Become a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist
Whether you’ve been through loss yourself or you’re a professional who wants better tools — get the training, credentials, and complete toolkit to help people move beyond grief.
1.5M+
People Helped by Certified Specialists
15K+
Specialists Trained
8+
Years of Research & Evidence
4-Day
Live Training Program
Why This Matters
Most people who want to help grievers were never given the right tools
Good Intentions Aren’t Enough
Wanting to help someone who is grieving is natural. But without the right framework, even the most caring people default to clichés that leave grievers feeling more alone.
Grief Is Bigger Than Death
Divorce, job loss, health changes, estrangement, pet loss, addiction — there are more than 40 types of loss, and most programs only address one.
You Experience It Yourself First
During certification, you work through one of your own losses using the method. You leave not only trained — but personally transformed.
The Method
A structured, action-based program that gives people the tools to move beyond loss
Guided by a certified specialist, you’ll work through a proven process that turns emotional pain into lasting recovery — not just talking, but real action steps that create real change.
Grief Education →
Become aware of the patterns you develop to deal with loss—including "myths," avoidant behaviors, and the pretense that you're "fine"—all of which keep you from healing.
Discover your Losses →
Construct a Loss History Graph, a powerful visual map of every significant loss in your life, and discover the emotions you still carry with respect to your losses.
Learn the Actions →
Guided by a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, learn the specific actions needed to process and complete your relationship with the pain of loss.
Complete the Work →
Release emotional pain by working through structured exercises, allowing you to express what you wish had been different or better, or never got a chance to say.
Live your life →
Experience emotional completeness—a measurable shift from pain to hope, allowing you to open your heart once again.
Attending this training was a life-changing event, for my personal life and to help others.
— Certified Grief Recovery Method Specialist
Who This Is For?
People from all backgrounds
Our training attracts people from remarkably diverse backgrounds, united by a shared commitment: giving grievers tools that actually work.
Grievers With a Passion to Help
Many of our most passionate specialists experienced profound loss themselves and are driven to ensure others don’t suffer in silence. No degree required.
Learn more →Therapists, Counselors & Social Workers
An action-based grief framework to complement your clinical practice. Many tell us GRM filled a gap their graduate training never addressed.
Learn more →Professional Coaches
Add a powerful, evidence-based grief recovery modality to your practice. Grief underlies many client struggles, and this gives you the tools to address it directly.
Learn more →Hospice & Healthcare Workers
Nurses, chaplains, and care professionals who sit with grief daily and want structured tools, not just presence, to offer families and patients.
Learn more →Clergy & Funeral Professionals
Those who are often the first point of contact after a loss and want to offer lasting support beyond the service.
Learn more →Educators & Community Leaders
Teachers, school counselors, HR professionals, and community organizers who want to create safe spaces for people processing loss.
Learn more →Hear From Specialists
What Certified Specialists Have to Say
Watch: What This Certification Is Really About
What led you to become a Specialist?
What was the value of the training?
Common Results using GRM
Support after the training
How We Compare
This isn’t a typical grief course
Beyond Foundational
Two ways to deepen your training
Both build directly on Foundational. Pick the format that fits how you want to launch your practice.
The Next Step
Advanced Certification
Advanced builds directly on Foundational. You receive everything in the 4-day training, plus additional training, formats, and a complete tech stack to build a professional practice.
What Advanced adds
- +18 hours of additional online training on all four lesson plans
- +5 additional online-specific lesson plans
- +The Advanced Specialist badge on your public directory profile
- +149 marketing coaching videos and practice-building resources
- +A complete tech stack for running your Specialist practice
New to the Grief Recovery Method? Start with the Foundational overview above ↑
Compare Our Training Packages
Choose the certification level that fits your goals
Foundational
Certified Specialist
Best for individuals and professionals who want to become certified, build basic competency, and are comfortable implementing independently.
- ✓ 32 hours of live training (4 days)
- ✓ 5 program lesson plans
- ✓ All 5 Grief Recovery books (US only)
- ✓ Certified Specialist credential
- ✓ Directory listing + microsite
Full Details
- ✓ 32 hours of livestream, experiential group training over four consecutive days on Zoom
- ✓ 1-hour kick-off call
- ✓ One year of unlimited email, phone, and Zoom support
- ✓ 5 Grief Recovery Method Program Lesson Plans and Homework including: 7-Session One-on-One, 8-Session Group, 6-Session Pet Loss, 4-Session Helping Children with Loss, and 4-Session Alumni Program
- ✓ An editable microsite on griefrecoverymethod.com including: bio, photo, contact info, testimonials, video introduction, social media links, event management, and payment functionality
- ✓ Inclusion in our searchable Specialist Directory, used by grievers around the world
- ✓ Hundreds of hours of continuing education via video, articles, and documentation in our Specialist Resource Community
- ✓ All five books (US only): The Grief Recovery Handbook, When Children Grieve, The Grief Recovery Handbook for Pet Loss, Moving On, and Moving Beyond Loss
- ✓ Access to over 100 hours of learning webinars
“This was by far one of the best professional trainings I've attended. I left feeling confident and more knowledgeable about grief and loss than ever before.”
