Qualifications & Training
- Masters in Psychology
- Trained with Dr Michel Odent
- Pre- and perinatal psychology with APPPAH
- When Survivors Give Birth practitioner training with Simkin & Klaus
Michaela Kalusova
Founder and Lead Trainer
Michaela has spent 14 years supporting women through the transformative experiences of pregnancy, labour, and the postpartum period. Her practice is built on a deep integration of clinical understanding and psychological insight, ensuring that care is as safe emotionally as it is clinically.
The SAFER Birth Project grew from a pattern Michaela kept seeing in her clinical practice: women who had prepared thoroughly for birth, whose labour was progressing normally, but who suddenly seemed to 'go somewhere else'. Their bodies were responding to something that standard birth preparation could not reach—the memory of previous trauma.
Today, Michaela provides specialist training to NHS trusts, independent practitioners, and maternity teams. She is dedicated to equipping professionals with the practical, clinical tools needed to recognise trauma responses and provide care that restores the safety and dignity that survivors deserve.
Michaela Kalusova
Founder and Lead Trainer
Michaela draws on 14 years supporting women through pregnancy, labour, and postpartum. She holds a Masters in Psychology and has trained with Dr Michel Odent. Her background includes pre- and perinatal psychology with APPPAH and specialist 'When Survivors Give Birth' practitioner training with Penny Simkin and Phyllis Klaus.
The SAFER Birth Project grew from a pattern she kept seeing: women who had prepared thoroughly for birth, whose labour was progressing normally, but who had 'gone somewhere else.' Their bodies were responding to clinical environments in ways that preparation could not reach, highlighting a critical gap in trauma-informed maternity care.
METHODOLOGY
The Universal Care Principle
SAFER Birth Training is built upon a standard of care that assumes trauma history may be present in any clinical encounter. By adopting this as our baseline methodology, we remove the burden of disclosure from the survivor and provide maternity professionals with a safe, clinical path forward.
We bridge the physical requirements of maternity care with the psychological necessity of felt safety. This shift—from ‘what is wrong with you’ to ‘how we can safely support you today’—restores agency while reducing practitioner moral injury when care might inadvertently cause harm.