Overview
The need for childhood grief support
One in eleven children will experience the death of a parent or sibling before age 18. That’s before accounting for the millions more navigating grief from divorce, incarceration, abandonment, natural disaster, or the loss of someone outside the immediate family.
Grief that goes unaddressed shapes behavior, learning, relationships, and long-term wellbeing. Children who lack adequate support after a loss are at greater risk for depression, anxiety, academic struggles, social withdrawal, and substance use later in life. The absence of a caring, informed adult can leave a mark that lasts for decades.
You can be the adult who changes that trajectory.
This online children’s grief certificate equips you with the tools, frameworks, and confidence to meet grieving children where they are. Not with the perfect words, but with the skills to create safety, open communication, and genuine support.
What You’ll Learn
Be the person who knows what to do
When a child loses someone important to them, they look to the adults in their lives for cues. When those adults are uncomfortable, avoidant, or unsure, children learn that grief is something to leave unaddressed.
This training changes that.
Over four weeks, you will build a practical, evidence-informed foundation for supporting children ages 6–18 through grief and loss. By the end of this program, you will be able to:
- Recognize how grief presents across developmental stages from early childhood through adolescence.
- Use the Dual Process Model of Grief to normalize children’s natural movement between grief and restoration, avoiding expectations of constant sadness or closure.
- Differentiate between grief as a natural response to loss and grief complicated by trauma.
- Apply trauma-informed principles, emotional safety, pacing, and regulation before reflection when supporting grieving children.
- Validate losses that often go unseen, from divorce to incarceration.
- Strengthen caregiver-child relationships as a protective factor in grief outcomes, supporting connection, consistency, and co‑regulation.
- Recognize the influence of social determinants of health on children’s grief experiences and access to healing supports.
- Support children across diverse cultural backgrounds with humility and flexibility.
- Maintain healthy professional boundaries and sustainable self-care practices.
- Demonstrate increased confidence and preparedness to support grieving children ethically, compassionately, and effectively within families, schools, and community settings.
UVM offers the Childhood Grief Support Certificate 3 times per year.
| Session | Course Dates | Registration Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | 10/26/26 – 11/22/26 | 10/19/26 | Open |
| Spring | 4/12/27 – 5/9/27 | 4/5/27 | Pending |
| Summer | 7/26/27 – 8/22/27 | 7/19/27 | Pending |
Why UVM
Built for working professionals
100% online and asynchronous, with weekly deadlines and optional live touchpoints and discussion boards for shared learning.
Evidence-based approach
Grounded in well-established research frameworks and grief support models, including Seasons for Growth, the Family Bereavement Program, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), play-based grief interventions, and community-based bereavement models.
Immediately applicable
Frameworks and practices you can put to work right away in classrooms, community programs, homes, and care settings.
Part of a broader pathway
Connects to UVM PACE’s established End-of-Life Care and Grief programs for those who want to go deeper, including UVM’s Grief and Bereavement Specialist Professional Certificate.
Trauma-informed
Support children without forcing disclosure or processing, honoring each child’s natural pace, developmental stage, and lived experience.
Build credibility
Receive a UVM certificate upon completion from a university people trust. Taught by an established national leader in grief and end-of-life education.
Admission
This certificate is ideal if you are:
- An educator, teacher, or school administrator
- A school counselor or paraprofessional
- A social worker or human services professional
- A childcare worker, foster parent, or family caregiver
- A faith leader, coach, or youth program director
- A hospice volunteer or end-of-life care provider
- A grief professional looking to specialize in childhood bereavement
No clinical license is required. This childhood grief certificate is designed for non-clinical professionals and community members who want to show up more effectively for the children in their care.
Childhood Grief in the U.S.
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1 in 11 children will lose a parent or sibling before age 18. Judi’s House / JAG Institute
Depression and substance abuse are more common in bereaved children within the first two years of loss than in their non-bereaved peers. A critical time for support. American Journal of Psychiatry -
92% of educators want to do more for grieving students, but many have never received grief training. New York Life Foundation State of Grief Report
Access to grief support in the U.S. is deeply unequal, and research confirms that children experience and express grief differently than adults, making specialized, trained support essential. An Overview of Bereavement and Grief Services in the United States, ASPE Report to Congress
Curriculum
This 4-week course is online and asynchronous. There will not be scheduled class times during the week, but you will be expected to progress through each module as a class, with assignments due at regular intervals each week.
