Mindfulness & Grief Coach Certification

A trauma-sensitive, mindfulness-based training for professionals supporting grief.

Join The Summer 2026 Cohort

Watch a 1-minute overview

Learn to lead grief support groups and work one-to-one with clarity, confidence, and care.

Fridays, May 22 - August 14, 2026

12:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET
(No Class July 3)

Group Discounts | Pay Over Time | Meet with Heather

Support others through grief with presence, compassion, and clarity

Grief changes everything. Yet for many people, the support available feels too clinical, too rushed, or simply unhelpful.

You may already be a coach, therapist, chaplain, yoga teacher, or someone who has walked through loss yourself. You want to help, but in a way that honors grief rather than trying to fix it.

The Mindfulness & Grief Coach Certification offers a practical, trauma-sensitive way to hold space for grieving people, grounded in mindfulness, compassion, and cultural sensitivity. Just as importantly, it prioritizes your own wellbeing, so you can show up steady, resourced, and resilient in the work you do.

You will learn how to lead an 8-week Mindfulness & Grief Support Group and apply the same framework in one-to-one client work.

 Live cohort: 
May 22 - August 14 (no class July 3)
Fridays 12:00 PM -   2:00 PM ET

Join The Summer 2026 Cohort

Group Discounts | Pay Over Time | Meet with Heather

Early Tuition: $1,200 (through March 6, 2026)
Standard Tuition: $1,495

“When we are more firmly grounded in our bodies, as Heather Stang demonstrates, we are better able literally and metaphorically to find a new footing in the world, and to restore a life of meaning and coherence.” Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD Director, Portland Institute for Loss and Transition

Certification Q&A Session

Live Online Thursday, February 26, 2026  at 12:00 pm ET 

If you are interested in the Mindfulness & Grief Coach Certification but want more clarity before enrolling, you are invited to a live Q&A session.

This session is a chance to hear more about the training, understand how it works in practice, and ask questions about whether it is a good fit for you and your work. We will talk about the structure of the program, the time commitment, and what support looks like throughout the cohort.

Designed for grief counselors, therapists, social workers, death doulas, meditation teachers, and yoga professionals ready to support grieving clients with compassion, clarity, and skill.

There is no pressure to enroll. You are welcome to come, listen, and ask what you need to feel informed and grounded in your decision.

Register for the Q&A Event

 A complete, embodied path for grief support

In this 12-week online training, you will develop the skills, confidence, and presence needed to support grieving people with care and integrity. You will learn how to:

  • Facilitate the 8-week Mindfulness & Grief Support Group with structure, confidence, and sensitivity
  • Guide private clients using a clear, repeatable 8-step framework
  • Apply trauma-sensitive, body-aware practices that support safety and regulation
  • Build trust and stability in both group and one-to-one sessions
  • Support diverse grieving styles, cultural contexts, and spiritual backgrounds
  • Integrate mindfulness and grief care into your existing professional work
  • Bring sustainable self-care into your own life, strengthening resilience and preventing burnout
“Heather Stang offers those who are grieving a wise and practical guide. The stories, teachings and meditations in [Mindfulness & Grief] will help you find your own inner strength and awakening heart in the midst of great loss.”

If you’re called to guide others through loss, you’re in the right place

You understand that grief is not a choice, and you know that how we show up matters. You believe healing does not come from fixing, but from presence. You are drawn to this work because you have seen how mindfulness can create space for transformation, even in the midst of sorrow. And you know that caring for yourself is not a luxury, but an ethical foundation for this work.

This training is designed for:

  • Grief Counselors
  • Social workers
  • Chaplains
  • Psychotherapists
  • Hospice workers/volunteers
  • Bereavement coordinators
  • Death doulas
  • Spiritual directors
  • Community leaders
  • End-of-life volunteers
  • Somatic practitioners
  • Meditation teachers
  • Yoga teachers
  • Yoga therapists
  • Bodyworkers
  • Trauma therapists
  • Life coaches
  • Grief coaches
  • Mental health educators
  • Wellness practitioners
  • Licensed professional counselors

You don’t need to be a licensed therapist. What matters most is your willingness to show up with care, learn the tools, and hold space with integrity. This certification does not grant a therapy license or board certification, and all graduates agree to practice within their professional scope.

Join The Summer 2026 Cohort

Group Discounts | Pay Over Time | Meet with Heather

Early Tuition: $1,200 (through March 6, 2026)
Standard Tuition: $1,495

24 Meditation Scripts
Ready-to-use scripts to guide clients through each step.

33 Guided Meditations
Audio tracks for personal practice or to share with clients.

8 Facilitation Guides
Step-by-step guides to confidently lead group sessions.

12 On-Demand Courses
Watch and learn at your own pace with new videos each week.

12 Live Q&A + Training Events
Bring your questions, get support, and practice your skills.

Learn through practice, with guidance and support

This certification is designed to help you build real confidence, not just collect information.

