PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION · ONLINE & SELF-PACED
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI
Nona® Birth Coherence™ Doula Training & Certification
A nervous system–informed, mind-body approach to labor support
Taught from Columbia, Missouri by Erica Kroll, LPC, licensed perinatal therapist, training doulas since 2014. Join from anywhere.
The training at a glance
When you understand the underlying physiology of birth, your labor support becomes more attuned and effective.
The Nona Birth Coherence™ Doula Training prepares birth professionals to support labor and birth through nervous system literacy, grounded presence, and relational attunement. This training is designed for doulas who want to deepen their ability to recognize, respond to, and support the physiological, environmental, and emotional processes that shape birth.
Grounded in the Birth Coherence™ framework, this training integrates contemporary neuroscience, birth physiology, trauma-informed care, and embodied learning. Our emphasis is on supporting regulation, adaptability, and resilience for birthing people and their support systems.
THE FRAMEWORK BEHIND EVERY NONA TRAINING
The Birth Coherence™ framework
Safety isn't universal, it's nervous system dependent.
Birth Coherence™ is the alignment of mind, body, and support, so that birth preparation is grounded, realistic, embodied, and responsive to the nervous system. Every Nona professional training is built on it.
In the birth room, it offers a lens for reading how labor progression responds to safety and threat, how coping behaviors emerge, and how support and environment can either facilitate or disrupt labor.
01
Mind
Knowledge, realistic expectations, values, decision-making, and emotional preparation.
02
Body
Nervous system regulation, embodiment, labor physiology, movement, breath, and rest.
03
Support and environment
Relationships, co-regulation, language, advocacy, the sensory environment, and care-team dynamics.
Who this training is for
Newer doulas
Seeking a strong foundation in nervous system-informed, mind-body birth support.
Experienced doulas
Who want language and frameworks for what they observe in the birth room, and a deeper sense of attunement with their clients during birth.
How this training is structured
Self-paced curriculum
Recorded lectures and guided practices, with time for integration and reflection. Complete it from anywhere.
Live Q&A sessions
Quarterly sessions with Erica Kroll, drawing on her experience as a perinatal therapist and over two decades in birth work.
Optional in-person retreat
For practice, deepening skills, live mentoring, and community building.
Professional community
Ongoing peer support, shared reflection, and connection.
What you will learn
The curriculum moves across four areas of study. Open each one to see the topics inside.
Practical & foundational skills
- Evidence-based care
- Physiologic birth
- Hormonal physiology of birth
- Models of care
- Birth plans
- Phases and stages of labor
- Comfort measures
- Labor positions
- Partner role
- Informed consent
- Navigating systems
- Routine interventions
- Pharmacological pain management
- Postpartum physiology & adjustment
- PMAD assessments & red flags
Nona original frameworks and models
- Language of Safety™
- Rhythm, Receive, Rest™
- Birth Coherence™
- Recognize, Respond, Regulate™
- Understanding limbic dominance
- Recognizing nervous system cues in labor
- Co-regulation in labor
- The physiology of safety
- Being with fear
Birth justice
- Trauma-informed practice
- Anti-oppression framework
- Understanding privilege
- Understanding implicit bias
- History of reproductive health in the US
- Weathering
- Healthcare inequities
Professional collaboration & business
- Interviewing
- Prenatal & postpartum visits
- Collaborating with other professionals
- Collaborative advocacy
- Creating a client resource list
- Ethics & ethical dilemmas
- Confidentiality
- Contracts and scheduling
- Business essentials
- Communication & listening skills
What you will gain
A cohesive framework
For understanding labor and birth through the lens of nervous system regulation and relational safety.
Greater confidence
Reading coping behaviors, supporting labor progress, and adapting as circumstances change.
Refined presence
Communication, and the capacity to stay grounded in complex or emotionally charged situations.
Clarity
On when and why to offer specific forms of support, and when less intervention is more supportive.
Community, mentorship, and ongoing learning
Doula work is often solitary. This training is built so it doesn't have to be.
A professional learning community for shared reflection, case discussion, and integration of the framework. Regular live Q&A sessions to ask questions, explore real scenarios, and deepen your practice over time. Ongoing connection to prevent the isolation common in doula work, especially for those practicing independently.
Mentorship comes from Erica Kroll, a licensed perinatal therapist who brings more than two decades of experience as a doula, prenatal yoga teacher, and childbirth educator.
What graduates say
“I've been to a lot of trainings in a lot of domains and this may be the best.”
EMORIE“The training went above and beyond my expectations. It helped me to feel completely equipped with the knowledge and tools I will need to start my career.”
SHELBY“I can't imagine what else we could've squeezed in! I'd recommend it above all else because of the mindfulness piece — and learning how not to be 'That Doula.'”
MAREN“The inclusion of mood disorders, cultural awareness, transgender awareness, mindfulness, and business makes this curriculum well rounded and very informative.”
