money, and contracts. In contrast, Carly is mainly an in-clinic volunteer abortion companion and has paid work outside of her companion care.

We believe that this work deserves compensation if folks need that. Leaving our course, you would be equipped to do abortion companion work in a clinical or hospital setting if those roles are open in your area. Another option is one-on-one work. There are many applications for these skills - but it’s up to employers to value this work and compensate for it and that’s not often the case socially.

I would like to sponsor a spot on the course, how can I do this? 

Great - your gift is most welcome! Drop us an email at training@wearedopo.com. 

I have more questions. Who do I reach out to?

You can reach Zachi and Carly at training@wearedopo.com. We look forward to hearing from you! 

Thoughts from our Spring + Fall 2021 trainees…

“This course has given me a purpose which I want to expand on and continue with. I cannot thank you enough. Dopo has given me an insight into the person I want to grow into; the valuable work I want to do to provide support for others and the learnings I must carry on with in order to do this. This has changed my life!” - RW, UK

“I just wanted to say thank you. I've been working as a doula in very a restrictive context and I've sometimes asked myself if I should continue putting myself at risk and I often passed my own limits. I couldn't join all the live sessions but I followed all of them with the recordings and the biggest takeway from this course for me is that I learned how to take care of myself better doing what I'm doing. And knowing that many people share my values and ideas help me continue the work I'm doing and feel supported. <3” - AB, Honduras

“This course (in its approach, content, and exercises) modelled and helped us to practice and imagine a new future of truly loving, dignified, respectful, and meaningful abortion care. I am reinvigorated and gratefully held accountable to moving through this work and showing up in this community. Thank you, thank you, thank you to Zachi, Carly and all my 'stand-in-friends'!” - TN, Netherlands

“What an inspiring, heart-filling course! The DOPO Doula course is inclusive and accessible, and Zachi & Carly did an incredible job to ensure a safe space where everyone could be vulnerable, learn from each other, and expand their knowledge on abortion care. I loved the focus on community care, intersectionality, and the way that all abortion experiences are honoured and treated equal.” - COM, Sweden

“I'm so grateful to have found this course and connected with Carly, Zachi and this entire community. After my abortion I knew that I wanted to be an abortion doula but I had absolutely no idea how to do that or if it was even a thing. Finding this training and collective of people was the answer I didn't know I had been searching for. I feel confident that I can provide support to folks who are at any point in their journey, and this confidence comes from the education and support from the DOPO community. I'm beyond grateful.” - SP, USA

“Zachi and Carly do not just facilitate a session, this entire workshop is a community-bounded learning experience that challenges pre-conceived notions you have around abortion as an act of caring.” - GL, Mexico