Throughout the 12 weeks, you will actively practice the skills you are learning, both during live sessions and between classes. Each week includes guided practices, reflection, and opportunities to apply the work in a supported way.

You will be invited to practice leading mindfulness and grief support exercises with a practice partner, small group, or individual. You will receive feedback, reflect on what you notice in yourself and others, and build skill gradually over time.

You will only be encouraged to guide practices you have experienced and embodied yourself. There is no performing, no pressure to be perfect, and no expectation that you already have all the answers. The emphasis is on presence, ethical care, and learning through experience.

You should plan to spend about 60 to 90 minutes per week outside of class practicing what you are learning with a practice buddy or group. This time supports integration, confidence-building, and ethical preparation for professional work.

This approach allows you to develop confidence steadily while being mentored within a trauma-sensitive group container.

Join The Summer 2026 Cohort

Group Discounts | Pay Over Time | Meet with Heather

Early Tuition: $1,200 (through March 6, 2026)
Standard Tuition: $1,495

Choose the application path that fits your real-world work setting

The 12-week training is built around the 8-step Mindfulness & Grief System, a flexible framework you can apply in a range of professional settings.

As you move through the program, you will be supported in applying the system in ways that align with your scope of practice, professional goals, and the people you serve.

If your primary intention is group work

You will learn how to facilitate an 8-week Mindfulness & Grief Support Group, using the 8-step system as the foundation. This includes learning how to:

  • Structure sessions with clarity, safety, and flow

  • Open and close groups with grounding and intention

  • Guide mindfulness, meditation, and journaling practices live

  • Hold space for sharing without fixing, rescuing, or rushing

  • Work with group dynamics in a trauma-sensitive way

  • Adapt pacing, language, and practices for diverse participants

  • Facilitate both online and in-person groups with confidence

If your primary intention is one-to-one work

You will learn how to apply the same 8-step system in individual sessions, adapting practices to meet each client’s needs, capacity, and stage of grief.

Many participants use this approach to complement existing coaching, counseling, therapeutic, or spiritual care work.

You will learn skills relevant to both group and individual settings. Some participants focus on one primary path during their practice sessions, while others explore both. You will be supported in choosing what best fits your experience, scope of practice, and values.

Join The Summer 2026 Cohort

Group Discounts | Pay Over Time | Meet with Heather

Early Tuition: $1,200 (through March 6, 2026)
Standard Tuition: $1,495

Heather Stang does a wonderful job weaving the evidence-based/research-informed current thinking about loss and grief with very relatable stories and practical tools to cope with and adapt to life’s unwelcome changes. Darcy Harris, PhD, FT Professor and Thanatology Department Faculty Member of King’s University College in London, Canada

This work begins with you

This certification is not only about learning tools to guide others.

It is about creating space to tend to your own nervous system, your own grief, and your sense of purpose in this work. You will learn to be an embodied facilitator who models self-care, presence, and healthy boundaries.

This approach may feel unfamiliar at first. One therapist in the program shared:

“It was hard to step away from everyone and sit still. The resistance was huge. But after just one practice, I knew. It was the best thing I’ve done in a long time. I just need to stop putting everyone else first.”

Many students enroll for professional development and, within weeks, report a deeper connection to their own resilience, boundaries, and wellbeing.

This course is as much for you as it is for your clients.

Join The Summer 2026 Cohort

Group Discounts | Pay Over Time | Meet with Heather

Early Tuition: $1,200 (through March 6, 2026)
Standard Tuition: $1,495

Featured in The Handbook of Grief Therapies

The 8-step Mindfulness & Grief System is featured in The Handbook of Grief Therapies, a respected resource for clinicians and educators. Our Mindfulness & Grief Coach Certification trains you to apply these evidence-informed practices with real people in real settings so you can confidently serve as a mindfulness and grief coach.

Become a Certified Mindfulness & Grief Coach in 12 Weeks

The Mindfulness & Grief Coach Certification is built around a clear, research-informed framework for supporting people through grief with presence and compassion.

The Mindfulness & Grief System offers an 8-step approach that gives you structure without rigidity. Each step provides something to teach, something to offer, and something to adapt, so you can meet clients where they are rather than forcing grief into a linear process.