This includes:
- Self-paced modules with multimedia lessons due weekly
- Reflective writing and applied activities to reflect on their skills and abilities
- Discussion boards for shared learning and integration
- Optional live instructor touchpoint opportunities
- A directory of multimedia resources to support further learning
Instructor
FAQ
No. The Childhood Grief Support Professional Certificate is intentionally designed for non-licensed caring adults, including teachers, paraprofessionals, faith leaders, youth workers, coaches, foster parents, and hospice volunteers. It does not qualify participants for clinical licensure or therapy practice, and no prior credentials are required to enroll.
Grief counseling is a clinical service provided by licensed mental health professionals. Grief support is the relational, practical, and emotional assistance that any caring adult can offer to someone who is grieving. This program prepares you to provide grief support, creating emotionally safe spaces, communicating with compassion, and strengthening your confidence as a supportive presence, not to practice grief counseling or therapy.
UVM’s Grief and Bereavement Specialist Professional Certificate addresses broad-audience adult bereavement support. The Childhood Grief Support Professional Certificate is specifically focused on supporting children ages 6–18 through grief and loss. The two programs serve different but complementary audiences and can be taken together as a stackable credential pathway.
This program focuses on supporting children ages 6–18, with attention to how grief presents differently across childhood and adolescence, including behavioral, emotional, relational, and physiological manifestations.
Yes. Teachers, school counselors, and paraprofessionals are among the primary audiences for grief training like this. The program includes practical tools for recognizing grief in school settings, communicating with children in developmentally appropriate ways, and supporting students without overstepping the scope of your role.
Yes. Students will need to purchase How Children Grieve: What Adults Miss, and What They Can Do to Help (2024) by Corinne Masur and The Anxious Generation (2024) by Jonathan Haidt.
Copies of these books can be purchased online or at your local bookstore. It also may be available through your local library.
No. The course is fully online and asynchronous, but it is broken down into 4 modules that will be worked through together week by week as a class. You are welcome to read ahead, but there will be assignments and discussions (including responsive discussions) that will open week by week. Each module is designed to build upon what was learned in previous modules.
If a student needs to cancel their attendance, they must do so at least 10 business days prior to the start date of the course to receive a 75% refund. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made after this 10-business day deadline. Student cancellation requests can be initiated through the Modern Campus LLEE student portal.
Weekly office hours will be made available by your instructor.
Yes, this program is eligible for 4.5 UVM PACE Continuing Education Units (CEUs). These CEUs are automatically awarded to students who successfully complete the program. CEUs are listed on the downloadable certificate you can access through your Modern Campus LLEE student portal.
Many professional organizations, licensing boards, or certifying bodies accept CEUs from accredited providers like the University of Vermont, but acceptance is not automatic and varies by organization. Professionals should always verify in advance with their specific regulating body or association whether the CEUs from the particular UVM course you are taking will count toward their requirements.
To request recognition of UVM PACE CEUs with your professional organization:
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- Download or request an official certificate or verification letter for the completed course/program.
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- Submit the official UVM documentation directly to your professional organization, licensing board, or certifying body through their required process (often an online portal, application form, or mailed packet).
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- Include any additional materials they may require, such as course descriptions, agendas, or learning objectives (available on the program webpage or by request to PACE).
If your organization requires specific formatting or additional verification, contact UVM PACE at learn@uvm.edu or (802) 656-2085, and we will be happy to assist with documentation. Early confirmation with your professional body is recommended to avoid any delays in CEU approval.
If you are a non-credit student seeking accessibility support, please email access@uvm.edu and the UVM Student Accessibility Services team will be able to assist. In your email, please include that you do not have a 95 number/NetID.
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- Have questions about taking an online or distance education course? Visit the Online and Distance Education FAQ page
The Childhood Grief Support Professional Certificate is 4 weeks long. There are 4 modules, each spanning one week. Each module starts on Mondays at 9:00 AM and ends on Sundays at 11:59 PM. To better accommodate students’ work and life schedules, we provide early access to each module on the Friday before the module starts. You will continue to have access to the course for six months after the last day of the course.
For most modules, you will be expected to post to the discussion boards by Friday and/or Sunday and to complete a quiz by Sunday. Any module assignments will also be due on Sunday.
We estimate that you will dedicate 7-10 hours per week on course work, which includes readings, videos, and related activities (e.g., discussions, assignments, and quizzes).
The course is delivered through UVM’s online learning platform called Brightspace.
It’s important to note that Brightspace will only work with a desktop or laptop computer. It is not designed to be used with phones or tablets (e.g., iPads), so please make sure you have access to a desktop and/or laptop computer for the duration of the class.
Our Advisors are here to help. Please call us at 802-656-2085 or submit the inquiry form available on this site.
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