The Myth of Stages of Grief a must read: click Image below

Our latest blog Upcoming Certification Training Locations Aug 2010 San Francisco, CA 13-16 New Haven, CT 27-30 Sep 2010 Atlanta GA 10-13 San Diego, CA 10-13 Ottawa,ON 24-27 Little Rock, AR 24-27 Louisville, KY 24-27 Sherman Oaks, CA 23-26 London (Luton) UK Nov 12-15,2010 Additional Cities & Dates 2010 Schedule

Ask Us! About Private Programs and Group Rates for Treatment Teams, Wellness Workers and Therapists for groups of 12 or more click here

Join Our Mailing List

Certification Training

What Is GriefRecovery^® Certification?

It is a unique training which encompasses the principals and actions developed over the past 30 years by John W. James and Russell Friedman, the founders of The GriefRecovery Institute^®, and co-authors of The GriefRecovery^® Handbook and When Children Grieve. It is designed specifically to assist all who wish to help those with broken hearts retake a productive place in the mainstream of their lives.

The uniqueness of the program lies in the essential idea that grief is the normal and natural emotional reaction to loss. Even though that is an accurate statement, the majority of guidance for grieving people tends to move them toward their intellects to deal with their broken hearts. Thus the comment - "Grievers don't wind up at our door with broken heads, they all arrive with broken hearts."

While our ideas are neither new nor revolutionary, they are almost exclusively focused on helping people deal with what remains emotionally incomplete at the time of a death, a divorce, or other losses, or as reminders of a loss occur over time. We have known people to wait decades for "time to heal" them, their lives limited and restricted, only because no one has been able to help them with recovery actions. It is our job to address the presenting issues of grief and recovery, not the intellectual ideas that distract them from the task at hand.

Most literature, philosophies, and programs tend to move people away from their hearts into their heads, diminishing the probability of real completion or recovery. In keeping with the basic tenets of our program, the Certification training itself is a blend of experiential and didactic components. We insist that our Certificants be willing to take the same emotional actions they are going to ask of the people they help.

The Certification training is an intensive 4 day program. The mixture of personal completion actions combined with the fundamental principles of GriefRecovery^® demonstrate that this is a practical program, not just a theoretical idea. The training leads to the establishment of GriefRecovery^® Outreach Programs for working with groups as well as individuals.

GriefRecovery^® is an educational, or re-educational program based on the fact that grief is the normal and natural reaction to loss. However, the vast majority of ideas learned in our society about dealing with loss, are not normal, natural, or helpful to people struggling with the incomplete emotions involved with major loss experiences. It is the "intellectualization" of grief that complicates recovery from loss.

Our programs are not "support" groups, nor are they "self-help" groups. They are facilitated groups which use The GriefRecovery^® Handbook as the basic text, along with a format written by John and Russell. In addition to the text and format, Certificants have direct access to the Institute for guidance and direction. This is especially important in the first few months of implementing the program.

The GriefRecovery Institute^® is home base for an ever expanding international program, with Certificants in all corners of the globe. There is constant inquiry through our website and published books, for Certified personnel from every community in America, and increasingly, throughout the world. Once you have begun running the program, you automatically qualify to be included in our Referral Network.

Community Education Program & Attraction: Included in the training are materials to develop speeches and in-services to assist you in bringing the concepts of GriefRecovery^® to your clients and to your community. There is also a segment on the last day of the training dedicated to helping each participant attract people to the program and to understand what has worked for others in similar fields.

Finally, there is usually time set aside to help customize and adapt the use of the program for different disciplines and adjust for cultural, language, and even distance related issues.

Who is GriefRecovery^® Certification for?

GriefRecovery^® is a registered trademark of The GriefRecovery Institute^®.

Our Certified personnel use this distinctive mark to announce their association with The GriefRecovery Institute^® and to distinguish themselves from others who help grievers. While the words grief and recovery may be generic, the phrase GriefRecovery^® is unique to the principles and actions outlined in The Grief Recovery Handbook and all other literature and programs affiliated with The GriefRecovery Institute^®. Look for GriefRecovery^® - it is your assurance of the highest level of training in the area of helping grievers complete the pain caused by significant emotional losses.

© 1987-2010, The GriefRecovery Institute^®. All rights reserved.