Overview
You’re here because you’ve likely seen or experienced the devastation grief can cause and know that there isn’t a way to simply “move on.” And yet, you’ve also seen the growth and peace people can find over time when they work through their grief with help.
Peer support groups are among the most effective ways to help people move through grief, yet they remain hard to find.
That’s why UVM created the Grief & Bereavement Specialist Certificate: to give professionals the knowledge and skills to confidently guide others through grief and to meet this growing community need.
Whether you’re a healthcare professional, mental health practitioner, educator, clergy member, or community leader, this grief training program equips you to confidently lead grief support groups and foster healing in your community.
Graduates of this program will:
- Gain an in-depth understanding of the psychological aspects of grief, types of grief, the history of grieving practices, and cultural considerations.
- Develop the skills to structure and facilitate peer support groups in community centers, schools, hospitals, or faith-based organizations.
- Build confidence in addressing grief within your profession, whether working with patients, clients, students, or congregants.
- Learn how to create a supportive, structured environment that fosters healing and meaningful connections.
“Most people are looking for a group rather than individual grief therapy. This course empowers professionals and community members to meet that need, providing structure and confidence in leading peer support groups.”
— Matilda Garrido, Program Developer & Instructor
Register for our upcoming Information Session: Wednesday, April 30, 2025. 7:30pm
Learn MoreWhat sets UVM apart
One of the Only Comprehensive Grief Training Programs
Unlike other grief support training programs, UVM’s certificate provides both theoretical knowledge and practical facilitation skills, allowing graduates to design their own grief support groups.
Academic Credibility
The program offers an academically rigorous curriculum that incorporates historical grief practices, psychology, and community-based support.
Real-World Application
Students learn to apply their knowledge immediately, whether they work in hospitals, schools, community organizations, or faith-based settings.
Join our growing community
- A Pioneer in End-of-Life Education
- 4,000+ graduates of our Professional Certificate program
UVM has set the standard for excellence in end-of-life doula education with programs that consistently fill to capacity and robust opportunities for alumni to engage with our larger community.
Thousands of professionals have trusted UVM to guide their journey in providing compassionate end-of-life care. Our grief specialist training gives our community added tools to help the people they serve.
How does this program differ from the End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate?
The End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate prepares individuals to directly support those approaching death and their families. The Grief & Bereavement Specialist Certificate, on the other hand, focuses on the post-death bereavement process and grief support training so professionals can create peer support groups for those experiencing loss.
If you are new to end-of-life care, we recommend completing the End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate first. This foundational knowledge of death and dying will enhance your ability to provide meaningful grief support.
Admissions
Who should register?
This program is designed for professionals and community members who wish to deepen their understanding of the history, theory and practice of grief and mourning and lead meaningful support groups, including:
- End-of-life doulas
- Clergy and spiritual care providers
- Social workers, counselors, psychologists, and therapists
- Nurses, physicians, and palliative care specialists
- School counselors and educators
- Funeral directors and funeral staff
- Community volunteers supporting the bereaved
Due to the aging of the population, there is and will continue to be a growing need for community-based grief support services. Research and data has consistently shown that peer-support groups, facilitated by a trained provider, are most meaningful and helpful for participants.
Prior knowledge recommendation: Though this course does not have formal prerequisites, students should have foundational knowledge of end-of-life care. If you are new to this field, we recommend completing UVM’s End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate first before enrolling in the Grief and Bereavement Specialist Professional Certificate.
Grief and Bereavement Specialist Certificate Info Session
Register for our upcoming Information Session: Wednesday, April 30, 2025. 7:30pm
Learn MoreCurriculum
Comprehensive training in grief theory and group facilitation
This eight-week grief and bereavement training program offers a structured, evidence-based approach to grief education, covering both historical and contemporary perspectives on bereavement using a blend of asynchronous learning and self-reflection exercises.
Course topics include grief and mourning practices, special populations and their different needs as well as developing a peer-support community-based bereavement group.
While the course is self-paced, there are opportunities for collaboration with three live virtual sessions and a discussion board that encourages community-building and deeper connection with the course materials.
Schedule of Sessions
Grief and Bereavement Specialist Professional Certificate
| Session | Dates | Registration Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Session | 08/18/25 – 10/12/25 | 08/11/25 | Open |
| Spring Session | TBD | TBD |
Register now to secure your seat.
