Evelyn James Certified Bereavement Doula Certification Packet

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Digital Download & 4 months of Weekly Calls | $297 ‍

You have done the training. You have felt the weight of this work and said yes anyway. This is the next step.

‍The Evelyn James Certified Bereavement Doula Certification Packet is where your training becomes a credential, and where your knowledge becomes a practice. This is not a quiz you pass and a certificate you print. This is deep, meaningful work that will shape how you show up for every family you serve from this day forward.‍ ‍

Everything is delivered through a personalized Google Drive folder, set up specifically for you. Your materials are organized, accessible, and yours to keep.

‍What's Included

‍Welcome Guide Your first stop. It walks you through the full certification process, what to expect, how to stay organized, and how to get the most out of every component.‍ ‍

Certification Checklist Your roadmap from start to finish. Every requirement in one place so nothing gets missed and you always know where you stand.‍ ‍

Required Reading + 4 Book Reflection Worksheets Choose 4 books from the Evelyn James curated reading list, a diverse, carefully selected collection spanning lived experience, cultural humility, trauma-informed grief, partner loss, and reproductive justice. This is not assigned reading for the sake of it. These books will change you. After each book, you will complete a 10-question reflection worksheet that asks you to go deep, what shifted, what challenged you, what you will carry into your practice.

‍Local & Online Resource List (45+ entries) You will build your own professional referral network from the ground up, counselors, photographers, funeral homes, support groups, crisis lines, lactation support after loss, legal resources, and more. When a family needs help, you will hand them a name and a number. Not a Google search.‍ ‍

Essay: The Value of Perinatal Loss Support You will write in your own words why this work matters, to families, to the field, and to you. The values, commitments, and approach that will guide every client interaction you have as a Certified Bereavement Doula. This is your professional voice finding its footing‍. ‍

"What I Believe" Professional Philosophy Statement This is your foundation.

‍Self-Care Plan You cannot pour from an empty vessel. You will create a concrete, personalized plan for sustaining yourself in this work, because longevity in grief support requires intention, not improvisation.‍ ‍

5 Scenario Response Exercises This is where the training meets real life. You will respond to five detailed, true-to-life scenarios covering:‍ ‍

• A client who receives a stillbirth diagnosis at 36 weeks

• A family you supported 3 months ago who you have not heard from

• A whole-family visit where a sibling, a grieving mother, and a stoic partner all need you at once

• A client navigating termination for medical reasons (TFMR)

• Two dads who lost their daughter through surrogacy and were made invisible by every system meant to support them

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You will write your actual words. Your specific actions. Your follow-up plans. This is not hypothetical, it is practice for the families who are already waiting for someone like you.

‍Bereaved Family Interview + Worksheet You will connect with one bereaved parent, partner, or grandparent and listen to their story, what helped, what harmed, what they wish had been different, and what they still carry. This is one of the most important parts of the certification. It is not a task to complete. It is a lesson no curriculum can teach.‍ ‍

First 90 Days Post-Certification Action Plan Certification is not the finish line. It is the starting point. You will write a specific, realistic plan for your first 90 days as a Certified Bereavement Doula, how you will announce your credential, integrate your tools, build your referral relationships, and sustain yourself for the long haul.

‍Standards of Practice, Code of Ethics & Grievance Policy You will read and sign all three documents inside your Google Drive. These are not formalities. They are the professional commitments that define what it means to carry this credential.

‍Membership Registration Form Welcome to the Evelyn James professional community. This form connects you to the network, the resources, and the ongoing support that comes with being a credentialed member.

‍ ‍What Certification Also Requires

‍ ‍In addition to completing your packet, certification includes:

• 1:1 Kickoff Call with Vallen

  • Scheduled within 2 weeks of purchase. This is your orientation, your chance to ask questions, and your first real conversation as a certification candidate.

• 2 Virtual Group Sessions

  • Live, community-based learning with other certification candidates. Connection is part of the credential.

• Active membership in the Evelyn James Certification Support Facebook Group

  • Your community throughout the process.

‍ What Happens After You Submit

‍Once your completed packet is reviewed and approved by the Evelyn James & Company certification team, you will receive your official credential, and something in the mail that we think you will love. We are not going to tell you everything that's coming, but it is personal, it is meaningful, and it reflects just how much this work matters. What we will tell you: your physical Evelyn James Certified Bereavement Doula certificate will be mailed directly to you, along with a personal note from Vallen.

‍Prerequisites

‍Completion of the Evelyn James Pregnancy Loss Education Training, live cohort or self-paced, is required before purchasing this certification packet. This credential builds on that foundation. It does not replace it.

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A Note From the Team

‍We built this certification because families deserve professionals who have done more than watch a webinar. They deserve someone who has sat with the hard questions, read the hard books, and written out exactly what they would say when a mother calls to say her baby has no heartbeat.

‍That is what this packet asks of you. And that is exactly what makes this credential mean something.

We cannot wait to welcome you as a Certified Bereavement Doula.