Rebecca Harris
After 27 years in the classroom teaching middle school English, I left my teaching career behind in order to care for my father during the final months of his life.
The experience of bearing witness to his death had a profound effect on me. I began to volunteer with Alive Hospice, a nonprofit agency in Nashville, Tennessee. Through Alive, I work with patients both in their homes and in the in-patient residence.
There are many training opportunities for doulas, most of them online. I was fortunate, however, to apprentice in person with a local practitioner, which gave me hands-on experience and strong mentorship.
I have called Nashville home for 20 happy years, raising two fine boys and lots of dogs.