KRISHNA“Very educational. The content is great, and it is free of any kind of agenda I have seen present in some other organizations.”
ALICIA“The training promotes a responsible and collaborative doula model. The trainers are experienced and knowledgeable, as well as excellent teachers and resources.”
AMANDATuition
One payment covers the full curriculum, two years of professional membership, and ongoing mentoring.
- Full access to the self-paced training curriculum
- All Nona models and frameworks
- Access to a growing professional learning community membership
- Quarterly live Q&A sessions and mentoring with Erica
Taught by someone who has stood in every role
ERICA KROLL, LPC · E-RYT 200 · RPYT
Licensed perinatal therapist · doula · prenatal yoga teacher · childbirth educator
I have supported births as a doula, taught prenatal yoga and childbirth education, and sat with people in therapy through pregnancy, loss, and the year after birth. Those are different rooms, and they taught me the same thing: the nervous system is the throughline.
This training is what I wish I'd had when I started: the language and the framework for what I could feel happening in a birth room but couldn't yet name.
FOR HOSPITALS, HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, AND DOULA PROGRAMS
Doula training for organizations
Hospitals, health departments, doula programs, and community organizations can enroll a team in the training together. When a group enrolls, the training runs as a cohort: your team moves through the material on a shared schedule, with live discussion sessions taught for your group. Group rates are available and depend on the size of your team.
Nona professional training has been provided for University of Missouri Women's & Children's Hospital, Burrell Behavioral Health, and the Boone and Callaway County Health Departments.
A 1 to 2 day in-person training can also be added for your group.
To explore training for your organization, email [email protected]. I'm happy to talk through what would fit your team.
Common questions
How do I become a doula?
Becoming a doula starts with completing a doula training program that covers birth physiology, comfort measures, emotional support, and professional practice, then attending births as you build experience. Most doulas complete a certification to establish credibility with clients and care providers. The Nona Birth Coherence Doula Training provides that full path: an online, self-paced curriculum, certification, and two years of professional membership and mentoring.
How do I become a certified birth doula through Nona?
Complete the online, self-paced curriculum along with required readings, assignments, and assessments. Certification also requires attending 3 births with evaluations and observing a local childbirth education course and a breastfeeding education course. Certification is valid for 2 years and includes 2 years of professional membership.
Is the Nona doula training online?
Yes. The full curriculum is delivered online through recorded lectures and guided practices, so you can complete it at your own pace from anywhere. Quarterly live Q&A sessions with Erica and a professional online community keep the learning connected, and an optional in-person retreat is available for hands-on practice.
How is this different from DONA or CAPPA certification?
The Nona training covers the foundational doula skills you would expect from an established certification and adds a layer most trainings don't offer: nervous system literacy grounded in the Birth Coherence™ framework. It is taught by a licensed perinatal therapist who originally trained as a DONA doula, and tuition includes 2 years of professional membership with mentoring and community, rather than certification alone.
Do I need experience before enrolling?
No prior experience is required. The training is designed both for newer doulas building a strong foundation and for experienced doulas who want language and frameworks for what they observe in the birth room.
How much does the doula training cost?
Tuition is $1,500. This includes full access to the self-paced curriculum, all Nona models and frameworks, quarterly live Q&A sessions and mentoring with Erica, and 2 years of professional membership in the learning community.
How long does the training take to complete?
The curriculum is self-paced, so you can move through it on your own schedule. Time to full certification varies, since it includes attending 3 births with evaluations and completing two course observations. The training is designed to support learning over time rather than to be rushed.
What is Birth Coherence™
Birth Coherence™ is Nona's original framework that brings together nervous system science, birth physiology, emotional experience, and relational context. It offers a lens for understanding the physiology of labor progression, the emergence of coping behaviors, and how support and environment can either facilitate or disrupt labor. Learn more about Birth Coherence™.
When does enrollment open?
Enrollment opens periodically. Waitlist members are notified first when a new enrollment window opens and receive details about training dates and live Q&A sessions.
Do you offer training for organizations or groups?
Yes. Hospitals, health departments, doula programs, and community organizations can enroll a team in the training together. The training runs as a cohort for your group, with live discussion sessions taught for your team, and group rates depend on the size of your group. A 1 to 2 day in-person training can also be added. Email [email protected] to explore what would fit your team.
Do you offer doula training in Missouri?
Yes. Nona is based in Columbia, Missouri, and the training is online and self-paced, so doulas anywhere in Missouri can complete it from home. Erica has provided professional training for University of Missouri Women's & Children's Hospital, Burrell Behavioral Health, and the Boone and Callaway County Health Departments. Missouri hospitals, health departments, and doula programs can also enroll a team together, with an optional 1 to 2 day in-person training.
ENROLLMENT OPENS PERIODICALLY
Join the waitlist
Be notified when enrollment opens, and learn more about how this training may fit into your professional path.
If you're drawn to a nervous system-informed, relational approach to birth support, you're welcome to add your name.
