Selena Shelley MA, LMHC, CD(DONA), LCCE

Selena is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and When Survivors Give Birth Approved Trainer. She has a psychotherapy and consultation practice in the Seattle area, and specializes in working with pregnant and postpartum trauma survivors.

Selena was trained and mentored by Penny Simkin and Phyllis Klaus, authors of the groundbreaking book When Survivors Give Birth. She facilitates trainings for perinatal and health professionals – including nurses, psychotherapists, doulas, midwives, social workers, doctors, and sexual assault advocates.

Selena has been working with pregnant, birthing, and postpartum trauma survivors for over 25 years – first as a case manager with teen parents, then as a doula and childbirth educator, and for the past 14 years as a psychotherapist and trauma consultant. She taught a counseling course for the Department of Midwifery at Bastyr University, served on the Prevention and Treatment of Traumatic Childbirth (PATTCh) board, and helped develop and run the Birth Doula Services Program for Open Arms Perinatal Services in Seattle.

In her personal and professional life, Selena has learned how transformative the right kind of support during someone’s pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience can be. To that end, she believes training professionals how to work more easily and effectively with trauma survivors is some of the most important work in perinatal and public health, and is honored to be a When Survivors Give Birth trainer.

Session

PreCon Track B: Birth Stories That Take Root: Trauma-Informed Birth Debriefing for Doulas

Birth is a transformative experience that deeply influences a client’s sense of control, safety, and overall well-being—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. For birth and postpartum doulas, understanding how to support clients in processing their birth story is essential, especially for those with a history of personal, familial, intergenerational, or historical trauma.

This pre-conference session offers expanded time and space to explore the significance of birth debriefing as a vital component of trauma-informed care. Participants will examine common birth and birth trauma triggers and learn practical strategies for debriefing in both the early and later postpartum periods. With additional time built into this session, doulas will have the opportunity to workshop scenarios, engage in guided reflection, and build confidence in offering this essential support.

As part of the When Survivors Give Birth training, this session also explores the connection between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the heightened risk of birth trauma. It highlights the importance of culturally responsive and emotionally attuned care when working with clients who carry these lived experiences. Creating space for clients to process their birth helps them feel seen and heard—an essential part of healing that supports emotional resilience and long-term well-being. For doulas, this practice offers powerful insight into their clients’ evolving needs, supporting a more personalized and equitable approach to care that can extend well beyond the immediate postpartum period.

This pre-con session is part of a 3-session bundle (Track B) and is available as an add-on option to the main conference.