Will there be enough clients + income to support my Doula (or other Holistic Care) practice?
Many times graduates of Doula, Herbalism, TUM™, Midwifery, and other Holistic Care certification programs have difficulty finding a clear direction or place within which to put their newly learned wisdom to practice. They can struggle to connect with their own diverse clientele. It is easy in today's individualistic human culture to fail to find an apprenticeship, internship opportunities, or an affordable space which meet the needs of your thriving practice.
As with any educational experience, it is essential that students and graduates have the support and tools they need to gain hands-on experiential knowledge once the gaining of their theoretical knowledge have been satisfactorily completed.
Identifying the Problem
Our modern culture does not largely support the community apprenticeship model, which is highly unfortunate as it has been used effectively amongst humans for time immemorial as a way to facilitate the transition from student to professional. Therefore, many people now struggle with a period of prolonged stagnancy between when they become certified and when (if ever) they use that certification to the benefit of their families and larger community.
The scarcity mentality is highly prevalent, and is inherent to the dysfunction of our communities and networks. When we are acting from a place of fear or scarcity mentality we are not open to collaboration. This way of perceiving plays on some of our most basic survival instincts as humans. At rare times it is necessary for our survival to store supplies only for our nuclear families. However, when used to manipulate this fear tactic does effectively separate entire communities of care providers who would otherwise welcome a new student-practitioner and/ or complementary practitioner at their side for the benefit of all. People operating under the false belief that the Holistic Care market is "saturated" or that there will not be enough clients and families for them to serve is directly playing into the hand of the establishment who wants to discourage all forms of high quality medical care within small communities. Competing with one another rather than working together creatively is not helpful for our selves, our clients, or for our communities as a whole.
Clustering can be very common to our human nature. Finding those who we perceive to be like-minded and then staying almost exclusively within that same closed same socialization group can at times feel comfortable and safe. This phenomenon is more prevalent in some communities than others, but is now exacerbated by the targeted advertising we are subject to every day. Internet algorithms combined with the fact that we tend to socialize in-person with the same few dozen people may perpetuate the feeling that what we have to offer the world is already being done by someone else. With all of the closed circuit advertising and algorithms it can feel impossible to break through all the "noise" in order to allow your offerings to be seen and heard. 
Our Solution for our Graduates
Original Instructions School is dedicated to facilitating certification programs and educational Skill Immersion Retreats which bridge the gap between intellectual and experiential knowledge. In order to provide extra support with the integration of their newly acquired skills, we focus on several ways of facilitating that process through the following methods.
Expanding the lens through which you are looking can often be the most influential factor in diversifying the community you serve. When the clustering phenomenon occurs it is due to a lack of creativity and ingenuity, coupled with a fear of the unknown. In order to "expand the lens" our certification programs emphasize the use of culturally neutral language, economically accessible foods/medicines, victim's advocacy, a wide array of community follow up resources, and apprenticeships which provide opportunities to clients from varying backgrounds. For example, in Follow-Up Lesson 4 of 4 of our Full Spectrum Doula certification program we ask our students to research various local resources (which we provide) for women and their families including women's shelters, rehabilitation clinics, detention centers, and other desperately underserved communities of humans.
Uncovering your medicine means cleaning off layers of what does not serve you in order to let your uniqueness shine through. For many remembering and learning the medicine that only you carry is an unending life process. As a practitioner of any Holistic Care modality it is imperative to cultivate and maintain practices and rituals (from whatever lineage you carry) which are specially effective at centering your mind/body/Spirit. Although healing can occur in a single moment, healing is not frequently a singular event. Every person has their knots to untangle. As practitioners we must first remember how to set aside our own personal pursuits and dilemmas - at least for long enough to attend to the client. Living life in ways which aim to better our selves can evolve our work and practices.
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