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Setting and keeping boundaries.

Article Excerpt
New doulas are eager, dedicated people who often work for free or charge only nominal fees. Because of their love for their work, they can be prone to letting clients take over too much of their time or to letting their work take over their family or other commitments. Setting, maintaining and recovering clear boundaries are keys to keeping your doula work fresh over the course of many years.

I have practiced as a doula since 1991 and as a midwife since 1999. I have not yet experienced burnout, and I love my work as much as I ever have; every birth is new and exciting for me. Not only is this because I am fortunate to have found the work I love, but I have also set clear boundaries with my clients throughout my career, starting from the very first client meeting.

The Initial Consultation

When you meet a client for the first time, you, the doula, set the tone of your relationship. If you are dressed in a warm, yet professional way, you let the client know that this is a business for you, even if you have not yet charged any fees. In my practice the initial consultation is free to allow the prospective client to meet me and see if she likes me and the way I practice before making any commitment. It's also a chance for me to screen her for potential problems, including the ability to pay. While I may choose to be her doula pro bono I want it to be my choice, not a result of her failure to pay. I have several documents that I bring to each initial consultation: a fee agreement, an informed consent, an information sheet, and a history form. These forms and the conversations they elicit establish the basis of the relationship that I create with my client and her partner, but I never open up a visit by first going over paperwork. Be friendly and warm and open your conversation by asking the parents for their questions and listening carefully to their concerns. Often the natural flow of the conversation will allow an easy opening for you to introduce the paperwork.

The Forms...