I am by nature and training a facilitator of awareness, knowledge, and relationships. TEACHING EXPERIENCE I had the good fortune of being able to teach for over twenty years at various academic institutions and in subject areas which fed my soul, including Human Development; Child and Family Studies; Sociology; Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; and Criminology, teaching classes such as Prenatal, Infant, and Child Development; Sociology of the Family; Mothering - Feminist Perspectives on Caring; Marriage and Family; Family Perspectives; Contemporary American Family and Community; Troubled Families;Couples and Family Therapy; Community Mental Health; Power, Conflict, and Family Violence; Sociology of Health and Healthcare; Interpersonal Competence and Communication, Research Methods, and Statistics, among a host of others. I love teaching, but even more so I love creating relationships centered around learning and growth. RESEARCH, WRITING, TRAININGS, CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS My work focuses on prenatal and perinatal psychology and, more specifically, the impact of generational and early experiences on our physical, emotional, and spirit development. Other research/interest areas include conscious parenting; interpersonal and family relationships; individual/family conflict and interpersonal violence; the biopsychosocial impact of pre- and perinatal stress and trauma on the birthing woman/person, fetus/infant/child, husband/partner, and the care provider; facilitating maternal and fetal trauma-informed care as well as post-traumatic growth, healing, and resolution; birth ethics/justice; and family health and health-related decision-making and behaviors. While these topics may initially sound disconnected or widely diverse, those of us who do this work have come to realize and understand on a very profound level that the relationships among and between these different experiences and events, as well as the benefits when things go well and implications when they don't are unmistakable, and often unforgettable. Some may even feel unforgivable. TRAINING After my own three very different birth experiences (schedule cesarean due to breech presentation, hospital VBAC, homebirth VBAC/HBAC) I felt compelled to work with other women and families so that I could support them in having their best birth experience. In turn I trained as a Childbirth Educator and then as a Doula and Birth Attendant. The main reason I wanted to attend births was because my childbirth education students were telling me at their post-birth appointments that while they felt prepared for and were excited about the birth of their baby, "everything changed" when they got to the hospital and they subsequently felt very lost, unsupported, and were often fearful of repeating that experience. For me it meant I could continue to provide them with information and support and a continuity of care that they wouldn't necessarily receive from their care provider.
I continued to teach childbirth classes and attend births at home (as the 'second midwife') and in the hospital (as a Doula) for over thirty years. More recently I have begun to work with mothers/parents and families during the postpartum period and beyond and am currently in the process of officially certifying as a Postpartum Doula with Birth Arts International and a Holistic Family Consultant with The Consciously Parenting Project (https://consciouslyparenting.com).
Early on I developed an appreciation of the benefits of using alternative and complimentary methods to both stay well and heal and in turn have extensively studied and used alternative and complementary healing methods for myself and my family. I also had the opportunity to manage a health food store for a number of years and taught Complementary and Alternative Medicine. As part of ongoing efforts to continually advance and improve my practice and services to clients, I am in the process of certifying in Aromatherapy for Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum with the Heart of Herbs Herbal School.
I have also studied/had formal training in trauma-sensitive mindfulness, polyvagal theory, neurobiology, embryology, somatic experiencing, bonding and attachment and Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy (BCST). I am a certified Reiki Master in the Usui Reiki Ryoho Tradition of Natural Healing and own/operate Peaceful Energy Reiki. CERTIFICATIONS
Prenatal and Perinatal Educator (PPNE)
Childbirth Educator (CCE) & Trainer
Birth Attendant
Doula & Trainer
Trauma Informed Care Practitioner (TICP) & Trainer
BIRTH AND BREASTFEEDING I knew early on I was going to breastfeed my babies (thank you Mrs. Weaver!) but had no idea where that journey would take me. I ended up nursing each of my three daughters almost three years each, and eventually became a La Leche League Leader, a role I served in for over ten years. ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND
Board of Directors (SCNY Region) New York State Perinatal Association (NYSPA)
Chair, Committee on Community and Professional Education
(Previous) Co-Director of Education for the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPPAH), where I administered their Prenatal and Perinatal Educator (PPNE) program and facilitated program development.
Faculty member for HealthConnect One's Birth Equity Leadership Academy (BELA).
I am also adopted and was fortunate enough to find and meet my birth mother before she died. I also got to ask the questions that I had held in my heart for years, e.g., Why did you give me up and did you ever think of me? Through the process of finding my birth family I also discovered 97 new relatives including two half-sisters and a 'full-blood' sister who had also been given up for adoption 3 years before I was born. As a published author and nationally recognized speaker I am available for speaking engagements and can present on a wide variety of topics related to pregnancy and birth, including pregnancy and birth related trauma, prenatal and perinatal psychology, interpersonal and family relationships, parenting, family violence/conflict, and trauma-informed care.
I am also certified in Quality of Life Therapy and Coaching and am the owner and Executive Director of It's Your Life Coaching and Consulting (https://sallydearhealeyphd.com).