Join PALS
The Pacific Association for Labor Support (PALS) is an association of doulas in the Puget Sound region. Birth doulas are women experienced in childbirth who provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during, and just after childbirth. Research studies have found that a doula’s presence improves outcomes and acceptance of doulas is growing rapidly.
PALS was formed in 1988 in response to the growing need for labor support in the Pacific Northwest. We are incorporated and registered as a non-profit organization in the state of Washington. PALS has outlying groups all the way from Bellingham to Olympia and we invite you to become a member of our growing organization of doulas. PALS members are a diverse group of supporters and doulas, most of whom have completed the training at Seattle Midwifery School, which is offered several times a year. You can contact the school at (206) 322-8834 for information and availability of courses.
At present, PALS has over 250 members. We would love to have you join us! Click here for your Membership Packet Request Form (pdf) or MS Word version.
BENEFITS OF PALS MEMBERSHIP
CERTIFICATION AND REFERRALS
PALS offers certification to its members. After completion of the training, members are encouraged to apply for certification. We ask that you attend at least three births, and we offer an apprenticeship program to help you gain experience. Once certified, a member’s name can be placed on our referral list. We also get many calls from pregnant women who learn about doulas from their health care providers or childbirth educators.
BI-MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS:
PALS sponsors meetings every other month. Each meeting incorporates one hour of continuing education. We explore many issues surrounding birth and labor support. Some of our past continuing education sessions have covered topics such as: hypnotherapy in labor, breastfeeding in the work place, adoption issues, working with non-English speaking clients, how to best support teen-age clients, and many other areas of interest to doulas. See our calendar page for dates.
QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER:
As a member you will receive the PALS PAPERS, the official newsletter of PALS. It contains newsworthy articles, interesting birth stories, editorials, and news about special projects in which PALS is involved. Sometimes we share our mailing list with other birthing organizations, and you will receive notification of other events.
MEMBERSHIP IN OUR YAHOO GROUP:
PALSDOULAS is an online resource group for paid members of the Pacific Association for Labor Support.
GROUP MEMBERSHIP IN DONA--Doulas of North America.
Save money and join DONA as a PALS member. For $25 you get a subscription to International Doula, DONA's quarterly newsletter as well as labor and postpartum doula referrals, at your request. For more information on how to join DONA through PALS, contact us at info@pals-doulas.org.
INFORMATIONAL BROCHURES describing PALS services are available to members at no charge. Email info@pals-doulas.org with your request.
