About the DSA.

The DSA is a non-profit association promoting Perinatal Doula support for families in British Columbia, Canada.

Our Mission

Our mission is to raise awareness about the role of Perinatal (fertility, birth, postpartum, loss) Doulas within BC, to provide a referral service to BC families, and to deliver continuing education to our members, health care professionals, and the public at large.

Training and Standards

All DSA doulas have completed an approved training course and are required to pursue ongoing education.  The DSA also has a strict confidentiality policy, a standardized Code of Ethics, and Standards of Practice that are followed by all DSA doulas. 

The Board of Directors

Catrin Hughes (She/Her)
President

Catrin is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist Practitioner, Birth & Postpartum Doula, Period Coach and Feminine Embodiment Facilitator. She is the woman behind Rising Mother, a company based on the foundations of empowering women to step into their feminine power, whether that be through birth, menstruation, preconception planning or fertility. Catrin’s practice focuses on food as thy medicine, hormone balancing, learning to interpret and listen to your body and developing self-awareness. Catrin’s passion for birth work comes from a deep-seated need to empower and connect with women on both a holistic and spiritual level. Catrin believes that everyone has the right to make choices about their own body and that empowering birth is an extension of reproductive justice. Her mission statement “Returning Woman to the Womb” means educating, celebrating and holding space for all women and their bodies. As a Birth & Postpartum Doula Catrin proudly serves families throughout the lower Mainland. Catrin completed her DONA International Birth & Postpartum Doula Training in Toronto in 2015 and recently MotherWit Postpartum Doula Training and Gloria Lemay’s Wise Woman Way of Birth Birth Doula Training.  Catrin is excited to be part of the DSA board and to be able to give back to the birthing community that has been so welcoming in her transition into the BC birthing community.  Catrin and her husband live in 100 Mile House, BC.  ​

Rachel Simmet (She/Her)​Vice President

 Rachel has been a Postpartum Doula since 2018, serving families in the Vancouver and Burnaby area. She first saw the importance of postpartum care after assisting her sister who had twin girls in 2016. She is now passionate about serving families with multiples and the unique challenges that accompany this transition.

Previous to being on the DSA board Rachel was on the events committee of The Shanti Uganda Society where she assisted in putting their large gala fundraiser that raised money for maternal and infant health in Uganda.

She is excited to be a part of the DSA board to be able to grow the Doula Fund, so that even more families can have access to doula care. ​

Jessica Dillon (She/Her)
Director of Communications

Jessica is a Vancouver Island girl who now lives and serves in Dawson Creek - she moved to Northern BC in 2017 to pursue her social work career, but quickly learned how challenging (and sometimes non-existent) access to resources and support is in rural & northern communities, specifically in the areas of reproductive health and perinatal care. This pushed Jessica to quit her job, move 'home' to Victoria to complete the Holistic Doula Certificate training at Pacific Rim College, and to certify and work as a full-spectrum care provider back up north for birthing people and their families through her doula practice, The Delightful Doula.

Currently, Jessica is a full time birth-worker, and is in the process of building a comprehensive birth resource centre in Northern BC.

Jenn Shytrin
​Membership Coordinator

Bio coming soon!

Madison Chessa (She/They)
Treasurer

Madison is a community support worker and postpartum doula located on the unceded territories of the Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.

Madison is a parent, partner, sibling, child, cousin, and aunt trying to do her part to leave a better world for future generations. Madison is a curious person with a kind heart and critical mindset. They believe in empowering others by listening and by offering acts of service and resources to help them find renewal. 

Madison is continually learning and unlearning. They have worked hard at gaining practice and training in cultural safety and trauma-informed approaches. Madison has recognized the systemic and ongoing harm colonialism has done to the land and people and hopes to contribute to building a space for healing and change. 

Madison is new to the DSA board of directors and is excited to work alongside these inspiring people to support everyone in the DSA community.

Ashley Jardine
​Referral Coordinator

​Bio coming soon!

Sage Thomas (She/Her)
Indigenous Doula & Family Advocate

Sage is an Indigenous Birthworker - full spectrum doula, Lactation Educator/Counsellor, Reproductive Health Advocate and Student Midwife (UBC). Sage is also a professionally trained visual artist, and holds an Associate of Arts with a concentration in Anthropology (Indigenous Studies) at Thompson Rivers University. 

Sage is a parent of three children, and  a first nations member of the Tk’emlups te Secwépemc community, and currently resides in her ancestral territory of T'Kemlups (Kamloops, BC) with her family. 
​
She has a passion for the arts, reproductive rights, Indigenous and gender equality, revitalizing Indigenous birthing practices, and her Secwépemc culture and language.

​Vacant Board Position
​Director of Fundraising

Currently open board position!
Please email if you have interest in applying and supporting the DSA with fundraising. 

Bev Watson
Member Identification Tag Manager

Bev attended her first DONA birth doula training in 2008. As the mother of 5 and grandmother of 7 (and counting!), the birth process has become very significant for her.

As a member of the DSA and a director on the BOD , Bev is constantly amazed at the passion, commitment and level of caring that doulas extend to the people they support. Our DSA strives to provide knowledge and opportunities for doulas to expand and improve their role within this process.

Bev's  role as a Director is a support position. She attends meetings, helps make decisions, participates in set-ups and take-downs for work shops, trade shows, etc. Bev is also responsible for the name tags you receive as a member of the DSA.

Regional Representatives.

