Bereavement counselor training: Providers, schools, information

Death and bereavement counselors advise, support and accompany people in coping with experiences of loss that they have suffered or expect to suffer, especially when someone close to them dies. After training as a bereavement and mourning counselor, they can organize mourning and farewell rituals as well as funerals. The activity can be part of everyday professional life in palliative care, pastoral care, etc. It is offered by freelancers in private practice, but also by volunteers.

You can become a bereavement counselor through specific training as an additional qualification for professionals in health and social services, education, pastoral care, the police and fire department, etc. The specialist course in bereavement support enables people with training in theology, counseling or therapy to work independently. Basic courses are offered for volunteers and family members. However, grief counseling in the sense of end-of-life care is also usually part of the training in courses such as geriatric care, pastoral care or nursing.

The death and grief counselor training is offered in two levels. This includes, for example, the basic level and the advanced level and concludes with a written assignment. In most cases, the training can be completed with a certificate after the basic level. The training also includes a work placement. The internship is an important part of the basic level. It takes place during the training and is completed with a written assignment. The training promotes the competence to accompany people in the process of dying and mourning and to give space to one's own feelings.

The cost of grief counselor training varies. They depend on whether it is a short seminar or a two-year specialist training course. You can expect to pay between 800 and 9,000 francs. Ask the provider of your choice about the expected costs.

The following content is taught in a grief counselor training course:

• Grief and farewell culture in different systems
• Selected aspects of mourning: ages and stages of life, cultures and religions, spirituality
• Theories and findings of current grief research
• Support, counseling, therapy in different settings
• Communication with mourners
• Mourning and farewell rituals
• Professional grief and self-reflection
• Topics requested by the participants
• Transfer to everyday working life

Continuing education, further training for grief counselors teaches the following skills:

• Recognize and assess grief and grief processes
• provide professional grief work based on current theories and research findings in thanatology
• professionally advise and support people in various grieving processes
• develop the ability for self-reflection in counseling and accompanying grieving people

Persons who have the following skills are admitted to the bereavement counselor training course:

• Personal responsibility
• Resilience, stability of personality
• Openness towards different faiths
• Willingness to engage with yourself and others
• Interest in and empathy for mental processes
• Mindfulness and vigilance towards yourself, your fellow human beings and the environment

You should have the following personal requirements for training as a bereavement counselor:

• Life experience
• High social and communicative competence
• Willingness to deal with the topic of death for yourself and the people you are accompanying.