Systems Understanding
Learn how maternal healthcare systems, quality improvement efforts, and partnership spaces work — so you can participate with greater clarity and confidence.
Your Experience Matters — And It Can Help Shape Better Care
The Certified Patient Family Partner Training helps moms and families turn lived experience into informed, supported participation in conversations that improve maternal healthcare, support other families, and influence meaningful change.
Whether you're still processing your experience or already looking for ways to get involved, this self-paced training was designed to help you grow confidence, strengthen your voice, and better understand the systems shaping maternal care.
- Self-paced online training
- Trauma-informed approach
- Built for lived experience voices
Partnership Requires Preparation and Support
The experiences of moms and families can help improve communication, safety, trust, and care for future patients — especially when those voices are meaningfully included in conversations about maternal health.
But being asked to share your story and participate in systems conversations can also feel overwhelming. Many people are invited into advocacy spaces without ever being given the support, guidance, or preparation needed to navigate them confidently, safely, or sustainably.
The Certified Patient Family Partner Training was created to help bridge that gap — not by turning moms into professionals or asking them to relive painful experiences for the benefit of others, but by helping participants build confidence, strengthen communication skills, better understand healthcare systems, and explore meaningful ways to contribute at their own pace.
"Lived experience carries insight that healthcare systems cannot learn from data alone."
What You'll Learn
This training combines lived experience, practical advocacy tools, communication support, and systems understanding to help participants grow confidence and participate more meaningfully in maternal health conversations and partnership spaces.
You do not need to have everything figured out before starting.
Communication & Storytelling
Develop tools for sharing your lived experience thoughtfully and safely through storytelling, media opportunities, professional communication, and collaborative conversations.
Advocacy & Participation
Explore meaningful ways to contribute through advocacy, healthcare partnerships, quality improvement work, awareness efforts, and community engagement.
Healing & Emotional Support
Move through storytelling and advocacy work in ways that honor your healing, emotional wellbeing, personal boundaries, and lived experience.
Confidence & Communication Skills
Build confidence in your voice while developing practical tools like speaker preparation, bio writing, advocacy presence, media readiness, and communication skills.
Community & Connection
Connect with other moms, families, and lived experience advocates who understand the complexities of maternal health trauma, healing, and meaningful systems change.
Designed to Support You at Your Own Pace
This training was created with the understanding that healing, caregiving, work, advocacy, and everyday life all require different kinds of emotional and practical capacity. There is no pressure to move quickly or have everything figured out before you begin.
Self-Paced Learning
Move through the training on your own schedule, with the flexibility to pause, revisit, and return to modules when needed.
Virtual & Accessible
Access the training from home with flexible online learning designed to support different schedules, energy levels, and life circumstances.
Trauma-Informed Support
The training was intentionally created to support emotional wellbeing, personal boundaries, and thoughtful participation throughout the experience.
Ongoing Community & Resources
Participants can continue exploring connection, advocacy opportunities, events, and future engagement pathways through the broader MoMMAs Voices community.
At a glance
Format
Self-paced online training
Time Commitment
Approximately 4–6 hours total
Access
Fully virtual and accessible from anywhere
Includes
Storytelling support, systems understanding, advocacy tools, communication guidance, and partnership readiness resources
Designed For
Moms, families, and individuals with lived experience connected to maternal health complications, trauma, loss, or advocacy
Who This Training Is For
There is no single "right" way to arrive at this work. Some participants are still processing their experiences. Others are already involved in advocacy, storytelling, or community support efforts and are looking for more guidance, confidence, or connection.
This training was created for people who want to explore meaningful participation at their own pace — with support, flexibility, and lived experience at the center.
You may be here because…
- you want to better understand what happened during your pregnancy, birth, or postpartum experience
- you're looking for a meaningful way to help other moms and families
- you want to learn how to share your story more safely and confidently
- you've been invited into advocacy or healthcare conversations and want more preparation and support
- you're searching for connection with others who understand maternal health trauma, loss, or complications
- you want to turn lived experience into something that can help shape safer, more compassionate care
This training welcomes:
- moms
- parents
- partners
- family members
- lived experience advocates
connected to maternal health complications, trauma, loss, advocacy, or systems improvement work.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you're wondering whether this training is the right fit for you, these questions may help provide more clarity about the experience, structure, and next steps.
No. This training was created for people with lived experience at many different stages of their journey. Some participants are brand new to advocacy or partnership work, while others are already exploring ways to become more involved.
That's okay — and it's common. You're never asked to relive or perform your pain. You choose what to share and what to keep private, and the trauma-informed pacing lets you slow down or step away whenever you need to. Healing comes first; your voice second.
Most people feel that way at the start. Finding the words is exactly what this work helps with — through gentle storytelling guidance, real examples, and coaching support, you'll learn to shape your experience into a message that feels true to you and lands with others.
Yes. The training is fully self-paced and designed to support different schedules, emotional capacities, and life circumstances. Participants can move through the content gradually and revisit modules as needed.
Cost should never be the reason someone can't take part. We have scholarship funds available to help make the training accessible. If affordability is a concern, please reach out to us — we'll work with you to find a path forward.
Most participants complete the training in approximately 4–6 hours total, though there is no required pace for completion.
Topics include storytelling support, systems understanding, advocacy tools, communication guidance, partnership readiness, emotional wellbeing considerations, and lived experience participation in maternal health improvement efforts.
You're not on your own afterward. You stay connected to a community of lived-experience advocates, ongoing coaching support, and partner matching that helps you step into real advocacy and partnership roles — many of them compensated — when you're ready.
Yes. Beyond the certification, MoMMAs Voices helps match certified partners to advisory roles, advocacy spaces, and healthcare partnership opportunities — connecting your voice to places where it can actually shape care. Many of these engagements are compensated.
No. The training also welcomes parents, partners, family members, and lived experience advocates connected to maternal health complications, trauma, loss, or systems improvement work.
Your Experience Matters — And You Don't Have to Navigate This Alone
Whether you're still processing your experience or already exploring ways to become involved, the Patient Family Partner Training was created to support meaningful participation, connection, and growth at your own pace.