Full Course Description

Grief Support Specialist Training: 17-Hour Intensive Online Training for Coaches, Care Providers and Helpers

You feel called to walk alongside those in pain and you know in your heart that guiding someone through grief is deeply meaningful.

But the reality is - you can't get that knowledge, skill and confidence from watching YouTube. You need expert led training.

That’s why we created this training.

You’ll join Ligia Houben — international grief expert, coach, and best‑selling author…

…she’s trained thousands of people, including coaches, therapists, clergy members and caregivers how to hold space for grief, honor the uniqueness of each person’s story, and guide them toward healing.

She’ll take you step‑by‑step through how to understand, support, and accompany grievers — from the early moments following loss into the lifelong journey of meaning-making and reconnection.

If you feel called to this work, now is the time to answer that calling, and become the steady presence someone will never forget.

Program Information

Objectives

Define “loss” and distinguish between primary and secondary losses.
Differentiate tangible vs. intangible losses and describe how each uniquely impacts a person’s grief experience.
Recognize multiple or cumulative losses by mapping a client’s loss history and noting where grief may be compounded.
Explain the differences between grief, bereavement, and mourning.
Identify physical, emotional, social, and spiritual manifestations of grief using a grief‑response checklist.
Differentiate anticipatory, complicated, disenfranchised, and frozen grief and describe how each may present in those seeking support.
Compare major grief models (Kübler-Ross, Worden, Dual Process, Continuing Bonds, Meaning Reconstruction) and identify when each perspective may help normalize a griever’s experience.
Apply reflective prompts or exercises to help individuals explore meaning-making or continuing bonds after a loss.
Describe the unique impacts of losing a child, parent, spouse, or other significant relationship and identify tailored support strategies for each.
Identify common emotional, physical, and spiritual challenges in caregiver grief.
Distinguish solitude from isolation and assess barriers to connection that may increase a griever’s risk of complicated grief.
Identify the benefits and risks of social media in grief.
Recognize language that minimizes grief and practice offering alternative, validating phrases.
Demonstrate basic mindfulness tools (breathing, grounding, body scans) to help people stay present with their grief without overwhelm.
Explain how rituals support grieving and guide individuals in creating simple personal or communal rituals that promote expression and connection.
Apply supportive strategies for grieving individuals going back to the workplace.
Explain how cognitive patterns can intensify suffering and teach basic reframing tools appropriate for non‑clinical support roles.
Identify common unhealthy coping patterns in grief and guide individuals toward healthier, more adaptive behaviors using simple skills training.
Demonstrate how to build a basic grief-care toolbox, including movement, breathwork, journaling, and grounding techniques for everyday use.
Outline the steps to create and facilitate a grief support group.

Outline

Loss 101: What is Loss

Losses beyond bereavement
Addressing misconceptions about loss
Primary and secondary losses
Tangible vs. intangible losses
Multiple Loss-History of Losses
Specific Losses and Their Impact

Understanding Grief as a Unique and Natural Process

Grief is not linear, predictable, or a problem to fix
Dimensions of grief: physical, emotional, social, and spiritual
Manifestations of grief checklist
Grief vs. Bereavement vs. Mourning
Types of Grief
- Anticipatory Grief
- Complicated Grief
- Disenfranchised Grief
- Frozen Grief
Misconceptions about grief
The harm in rushing or silencing grief

Perspectives and Models of Grief

Kübler-Ross Model
Worden’s Tasks of Mourning
Dual Process Model
Continuing Bonds
Meaning Reconstruction
Case examples
Reflection exercises
Journal prompts

Specific Losses: Supporting Those Who’ve Lost Children, Parents, Spouses, and More

Loss of a child
Loss of a spouse
Loss of a parent
Supporting children and adolescents
Life transitions and identity loss

Caregiver Grief: Emotional, Physical, and Spiritual Challenges

Anticipatory grief
Loss of identity and lifestyle
Isolation in caregiving
Resentment and guilt
Grief after caregiving ends
Transforming the caregiving journey

