Scope of Practice Statement
For Full Spectrum Doulas and Perinatal Support Professionals
Perinatal support professionals trained through this program provide non-clinical care across the reproductive continuum, including pregnancy, labor, birth, postpartum, and early parenting. Their role is to offer continuous emotional, physical, and informational support to clients and their families, without providing medical care or clinical services.
These professionals:
Do not perform clinical or medical tasks, including but not limited to diagnosing conditions, interpreting medical results, providing treatment, or making medical decisions on behalf of clients.
Provide non-directive education and support, including information on the normal course of pregnancy and birth, common interventions, comfort measures, postpartum recovery, and newborn care.
Support client autonomy and informed decision-making through tools such as the BRAIN framework (Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Intuition, Nothing), and uphold ethical principles of consent, privacy, and self-determination.
Adapt care to the birth setting, collaborating respectfully with licensed providers in hospitals, birth centers, or home environments while maintaining a clearly defined non-clinical role.
Offer physical and emotional comfort, including hands-on labor support techniques, positional guidance, breathing strategies, and presence-based grounding practices.
Remain present in emergencies to provide emotional support, call for appropriate medical assistance, and help maintain a calming environment—but do not administer emergency interventions or replace clinical care.
Recognize and refer when a client exhibits signs of physical, emotional, or psychological needs beyond the doula's scope or training.
Maintain accurate, confidential records of client encounters in alignment with program documentation guidelines.
Establish professional boundaries, including declining to provide services beyond training, and referring clients to qualified providers or services when appropriate.
Do not provide religious or spiritual counseling unless explicitly trained to do so and only when requested by the client, with full respect for the client’s belief system and autonomy.
This scope of practice is designed to uphold the safety of clients, clarify professional boundaries, support institutional collaboration, and ensure ethical, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed perinatal care.