Kristin Eapen
​Interior BC

Kristin is a birth doula and Lamaze certified childbirth educator with the immense privilege of serving families on the traditional, unceded territory of the Syilx/Okanagan people in Kelowna, BC. She has a passion for continuous learning, with a niche in perinatal mental health and mood disorders.
To say that birth work is a passion would be an understatement! She is truly living a dream, empowering clients to be active participants in their care through informed choice, and continuous evidence-based support.
Kristin loves the term ‘holding space’, because it encapsulates so much of what she does in her work, which is ‘being present’, without agenda, without judgement. It's a space where her clients feel safe, honoured and heard.

When she's not at a birth you will probably find her learning about dinosaurs, building Lego or discovering the outdoors with her husband and three kiddos.
​
Kristin is excited to working on the board alongside our incredible and diverse team as we serve the DSA community!

 Jocelyn Logan (She/Her)
Northern BC

Jocelyn Logan is a Mother of 3 incredible  grown people, Grandmother to 2 beautiful boys and Mother to a delightful collection of fur, feathers and scaled friends. She is currently serving her community of Prince George as  Full Spectrum Breastfeeding Counsellor and group facilitator, Postpartum Peer Support Group Facilitator,Prenatal Educator with Northern Health , Doula Mentor and active Birth/Postpartum Doula. Working in birth and breastfeeding has been her life's focus for 30 years.  She became passionate in serving families in this capacity during her experience as a La Leche League Leader shortly after her first daughter was born, It was during her 14 years as a Leader that she  became very aware of the most difficult journey most new parents face as  they welcome their children, how pregnancy and birth experience shaped and impact Postpartum stories.  The transitions families make during  pregnancy, birth and postpartum is a monumental shift for all involved.She strongly believes that all birthing people and families deserve the very best we can provide with a strong emphasis on  Rights to Informed choice, continuity of care,,evidence based options and respectful care. To truly make change in our world starting at the beginning makes the most sense.  Jocelyn lives with her colorful extended family in Prince George She is honored to be part of this organization  and to provide support to the birth workers in the North to show up in the very best ways we can for the families we serve.

Vacant Board Position
Vancouver Island BC

Currently open board position!
Please email if you have interest in applying and supporting the DSA with fundraising. ​​

Members at Large

Michelle Tyliakos (She/Her)
Director of Peer Support

Michelle Tyliakos is a Doula, Educator and Advocate.  She is committed to people awakening the mind, body and spirit through choice and intuition.  She coaches people in private and group settings in order for them to Connect- Heal- Advocate for what is important to them.  Michelle has more recently become passionate about the rights to informed choice as she supported her husband through making powerful decisions while navigating life with a rare form of heart cancer.

Her commitment to the DSA  is to build a cohesive and elevated community of Doulas and Directors while creating connection with medical professionals and families around the province.    Through monthly group coaching for members and Directors  she coaches and encourages people to take initiative with their current skills to positively impact the perinatal period for families.  

Tania Campagnolo (She/Her)
Peer Support

After becoming a young mom at 18, Tania started supporting other young moms in their own journeys, but it wasn’t until many years later, after a friend’s birth, that she realized she was a Doula all along. She now has three children of her own (with 19.5 years between the first and second,) works as a volunteer Child Passenger Safety Technician, and volunteers her time in the community of North Vancouver as much as life allows it.

​Tania believes that our role as Doulas in pregnancy and beyond has great importance to the future of all growing families. Tania says that her favourite part of the work we do is supporting the instinctual power within every birthing person and seeing them witness themselves in that power as they birth their babies.

Carissa Reed (She/Her)
​Peer Support

Carissa Reed is a full spectrum doula, energy practitioner, and amateur astrologer living and working on the ancestral and unceded homelands of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples. She is fiercely passionate about the transformative power of birth and is dedicated to supporting families in exploring their choices and actively practicing informed consent throughout their care. Carissa believes education and knowledge are incredible tools to support the wisdom of birthing bodies, and by attuning to our innate internal awareness we can build a sense of trust that supports the birth process in its delicate and powerful unfolding.

When she is not attending births you can find her snuggling her husband and two cats, continuously elevating her snack game, laughing as much as possible, and spending as much time as she can getting lost in the magical forests of the West Coast.​

Michelle Appenheimer (She/Her)
​Peer Support

Michelle is a birth doula and a mother of two hilarious humans. She lives in the colourful neighbourhood of East Vancouver and delights in the vibrancy of the people and community that surrounds her.
​
She is passionate about educating birthing families so that they have everything they need to be empowered and make informed decisions. She has been deeply affected by anxiety and depression, and makes herself available to clients, friends, and colleagues to listen and hold space for whatever may come up during birth, or just in life. She has been told that she makes people feel safe and comfortable, and that's definitely a goal of hers. 

Lauren Berntzen (She/Her)
Peer Support

Lauren is a birth and postpartum doula, breastfeeding ally, breastmilk donor, and a serious birth nerd. She lives and loves on the unceded traditional territory of the Syilx (Okanagan) with her partner and two tiny humans.

Lauren was transformed by both her dramatically different birth experiences. Her favourite parts of working with birthing families are discussing birth preferences, illuminating the importance of informed consent in the birth space, and witnessing the evolution of what she calls the ‘birthing goddess.’

New to the scene, Lauren brings enthusiasm and empathy to her peer support role with the DSA.

​Interested in joining us?
As a volunteer-run association, we are always interested in hearing from any of our members who are interested in joining the board.  Whether you'd like to help with specific projects or would like to learn more about what it means to be a board member, please  contact us.

DSA members are also welcome to attend any of our monthly
​board meetings.

In our organization, we recognize that change is constant and we welcome the opportunity to have new members contributing to the growth of the DSA. We look forward to hearing from YOU!
Website built by Samantha Gagnon Consulting
Photography provided by Stages Doula + Photography