1. Introduction & Values Exploration
2. Positioning Ourselves
3. Abortion in Canada
4. The Abortion Process
5. Abortion Doulas and Care Work
6. Abortion Support Toolkit
7. Emotional Support & Aftercare
8. Tending to Ourselves & Closing

This training is facilitated virtually in weekly Zoom meetings. Content is shared through presentations with slides, group discussions, and activities. Participants receive a detailed written manual and copies of all slides presented throughout the training.

Live participation is necessary as full meetings are not recorded. Attendance the first week is especially important and attendance for a minimum of 6 out of 8 weeks is required to receive a certificate of completion.

Mel (she/her) is an abortion doula and registered Sexologist with over a decade of experience providing abortion support. Her work focuses on navigating the barriers and bridging the gaps that often make abortion inaccessible.

While completing her master’s in sexology, she became interested in social stigma as a barrier to accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare. Using a qualitative and narrative approach to her thesis research, she witnessed the impact of holding a kind, non-directive space for participants to share their experiences and needs without judgment.

Inspired to deepen her ability to hold this space, Mel trained as a birth, pregnancy loss, and abortion doula. She co-founded the Montreal Abortion Access Project (MAAP) in her hometown in 2017 and managed the Abortion Support Program at Birth Mark in Toronto and Hamilton from 2019-2024.

Mel offered her first Abortion Doula Training at Birth Mark in 2022 to fill a gap that she experienced firsthand when trying to access training that truly prepared her for the realities and nuances of abortion support.

In 2026, Mel launched Abortion Support Training Canada to continue offering trainings and workshops to those interested in supporting abortion in their communities. 

As a doula, Mel views every client as the expert of their own experience and holds space for them to catch their breath. As a facilitator, she values flexibility, connection, and co-creating spaces where everyone can show up exactly as they are.

Mel can be found on Instagram @theabortiondoula.