West Coast Foundation Training
Upcoming Ojai Foundation Training
Begins February 2027
Dates for Current Training T-17
Module A on zoom; Modules 1-8 at Sane Living Center in downtown Ojai, CA, (online/hybrid available for Modules 1-8 only in unusal circumstances such as world crises/lockdowns)
- 2023: Dec 2-6 (Module A only on zoom, no in-person)
- 2024: February 08-14 (Module 1)
- 2024: May 30-June 5 (Module 2)
- 2024: November 14-20 (Module 3)
- 2025: February 20-26 (Module 4)
- 2025: May 29 – June 4 (Module 5)
- 2025: Oct 16-22 (Module 6)
- 2026: February 19-25 (Module 7)
- 2026: May 14-20 (Module 8)
Trainers
Mary Jackson, RN, LM, RCST®
Mary began as a home birth midwife in 1975, as a part of the trailblazing movement to bring home birth back into the mainstream in the US. She was a primary collaborator with Ray for almost 20 years through ‘About Connections’ work with families and co-facilitating and teaching. She brings to the work a deep understanding of preparation for conception and birth, birth facilitation, bonding & attachment, the ‘Circle of Security.’
Mary has been married since 1987 and is the mother of 2 children who were born at home. She attended over 2,500 births in the Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Ojai, California areas including the home births of her second generation of babies. In the first year after incorporating these pre and perinatal approaches in her midwifery practice her home to hospital transfer rate went from 20% to 6 %.
She is an approved Castellino Womb Surround Facilitator and co-teaches the Castellino Pre and Perinatal Foundation Training (in Ojai, CA & in Spain), the Family Practitioner Training, the Sequencing workshop and Supervision groups for graduates. She is SE trained, a certificed craniosacral therapist (BCST) and is trained in Circle of Security. She has offered womb surrounds in 10 countries. She is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences and has led workshops and trainings throughout the world.
Tara Blasco, Ph.D, RCST®
Tara Blasco has a Ph.D in prenatal and perinatal psychology from the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute, and has worked at the BEBA clinic since 2001. She is the current director of BEBA (Building and Enhancing Bonding and Attachment) and was the co-director with Ray Castellino until he passed in Dec 2020. She is the in-person facilitator for families at the Ojai BEBA clinic and offers online sessions as well as offering a mentoring program for graduates which she developed in the BEBA style approach. She co-wrote and coordinated the writing & publication of BEBA’s book: “Supporting Families to Integrate their Birth Experiences.”
Tara is a certified craniosacral therapist. She is an approved Castellino Womb Surround Facilitator and co-teaches the Castellino Pre and Perinatal Foundation Training (in Ojai, CA & in Spain), the Family Practitioner Training, the Sequencing workshop and Supervision groups for graduates. She organized all the Spain Foundation Trainings and brings organizational skills to the continuation of Castellino Training. She is the co-director with her husband Lyn Hebenstreit, of the non-profit organization Global Resource Alliance dedicated to supporting orphans and the families who take them in by bringing wells, permaculture organic gardens, tree planting, herbs, educational support and more to communities in the Mara region of Tanzania.
Application Process for T17 consists of 3 steps
Applicants are required to be able to download WORD or rtf files for the application and throughout the training. Please do not mail hard copies. You may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print handouts
1. Take a womb surround or sequencing workshop or determine what Womb Surround or Sequencing Workshop you can take.
You are welcome to contact Sandra if you want support in finding what is appropriate for you. The Womb Surround or Sequencing workshop may be taken after Module A. Module A is part of T17 so if you are applying or considering applying and haven’t taken a womb surround by the end of November, take Module A. You can interview BEFORE taking a Womb Surround and receive provisional acceptance.
