Navigating Loss: How Grief Coaching Can Help

Here’s a hard truth…

In life, loss is inevitable. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a favorite pet, or a job that you loved, we all experience grief at some point in our lives. For some, you can accept and move through your grief with ease. For others it can feel like a never ending abyss. I know I’ve been a part of the latter group. If this is you too then you might want to consider a grief coach.

What Is A Grief Coach?

A grief coach is a type of life coach who provides support and guidance to someone coping with grief in their life. Whether that be from the loss of a loved one or some other form of grief. They are trained professionals to help you navigate the emotional, mental, and sometimes physical challenges of grief through various techniques and strategies. 

What Does A Grief Coach Do?

A grief coach uses the life coaching skills they trained for to help their clients manage the emotional and psychological impacts of loss. They provide support and guidance tailored to your needs. A grief coach will listen empathetically and assist clients in finding ways to navigate their grief journey.

Some of the ways a life coach offers support are:

• Understanding Grief: Grief coaches first and foremost want to help their clients understand grief. Grief can be a complex emotion and gaining awareness and understanding around it can be a great help to the healing process.
• Coping Strategies: Your grieving situation is going to be unique to you. Your grief coach is trained to help you find the coping strategies that will work specifically for you and your situation.
• Grief Resources: Your grief coach will recommend resources to you as they see fit. This could be online courses/videos, books, or even support groups and workshops.
• Finding Purpose: Part of what a grief coach does is help their client find purpose. They ask you to look to the future. What do you want it to look like? What steps can you start taking to achieve that?

If your grief coach is also certified in somatic healing they will incorporate beautiful practices like somatic breathing and exercises like somatic yoga for trauma in order to truly move that grief through your body and out. They’ll ask you, “how does this grief want to move through your body? What sounds and movements does it want to make?” etc.

They’ll also guide clients in honoring and remembering their loved ones while simultaneously releasing grief from their bodies. Your coach is there to offer you personalized support, listening to and validating feelings, and to help you find ways to move forward while simultaneously honoring your loss.

Benefits Of Grief Coaching

When you work with a grief coach you get tailored support and practical strategies to help you navigate the complex emotions and challenges associated with loss. What works for one person may not work for another. This is why having personalized support is enormously helpful. It not only empowers you to work with your grief but it fosters a sense of safety and trust. And without safety no healing can occur. 

Benefits of grief coaching include:

Emotional support and understanding

A grief coach provides a safe space for you to experience your grief. Meaning they’ll allow you the space, while maintaining clear boundaries, for you to release your emotions. Especially those that feel stuck inside you. There is no judgment. They will let you talk and offer you emotional support and understanding.

Personalized coping strategies

One of the best parts of having a grief coach is that they can personalize coping strategies for you. They work directly with you and are getting to know you on a deeply personal level. They should have also completed a grief coaching certification that would have taught them different coping mechanisms to provide clients. This equips them with the ability to decipher what is going to work for YOU!

NOTE: Although this can be similar to grief therapy or working with a grief counselor, it is important to note that coaching is not therapy. If you feel your grief coach is not enough and you need grief counseling from a licensed professional your coach should also be able to recommend someone to you.

Enhanced self-awareness and emotional resilience

When grief coaches work with a grieving individual they look for healthy ways to achieve emotional resilience. Through this process you’ll find increased self-awareness, which is a powerful tool to have in all aspects of your life.

Guidance in creating a new sense of normalcy

Working with a grief coach empowers individuals to find hope for the future. Significant loss can leave you feeling as if your world has been turned upside down. Grief coaches guide clients to find their new normal in their relationships and everyday lives.

Assistance in honoring and remembering the loved one

Death does not mean your loved one has disappeared. A grief coach helps you learn ways to honor your loved ones who are no longer physically here. They help you find joy in remembering them, rather than just sadness at their loss.

Improved mental health and well-being

By gaining a deeper understanding of your grief and how to work with your emotions in a healthy way you gain improved mental health. This is one of the greatest benefits of coaching and counseling.

Reduced feelings of isolation and loneliness

Your grief coach is an empathetic ear to your pain. Not only will they help you cope with your emotions, but having someone who empathizes and understands what you are experiencing reduces feelings of isolation. Having someone to relate to and relieve those feelings of loneliness is an asset on your road to healing.

How To Become A Grief Coach

Life coaching is a relatively new profession. If you feel called to start professional grief coaching you might be wondering where to begin. Becoming a grief coach involves obtaining relevant education, gaining experience, and acquiring certification to provide effective support to individuals dealing with loss.

Steps to become a grief coach include:

Education

While formal education is not necessary to become a grief coach, having a relevant degree (e.g., psychology, counseling, social work), can be an asset when it comes to your coaching practice and coaching skills. And again, certifications are not required but having grief coach training, and your own life experiences through the grief process, will give you more credibility and make you a more effective grief coach.