Grounded in established grief theory, including William Worden’s Four Tasks of Mourning and Robert Neimeyer’s work on Meaning Reconstruction, and informed by contemplative practices drawn from Buddhist and Hindu traditions, this system is designed to support meaning-making, resilience, and continued connection after loss.

As part of the training, you will experience the full 8-week group process as a participant, while also learning how to guide it ethically and confidently with others.

Download the Syllabus (PDF)


Develop your facilitator foundation

To help you teach the Mindfulness & Grief System, you will build a strong foundation as a facilitator. This groundwork ensures you are able to guide others with steadiness, clarity, and care, rather than relying on scripts alone.

  • Introduction, Orientation, & Foundations
    Explore the theoretical, contemplative, and ethical foundations of the Mindfulness & Grief System, including key concepts from thanatology and mindfulness-based practices drawn from Buddhist and Hindu traditions. These foundations ground the work in non-linear grief theory, meaning-making after loss, and self-care as an essential practice for ethical, sustainable grief support.
  • Structure: How a Great Session Flows
    You will learn how to open, guide, and close sessions as part of the 8-step process itself. Pacing, transitions, and integration are explored as they arise in the system, helping you develop a steady, repeatable session flow and your own authentic guiding voice.
  • Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Lead with Safety, Flexibility, and Compassion
    Trauma-sensitive facilitation skills are integrated across all steps. You will practice recognizing signs of dysregulation, offering choice and consent, and adapting language and practices to meet different needs, capacities, and cultural contexts.
  • Integration and Certification Readiness
    As you progress through the system, you will weave the skills together into coherent group and individual care plans that reflect real grief timelines. By the end of the training, you will have practiced guiding sessions, reflected on your readiness, and developed clear milestones that support ethical application and certification completion.
Mindfulness & Grief System

Teach and embody the 8-Step System

In this training, you learn the system by experiencing it and guiding it at the same time.

As you move through the 8 steps of the Mindfulness & Grief System, you will experience each practice personally while also learning how to guide it with others. This dual focus helps you understand not only what to offer, but how to offer it with sensitivity, clarity, and care.

Each step includes practices, reflections, and facilitation guidance you can adapt for group and one-to-one settings. Over time, the system becomes something you know intellectually, trust experientially, and can teach with confidence and integrity.

  • Step 1: Conscious Relaxation
    Train focused attention and nervous-system regulation so waves of grief feel less overpowering. You will model steady presence and teach brief resets clients can use when emotions spike or sleep is hard.
  • Step 2: Mindful Awareness
    Practice noticing body, feelings, and thoughts as they arise during grief, then choose an anchor to stay here and now. You will guide short check-ins that reduce racing ahead or getting pulled into the past.
  • Step 3: Compassion for All
    Build a kinder inner tone that softens common grief reactions like self-blame, guilt, or “shoulds.” You will teach simple phrases and micro-practices that reduce harsh self-talk and increase care.
  • Step 4: Skillful Courage
    Approach painful memories and emotions in small, manageable steps and pause when needed. You will coach pacing and choice so clients face grief safely without overwhelm.
  • Step 5: Getting Unstuck
    Identify grief loops such as rumination, avoidance, or decision paralysis, then try small, doable actions. You will help clients experiment and adjust to create gentle forward movement.
  • Step 6: Continuing Bonds
    Support healthy connection with the person who died through memory, ritual, and meaning that fit daily life. You will offer options that honor love and ease the ache of absence.
  • Step 7: Allowing Transformation
    Notice how loss reshapes values, roles, and identity over time. You will help clients name what matters now and choose one next step that reflects who they are becoming.
  • Step 8: Meaning and Purpose
    Bring all the tools together into routines that support life after loss. You will clarify commitments and supports that help clients sustain healing and you to teach with confidence.
Join The Summer 2026 Cohort

Group Discounts | Pay Over Time | Meet with Heather

Early Tuition: $1,200 (through March 6, 2026)
Standard Tuition: $1,495

Meet Heather Stang, MA, C-IAYT

Thanatologist, yoga therapist, and author of Living With Grief, From Grief to Peace, and Navigating Loss.

Heather Stang brings more than two decades of experience supporting people through grief and training professionals who work with loss. She is the recipient of the 2025 Association for Death Education and Counseling Clinical Practice Award for Innovation in Grief Support, recognizing her contribution to the field.

Her work integrates evidence-based grief theory from thanatology with mindfulness, yoga therapy, and trauma-sensitive practices. Heather has taught in hospitals, hospices, graduate programs, community organizations, and retreat settings, and has supported thousands of grieving individuals and helping professionals around the world.

Heather created the Mindfulness & Grief Coach Certification to equip caring professionals with practical tools, ethical grounding, and embodied presence so they can walk alongside people in pain with humility, compassion, and skill.