— Certified Grief Recovery Specialist
or $2,495 today · 0% interest
Advanced
Advanced Specialist
Best for individuals and professionals who want a complete, out-of-the-box setup to build and lead a thriving Grief Recovery practice.
- ✓ Everything in Foundational
- ★ 18 hours of self-paced video training
- ★ 5 lesson plans tailored for online work
- ★ 149 marketing coaching videos
- ★ 12 months of My Business Hub Build tier + AI Specialist Assistant
- ★ Advanced Specialist credential
Everything in Foundational, PLUS
- ★ 18 hours of Advanced Online Capabilities Training: a deep dive into the four main lesson plans, offered in an online self-guided format, taught by instructors with over 50 years of combined experience
- ★ One-on-One Program Training — 10 hours of video training and quizzes
- ★ Helping Children with Loss Program Training — 3 hours of video training
- ★ 8-Session Group Program Training — 3 hours of video training
- ★ Pet Loss Group Program Training — 2 hours of video training and quizzes
- ★ Use of the Advanced Grief Recovery Specialist title
- ★ 5 additional lesson plans tailored for working with clients online: Online One-on-One, Online Group, Online Pet Loss, Online Helping Children with Loss, and Online Alumni Program
- ★ Inclusion in our searchable Advanced Specialist Directory
- ★ A library of Grief Recovery specific marketing coaching videos
- ★ 12 months of the Build tier of My Business Hub — a complete tech stack for running your specialist practice: website, CRM, scheduling, email, and payments. A $349+ value, included.
- ★ AI Specialist Assistant built into My Business Hub to help you set up, launch, and run your practice — your always-on assistant for getting unstuck, writing copy, and answering specialist questions on demand
“The training put into perspective how grief is the foundation on which we are raised upon. Going through this has lifted me and removed years of boulders I didn't believe could ever be removed.”
— Advanced Grief Recovery Specialist
or $3,995 today · 0% interest
Premium In-Person
Advanced Specialist
Best for professionals who want the fastest, most immersive path to mastery through in-person training with direct access to Cole James and Sandi Derby.
- ✓ Everything in Advanced (incl. Business Hub + AI Agent)
- ★ In-person at Hyatt Regency Westlake
- ★ Small-group coaching with Cole & Sandi
- ★ 1 month of mastermind calls with Cole & Sandi
- ★ Marketing & Sales Backbone launch course
Everything in Advanced, with these changes
- ★ 32 hours of in-person, experiential group training, held at the luxurious Hyatt Regency Westlake, Westlake Village, CA (or similar venue in other cities)
- ★ Access and learning from two of the foremost experts on grief: Cole James, President of the Grief Recovery Institute, and Sandi Derby, Grief Recovery Trainer and Marketing Coach
- ★ Tailored, hands-on, small-group coaching experience
- ★ Highly personalized guidance and direct access to instructors
- ★ 1 month of weekly mastermind calls with Cole James and Sandi Derby after certification — bring your real client situations, roadblocks, and business questions to the people who built the training
- ★ The Marketing & Sales Backbone — a complete launch course that walks you through positioning, pricing, lead generation, sales conversations, and the operational backbone of running a specialist practice, all designed for grief recovery work
- ★ 1 month of Marketing Coaching (a $249 value) with our marketing team — the personal coach who walks you through the Backbone course and helps you attract your first clients
“The program not only taught me how to help others with grief and loss, but also helped me face and heal some of my own grief through the training process.”
— Premium In-Person Specialist
or $4,995 today · 0% interest
0% interest payment plans available. All plans include the same 4-day live training.
Train Your Entire Team
Private certification training for organizations — online via Zoom or in-person at your facility.
Success Stories
What our specialists say
“I signed up with a heart to help others, and I was overwhelmed by how much this training helped me too.”
Certified Grief Recovery Method Specialist
GRM training participant
“The compassion, modeling, and knowledge transferred in this training was exceptional.”
Certified Grief Recovery Method Specialist
GRM training participant
“I loved taking the course and it had an impact on my personal losses. I look forward to helping others in the same way.”
Certified Grief Recovery Method Specialist
GRM training participant
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a degree or license?
What does the training look like?
What can I do after certification?
Is the online training the same as in-person?
How much does it cost?
What support do I get after certification?
What do we mean by "recovery"?
For Professionals Evaluating the GRM
How does this compare to what I already do?
If you're a therapist, coach, or counselor, you may wonder how the GRM fits alongside your existing skills.
The Method
Your next step toward freedom
No matter where you are in your grief journey — or your career — there’s a clear path forward here.