Like many other doula certification programs, ours has a reading list. We provide it here so that everyone who is looking for resources on bereavement support can engage with them, whether you’re currently part of our program or not!
Find this list at the St. Louis Public Library here.
Category 1: Birth Education
HCBD Haven Certified Bereavement Doula candidates read The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin. Candidates who have already read The Birth Partner are encouraged to revisit it, through re-reading or through skimming, and consider how the material can be reinterpreted specifically for bereavement births.
Category 2: Grief Education
HCBD Haven Certified Bereavement Doula candidates read Counseling Skills for Companioning the Mourner by Dr. Alan Wolfelt.
Category 3: Cultural Competency – Race
HCBD Haven Certified Bereavement Doula candidates read What God is Honored Here? Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss by and for Native Women and Women of Color, an anthology edited by Shannon Gibney and Kao Kalia Yang.
Category 4: Cultural Competency – Spirituality
HCBD Haven Certified Bereavement Doula candidates choose one of the following books to read for certification:
- When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Rabbi Harold Kushner
- A Catholic Guide to Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss: Compassionate Answers to Difficult Questions by Dr. Abby Jorgensen
- Ghostbelly by Elizabeth Heineman
- Tears of Sorrow, Seeds of Hope by Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin
- Child Loss, Bereavement and Hope: A Muslim Mother’s Perspective by Farhat Amin
Category 5: History of Birth/Loss Support
HCBD Haven Certified Bereavement Doula candidates read a book specific to the history of loss in their current context (i.e., most U.S.-based candidates read The Myth of the Perfect Pregnancy: A History of Miscarriage in America by Lara Freidenfelds).
Category 6: Children’s Books
Children’s books can be powerful tools, both for children and adults. HCBD Haven Certified Bereavement Doula candidates choose any two of these children’s books to review.
Category 7: Business Strategy and Ethics
HCBD Haven Certified Bereavement Doula candidates read “The Bereavement Doula’s Business Manual” by Dr. Abby Jorgensen. This is available to candidates at no extra cost.