Her approach is rooted in a simple belief. Helpers can only hold space for others when they are supported themselves. This training is designed to nourish the practitioner as much as the client, so the work can be offered sustainably and with integrity.

Non-death and Disenfranchised Losses

3rd edition of originally titled Mindfulness & Grief

Guided Grief Journal for All Types of Loss

French Edition of Mindfulness & Grief

Join The Summer 2026 Cohort

Group Discounts | Pay Over Time | Meet with Heather

Early Tuition: $1,200 (through March 6, 2026)
Standard Tuition: $1,495

“Heather Stang's Navigating Loss is a valued compass for navigating a wide range of life's losses. Grieving individuals will find it both informative and full of activities and exercises to assist in coping with grief.” Kenneth J Doka, PhD Senior Vice-President, The Hospice Foundation of America

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you offer scholarships?
No. We do not have scholarships available at this time, however you can pay with PayPal to pay over time, or team up with a friend or colleague for a group discount. More information below!

Do you have group discounts?

Yes. We offer discounted rates for teams who enroll together. You can see all group options and how the process works on our group enrollment page.

Do you offer a payment plan?

To pay over time, use this link to enroll via PayPal. At checkout select the Pay Later option. PayPal will guide you through their approval process and offer installment choices based on your account. Approval is handled directly by PayPal, and your enrollment is confirmed as soon as PayPal completes the transaction. If Pay Later is not offered on your account, you will need to use another payment method.

Who is this for?
Therapists, coaches, chaplains, funeral directors, bereavement specialists, and yoga or meditation teachers who support grieving people. Helpers in hospice and community care are welcome.

Do I need to be a therapist to enroll?
No. You need experience working with people and a commitment to practice within your scope.

Will this make me a therapist?
No. This certification does not grant a therapy license. You agree to practice within your professional scope.

Is this trauma-informed and non-pathologizing?
Yes. We teach skills that honor grief as a human experience. No stages. No forced timelines.

How much time should I plan each week?

  • Weekly: about 3.5 hours total — 30 minutes of training video, 60 minutes of practice with a client/friend/colleague, and 120 minutes for the live Q&A (recorded if you miss it)
  • Daily: 15 minutes minimum — 10 for meditation; 5 minutes a day for journaling; optional reading of relevant books or longer practices not included

Do I have to attend live?
Live is encouraged, but not required. Replays post in Circle within 24 hours, so you will not fall behind.

How do I access Zoom and the materials?
Everything is in our private Circle community. The Events tab has dates and Zoom. Course Materials has audios, scripts, prompts, and replays.

What will I get each week?
Three guided meditation audio.  Three client-ready script. A short in-the-moment practice. A journaling prompt. The session replay. Time with your cohort!

Do I need to practice daily?
Aim for most days. The idea is to transform your life too, not just learn the material. 

How do I earn the certification?
Complete the 12-week training. Pass the online assessment with a score of 80% or higher within three months of your cohort’s final class. Agree to ethics, scope of practice, and privacy. If you do not pass on the first try, you may retake twice within that three-month window.

Do you offer CE credits?
No. CE credits are not offered.

Can I use the materials with clients?
Yes. You can use scripts, worksheets, and prompts with attribution. Stay within your professional scope.

Is the program accessible?
All videos are close captioned. Replays are available. Materials are provided in readable formats. Tell me what you need and I will do my best to support it.

What tech do I need?
A Circle account (I will give you access), Zoom, reliable internet, and headphones or speakers.

Can I take this if I am grieving too?
Maybe. This is a professional training with an assessment, not a grief support group. If you can focus for class and practice a little most days, you’ll do fine. If you need dedicated support right now, join Awaken or book a private session. If you’re unsure, book a quick discovery call.

What happens after I enroll?
You receive a Circle invite, add the dates from Events, and find your Week 1 materials in Course Materials. Say hello in the Welcome post.


Sign Up Now or Ask A Question

You’re welcome to reach out directly or book a free discovery call with Heather. Whether you’re brand new to grief coaching or looking to deepen your current work, we’ll help you find out if this certification is the right next step.

Join The Summer 2026 Cohort

Group Discounts | Pay Over Time | Meet with Heather

Early Tuition: $1,200 (through March 6, 2026)
Standard Tuition: $1,495

Acceptance in the mindful context means that even when the unthinkable happens, we honor our self and our experience with dignity and kindness. Rather than turn our back on our own suffering, we treat ourselves as we would a beloved friend. We take the time to pay attention to the physical sensations, thoughts, and feelings that accompany our pain.

Heather Stang
Living With Grief, p. 15