“Grief makes people uncomfortable, and many don’t know what to do, so they back away from the griever to avoid doing the wrong thing. This course helps professionals and community leaders gain the confidence that the support they’re offering is meaningful while also helping others to feel more comfortable being around others who are grieving.”
— Matilda Garrido, Program Developer & Instructor
Instructors
Our instructors bring extensive experience in grief counseling and group facilitation, offering students both academic knowledge and real-world insights.
Group Registration Offer – 15% Discount
We are excited to offer a 15% discount for group registrations of 10 or more participants from the same organization. This is a great opportunity to upskill your team while saving on training costs!
How it works:
- Register 10 or more participants from the same organization to receive a 15% discount on the total course fee. The discounted fee is $760.75 per student.
- All participants must be registered together under the same organization to qualify for the discount.
Next steps:
- Please fill out the Group Registration Interest Form.
- Please email a purchase order to PACEFinance@uvm.edu for your group registration with a list of the students to register, including email addresses.
- Once we receive the purchase order, we will issue an invoice for payment.
- Please mail check payment to UVM PACE, 23 Mansfield Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401.
- Once payment is made, you will receive an employer discount code to share with your employees so they can self-register for the course. The discount code will be limited to the number of paid students.
- Please submit a new purchase order to add additional students.
Please note:
- No refunds will be issued once payment is completed.
- Students will be placed into different class sections if no specific request for placement is made
Please email learn@uvm.edu if you have any questions.
FAQ
Learn about options for discounts, grants, loans, scholarships, and more on our tuition and financial aid page.
There will be suggested books (TBD) for the course overall as well as required articles for each module. There will be an overall bibliography for the course itself as well as specific bibliographies for each module if students want to dive in further.
No. Non-credit courses do not currently qualify for tuition remission.
No, we do not have payment plans, you must pay in full by credit card when you register.
If a student needs to cancel their attendance, they must notify us via email at learn@uvm.edu or call us at (802) 656-2085 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 deadline.
This program is offered three times per year.
No prior experience is required, but this program is especially beneficial for professionals already working in healthcare, counseling, education, or community leadership. If you are new to this field, we recommend completing UVM’s End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate first before enrolling in the Grief & Bereavement Specialist Certificate.
The Grief and Bereavement Specialist Certificate course is eight weeks long. There are eight 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 at least 8-10 hours per week for course work, including readings, videos, and related activities (discussions, assignments, quizzes).
Please note: You might invest more time in the first two or three weeks of the course as you learn how to navigate the course content, pace your learning (ex. which discussion posts do you need to read?), and complete the module activities.
Yes, the program includes optional Zoom sessions covering:
Session 1: Cultural sensitivity
Session 2: Modern bereavement theory in action
Session 3: Support for the facilitator
The optional, ungraded live sessions are not recorded in an effort to foster open and honest communication and to maintain confidentiality. Dates and times are announced at the beginning of each cohort. We try to offer the sessions on different days and at different times to accommodate the variety of schedules.
The course focuses on all kinds of grief related to the loss of humans, both pre- and post-death. The course does include examples of non-human loss.
The course briefly addresses pet loss as an example of disenfranchised grief. However, the course does not focus on pet loss grief. It focuses on grief related to loss of humans, both pre- and post-death.
If you are interested in end-of-life care for pets, we recommend looking into UVM’s Companion Animal End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate.
The focus of the course is on helping someone lead a peer support grief group. Fortunately, many of the skills and much of the course material also apply to work with individuals because groups are made up of individuals!
For example, the guiding principles in supporting someone, the core concepts related to grief and bereavement theory, the strategies for creating a safe environment for individual experiences of grief, the alternative means for expressing feelings and emotions of grief through supportive techniques and creative modalities, etc…these can all apply to individual work.
As an affiliate of UVM’s Osher Center for Integrative Health, Graduates of UVM’s End-of-Life Doula certificate programs can take advantage of the following:
- Once the new Osher Center for Integrative Health Practitioner Network directory launches (Summer 2025), you will be able to create a free profile and connect your work with professionals in the field.
- Attend or Present at a Laura Mann Integrative Healthcare Lecture Series
- Invitation to join the academic consortium for integrative medicine and health
- Access to the Osher Collaborative which includes education, research, and networking among an international group of eleven academic Centers funded by The Bernard Osher Foundation to study, teach, and practice integrative healthcare.
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.
- Have questions about taking an online or distance education course? Visit the Online and Distance Education FAQ page
- Have more basic questions about Professional and Distance Education? Visit our About Us and FAQs pages.
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