4 Ways Bereavement Doulas Can Use AI to Support Their Work (Without Losing the Heart of It)

Key Takeaways:

• AI can help bereavement doulas write and repurpose emotionally sensitive content when words feel hard to find.

• Practical uses include social media planning, brainstorming, role-play for client scenarios, and back-end business tasks.

• AI is a support tool. It doesn't replace your voice or values, but it can help you work more efficiently and thoughtfully.

  
  

When You’re Emotionally Tapped Out, Let AI Help You Find the Words

Grief work is sacred but it can also be exhausting. When you’re holding space for families experiencing loss, it’s no surprise that your own words sometimes run dry. You might know what you want to say, but everything feels too sharp or too tired to land well.

That’s where AI can gently step in.

Think of it like a brainstorming partner: always available to suggest softer phrases, role-play a client scenario, or offer alternative drafts based on something you’ve already written. You can even ask it to give you feedback on how your words might come across.

✦ Pro tip: If you feel like you’re repeating yourself or can only say things one way, let AI suggest alternatives based on your tone and your original message.

Get More Mileage Out of What You’ve Already Written

Writing from scratch every time? Not sustainable.

If you’ve already created something meaningful, whether it’s a caption, a blog post, or a handout, AI can help you turn it into something new. You stay in control of the voice and message. AI just gives you a few jumping-off points so you’re not reinventing the wheel.

Examples of what AI can help you do:

• Turn a social media caption into a blog post intro

• Rewrite a resource for a different audience (e.g., partners or extended family)

• Rework your class descriptions or grief resources in fresh language for a new season

  
  

✦ Pro tip: Try uploading one of your Instagram posts and asking AI: “Can you turn this into a short newsletter with a similar tone?” Then tweak and send.

Use AI to Brainstorm and Organize (Especially When You’re Feeling Uncreative)

There’s nothing wrong with needing help to get started.

Whether you’re planning content for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month or trying to write a blog during World Breastfeeding Week that touches on grief. AI can help you get unstuck.

Some useful ways to use AI for content planning:

• Generate blog or newsletter topics

• Come up with gentle journal prompts or support group discussion themes

• Analyze your past posts and suggest what to do more of

✦ Pro tip: AI doesn’t need you to know what you want to write. It just needs to know who you’re writing for and what kind of support they need.

Let AI Support the Business Side of Your Doula Work

There’s the heart of the work, and then there’s everything else.

AI can help you save time on administrative tasks so you can spend more of your energy on client care. This is especially useful if you’re running your own practice and managing everything solo.

Here’s how AI can help with business management:

• Write Airtable or spreadsheet formulas

• Summarize survey or intake responses

• Organize your social media analytics and suggest patterns

• Draft a content calendar or system for sending gentle reminders

✦ Pro tip: AI is amazing at logistics. If you’ve got a sticky tech task or a jumble of ideas, it can help you sort it out quickly so you can move on.

Thoughtful Next Step

Using AI isn’t about replacing your wisdom. It’s about having a quiet, nonjudgmental tool that helps you do what you already do, just a little more smoothly.

It can help you think better. Write clearer. Free up time. And most importantly: it can help you serve grieving families without draining your own well dry. Try using the AI or large language model (LLM) of your choice to do one task.

Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH, AdvCD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE

Robin has been supporting families and training doulas for over 30 years. As a childbirth educator, doula trainer, and public health professor, she’s passionate about helping birth professionals build sustainable, ethical businesses without burning out. Robin teaches Ethical AI for Doulas and hosts Doula Office Hours, where she supports doulas at every stage of their career.

You can find her work at DoulaOfficeHours.com or connect on Instagram @RobinEliseWeiss.