Loneliness, Isolation, and Reconnection in Grief

Solitude vs. isolation
The role of support systems
Qualities of effective support
Overcoming barriers to support
Maintaining healthy boundaries
Strategies for reconnection after loss
Digital connection opportunities
Recognizing complex grief
Cultivating compassionate presence

Grief in the Digital Age:

What Helping Professionals Need to Know

How technology has transformed mourning
New ways of connection and visibility
Creating meaning with online memorials
Social media and grief – benefits and risks
The power of online support networks
Ethical guidelines and boundaries
Keys to balancing public and private grief
AI in grief support

Language, Denial, and Avoidance:

A Guide for Grief Support Professionals on What Helps and What Hurts

Why words matter
“Time heals everything,” and other phrases to avoid
Real-life examples of how words can minimize and invalidate
Alternative phrases and validating words
Reflection questions for clients
Working with denial as a common response to loss

Mindfulness and Grief:

Simple Tools to Help People Be Present with Their Grief

Acknowledging grief rather than suppressing or avoiding
Core principles of grieving mindfully
Mindful breathing strategies
Body scans
A simple meditation to use with grievers
Practicing mindful listening

Rituals in the Grieving Process:

Healing, Structure, and Meaning During Times of Loss

How rituals create space for expression, validation, and connection
Funerals and celebrations of life
Burial vs. cremation
Personal rituals after loss
Letter writing
Creating a memory box
Rituals of light
Rituals of nature

Grief in the Workplace

Presence in leadership
The role of managers
How to support effectively
Gradual readjustment upon work return

Grief and the Mind:

Educating Grievers on How Thoughts Create Suffering…and What Helps

How the brain filters grief
How thoughts create suffering
The cycle of rumination
Narratives that deepen suffering
CBT tools to shift the mind and reframe thoughts

Living Again After Loss:

Common Unhealthy Behaviors in Grief and How to Change Them

Skills to:
- Stay present
- Tolerate distress
- Manage emotions
- Improve relationships
Mindful behavior analysis
From reaction to response
How healing behaviors become self-reinforcing

Practical Tools for Supporting Grievers:

A Grief Care Toolbox for Healing and Resilience

Grounding exercises to reconnect with the body
Breathing techniques
Journaling prompts
Movement and embodied healing
Building a Grief Care toolbox
Simple self-care practices for grievers
Connection and support

Transforming Grief through Art:

Simple Activities and Creative Outlets to Support Healthy Grief

Why creative outlets are important in grief
Visual art and performing arts
Creating a memory box
Drawing and painting your emotions
Crafting and scrapbooking
Overcoming the “I’m not an artist” mindset and other barriers
Guiding emotional expression in grief

Dreams, Signs, and Ongoing Connection in Grief:

Supporting Grievers Who Believe in After Death Communication (ADC)

Beliefs found across cultures, faith, and time
Normal and validates the need for continuing bonds
ADC in the healing process
Dreams as ADC
Research on After Death Communication
Ethics and cultural sensitivity

Navigating Grief During the Holidays

Holiday grief triggers
The expectations of others during the holidays
Your role as a supporter and a compassionate witness
Creating an action plan
Acknowledging the empty chair
Creating a memory table

Integration: Living with Grief – A Lifelong Journey

Making grief a part of your life story without defining you
How grief changes over time
Signs of healthy adjustment
Staying connected to the deceased
Supporting identity after loss
The power of meaning-making
Hope and renewal

How to Create and Facilitate a Grief Support Group

The purpose of grief support groups
The role of the facilitator
Tips for creating the space
Key guidelines
The 90-minute session flow
How to start your group
Marketing with heart
Self-care

Target Audience

People who feel called to support others through grief.
Coaches
Educators and support‑group facilitators
Clergy, faith leaders, and spiritual caregivers
Nurses, hospice workers, palliative‑care providers, and caregivers