Doulas and Domestic Violence

Description

As professionals drawn to hold space for birth and death, we are called upon to be present for some of life’s most inspiring moments. We also bear witness to some of the most painful situations.

This 10-hour, self-guided course tackles one of the most difficult topics facing families ~ the presence of intimate partner violence. This course supports birth/death doulas ~ and all interested ~ to more deeply understand the dynamics of abuse. While the aim of this course is to better equip all called to support families through birth/death/life transitions to better understand the dynamics of abusive relationships, all are welcome to join bringing both their professional and personal stories to the table. 

Lundy Bancroft’s writings on domestic violence is regarded as centered on understanding why abuse occurs, and what motivates angry and controlling behaviors. His book “Why Does He Do That?” has sold over 400,000 copies and Bancroft draws upon 30-years of experience in supporting survivors and their children break free from intimate partner violence.

Doulas and Domestic Violence is divided into four modules and participants will read, study, and explore one part of Bancroft’s 4-part book for each module. Lundy Bancroft answers questions about his writing, reflections throughout our study. The course also includes interviews with Tina Swithin and Jenny Ward who connect their work in understanding domestic violence (which includes post-separation abuse) to Bancroft’s insights.

Whether you are holding space as a birth/death doula for families impacted by violence or are coming to terms with stories in your own family legacy ~ you are most welcome.

“This is without a doubt the most informative and useful book yet written on the subject of abusive men.”

—Jay G. Silverman, PhD, director, Violence Prevention Programs, Harvard School of Public Health

Lundy Bancroft has thirty years of experience in the fields of abuse, trauma, and recovery. He has published seven books, including the best-seller Why Does He Do That? Bancroft is the former Training Director of Emerge, the nation’s first counseling program for men who abuse women, and has been involved in 2000 cases as a counselor and supervisor. He has also served extensively as a custody evaluator, child abuse investigator, and expert witness, and has presented to 350 audiences across the U.S. and abroad. Bancroft is the creator of the Peak Living Network, a free emotional healing community that welcomes both women and men (though not abusers, even if they claim to be changing), following the principles taught in his book The Joyous Recovery. Learn more here.

Tina Swithin survived a “Category Five Divorce Hurricane” while acting as her own attorney in a high-conflict custody battle that turned her family’s life upside down for over a decade.  To articulate what was happening, she took shelter from the storm by chronicling her journey in her (now) internationally recognized blog, “One Mom’s Battle.” Tina’s plight grew from just one mom to a village of tens of thousands who all share the same story. There were different variations and nuances, but the common denominator is toxic, high conflict individuals and post-separation abuse.  Tina Swithin has been awarded honors such as the “Top 20 Professionals Under 40” and the “Top 40 Professionals Under 40” in several regional California newspapers. Tina resides in San Luis Obispo, California with her husband and her two daughters.

Renowned speaker and author Jenny Ward has crossed the continent, bringing play, mindfulness workshops to Visa, Google, YouTube, Merrill Lynch, the Girl Scouts, YMCA, Stanford, Dove, Nickelodeon, the Bowman School, the Palo Alto Unified School District, Toronto School District, and many other corporations and nonprofits organizations. Her individual clients have enjoyed working with Jenny on parenting and play, stress eradication, mindfulness tools for trauma, and play-based healing for more than a decade. A graduate of the State University of New York, New Paltz, where she majored in psychology, Jenny received her MFA from New York University. She is a licensed yoga educator specializing in trauma-informed yoga therapy and family yoga. She is also a Licensed Mediator, Certified Parent Coordinator, and child educator for over 30 years. Learn more here.