There are many grief coach certification programs. Organizations like The Institute For Life Coaching Training offer a grief coaching certification or you can become certified as a grief support practitioner through the American Institute of Health Care Professionals. Do your research on the different grief coach certification programs to find the one that works best for you.

Experience

You’ve finished your grief coach training and have become a certified grief coach. Now you want to start getting experience.

Start working with people going through the grieving process. Make connections with a mental health professional or grief counselor in order to give clients recommendations. Remember, this isn’t grief therapy, it is grief recovery and grief coaching. It is always good to have a list of recommended mental health professionals if you suspect a client may have mental disorders that need to be addressed by a doctor.

Continue with your own personal growth and healing journey as you acquire clients for your grief coaching business. By working on yourself you’ll develop strategies to be a supportive environment for grieving individuals.

You’ll also be able to provide practical advice on the path forward of their grief journey because you yourself have gone through it. Having gone through the grief recovery process yourself can make you more of an authority in grief recovery coaching.

Develop a Business Plan

Now that you’ve honed your coaching skills and have familiarized yourself with the coaching process, what works best for your clients and what may not, it’s time to develop a life coach business plan. You’ll want to sit down and map out:

1. Your business branding & identity – this is how you present yourself to your ideal clients and the public.
2. Your ideal client – get clear on your niche, the exact person you want to market to. You can learn more specifics in this article on how to get clients.
3. Discover your client pain points – obviously your client’s main pain point is the grief journey. But in addition to the grieving process how will you niche this down even further? Do you want to offer support specific to women who have lost their mothers? Or mother’s grieving loss? Perhaps men grieving the loss of their marriage? Get super specific here.
4. What is your solution – do you have a proven blueprint on how to navigate grief? What is your proprietary method to empower individuals through grief and loss?
5. Market research – look at others in your field offering grief counseling or who are a certified grief coach. What does their marketing look like? This helps you get clear on your messaging as a grief coach.

You are well on your way to becoming an effective grief coach and having a successful grief coaching business!

Common Questions About Grief Coaching

Still curious about grief coaching? Here are some of the most common questions asked in regards to grief coaching:

What is grief coaching?

In a nutshell, grief coaching is a form of support that helps individuals navigate the emotional and practical challenges of losing a loved one. This is usually done with someone who has gone through a coach training or certain types of grief experts.

How is grief coaching different from therapy?

The biggest difference to note between coaching and counseling/therapy is this:

• Coaching is goal oriented. It focuses on future goals and practical coping strategies.
• Therapy explores diagnosing and treating mental health conditions.

Coaching works by looking at your life experiences, the emotions associated with them, and how to heal them in order to reach a certain goal. This is why there are so many types of life coaches for the many different experiences people encounter throughout life.

Who can benefit from grief coaching?

Anyone experiencing loss, struggling to cope with grief, or seeking guidance on moving forward can benefit from grief coaching.

How long does grief coaching typically last?

It is hard to put a timeline on the healing journey. This type of coaching is deeply personalized. So the timeframe will often depend on you, but it can range from a few sessions to several months.

Do I need any specific qualifications to become a grief coach?

As stated earlier, although it is not necessarily required to have certifications or degrees to become a coach they are extremely beneficial, and recommended, if this is a career you want to pursue. Relevant degrees in mental health, experience in counseling, specialized training, and certification from a recognized organization should be acquired to become a grief coach.

If you are starting a grief coaching business here are some other resources to help you attract clients and have success:

• how to get clients
• become a life coach
• life coach business plan
• life coach marketing
• how much a life coach makes

Can grief coaching be done online?

Yes, many grief coaches offer virtual sessions, making it accessible regardless of location.

How much does grief coaching cost?

The cost varies widely depending on the coach’s experience, location, and session length, but it typically ranges from $50 to $150 per session.

Is grief coaching covered by insurance?

Grief coaching is usually not covered by insurance, as it is considered a non-medical service.

What should I look for in a grief coach?

When searching for a grief coach, consider finding someone who meets the standards set by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), such as core competencies and certifications. Look for a coach with experience, a compassionate approach, and positive testimonials or referrals. It’s perfectly fine to “interview” multiple coaches through discovery calls to see who resonates with you best—don’t feel obligated to choose the first coach you meet. It’s important to find the person who you think is the best fit for you.

Conclusion

When you are stuck in a cycle of grief you may struggle to find joy in your life and relationships. This is normal! It is normal to struggle with the emotions associated with death and to cope with the loss of a loved one.

Grief coaches are there to help clients move forward with their lives. To honor your loved one and move grief through your body. Grief is a process, and that is why it’s nice to have a coach to guide you through. Even better, if you can find a coach with an emphasis on somatic movement. Like those in my Embodied Yoga Life Coaching program.