2. Sign up for an interview with Mary and Tara by contacting Sandra.
APPLICATION INTERVIEWS are available with Mary and Tara by appointment for those who have completed the full application process which consists of submitting an application, a womb surround form, a photo and an application fee. Please contact Sandra Castellino at sandra@castellinotraining.com for booking an interview and receiving applications. The next open interview times are AFTER Module A so if considering taking the training, please plan to take Module A as a stand alone workshop by signing up online. The November interview times are full. The December and January interview times are.
- December 14th (Thursday) morning Pacific Time 11:30 am
- January 9th (Tuesday) afternoon Pacific Time 3:00, 3:30, maybe 4:00 pm
- January 18-30th? to be decided – for those taking the Sequencing workshop who don’t know now that they want to apply.
3. Send the 4 parts of the application to Sandra
Please send the 3 items, preferably together, as well as the fee to sandra@castellinotraining.com by 3 days before your interview: APPLICATION INFORMATION & APPLICATION FORM are available to download in WORD or RTF
- A COLOR PHOTO that has strong enough resolution to crop to a headshot
- A WOMB SURROUND FORM. If you don’t have a form you already filled in to take a womb surround, download and fill in the Womb Surround Form in WORD or RTF format
- APPLICATION FEE: $105
Student Contract for T17
Please read this before applying.Please download the T17 Student Contract for all information about timing, location, commitment required, payment due dates, late fees, course material, confidentiality, videotaping, making up missed work, etc. For those who have received notification of acceptance into the training, please download the student contract in pdf or WORD. You can print the last page of the WORD document or pdf, sign it and snail mail it or scan and email it to sandra@castellinotraining.com. We do NOT receive faxes. This must be received by the due date for the first deposit or be mailed 5 days before it is due along with the deposit check/paypal/credit card to complete registration.
Costs for the T17 Foundation Training
The deposit is in 2 sections: a non-refundable deposit will hold your place, then a larger deposit due in September. Then 9 payments are due 1 month before each module including Module A.
There is a price break for paying by check, cash, money order rather than by Paypal. Check /money order payments are considered on time if they originate by 5 days before the due date OR are received by the due date. Originate means initiate wires, paypal, postmark (mail) checks, Money Orders
How to Pay
All payments for the training itself, once accepted, will be sent to Sandra Castellino: Payments by Paypal or Zelle to sandra(at)castellinotraining.com, payments by check, cashiers check or Money Order, make out to Castellino Training, Corp, mail to 1105 N Ontare Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. A 2nd deposit is due in September. Then payments for the Modules are due one month in advance. Checks should be postmarked 5 days (7 days if from out of the USA) before the due date to be considered ontime Late fees apply.
| Date Postmark for mailing | Date Due for Paypal/cash/Zelle | Price Paypal | Price check/MO/cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| (1st deposit) 2 weeks from email acceptance to hold your place | (1st deposit) 3 weeks from email acceptance to hold your place | $695 | $670 |
| (2nd deposit) 2 weeks from email acceptance | (2nd deposit) 3 weeks from email acceptance | $1645 | $1595 |
| (Module A) Not available unless you don’t have PayPal | (Module A) by November 30, earlier is better | $625 | not available |
| (Module 1) 01/03/24 | (Module 1) 01/08/24 | $1249 | $1199 |
| (Module 2) 04/25/24 | (Module 2) 04/30/24 | $1249 | $1199 |
| (Module 3) 10/10/24 | (Module 3) 10/15/24 | $1249 | $1199 |
| (Module 4) 1/15/25 | (Module 4) 1/21/25 | $1249 | $1199 |
| (Module 5) 4/24/25 | (Module 5) 4/29/25 | $1249 | $1199 |
| (Module 6) 9/11/25/td> | (Module 6) 9/16/25 | $1249 | $1199 |
| (Module 7) 1/14/26 | (Module 7) 1/19/26 | $1249 | $1199 |
| (Module 8) 4/09/26 | (Module 8) 4/14/26 | $1249 | $1199 |
| Total cost | $12,957 | $12,456 |