The Christian grief counseling continuing education courses from The American Academy of Grief Counseling offer valuable lessons that help professionals combine faith-based skills with new techniques that help those going through traumatic events. With in-depth lessons and mentorship, the courses below prove their value whether you’re going for your Christian grief counseling certification or simply looking to enhance the level of care for your faith-based patients.
Christian Grief Counseling CE Course Requirements
Course signup is available to anyone. However, those participating in the Christian grief counseling certification program must have one of the following criteria in order to sign up and receive the certification after successfully passing all courses:
- A registered nurse currently licensed to practice nursing
- A licensed social worker
- A health care licensed professional
- A professional counselor
- A licensed psychologist
- Is in current practice as a licensed minister or any legal clerical representative of a religion.
- A licensed funeral director
- A pastoral counselor in active ministry
- A graduate degree in educational counseling
- A licensed physician
- A college degree in human services, psychology, or human behavior with career experience in these areas
- A school counselor
- Other college degrees may be applicable if they are in a related area or if the candidate can verify significant job experiences working with grief/bereavement under the direct supervision of one who would qualify as a candidate above. Such cases are evaluated by the Academy on an individual basis.
We will also consider those with other college degrees if they are in a related area or if you can verify significant experiences working in grief- or bereavement-related positions under the direct supervision of one who would qualify as a candidate above. These cases are considered on an individual basis. You can also fill out our qualification review form to see if you qualify with your current credentials.
Board Approvals for Christian Grief Counseling Courses
The Christian Grief CE courses below are offered by AIHCP, which is an approved provider of continuing education by the following states:
- The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is an Approved Provider for Continuing Education by the South Carolina Professional Counselors, Marriage & Family Therapists and Psycho-Educational Specialists licensing board, Provider # 4637.
- The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc. is a licensed Continuing Education Provider in the State of California, Board of Registered Nursing, Provider # CEP 15595.
- The following CE Courses have provider approvals: The American Institute of Health Care Professionals, Inc. is an Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Florida State Board of Nursing Provider # 50-11975.
The program also has approval from these states’ boards of nursing:
- The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Arkansas Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.
- The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Georgia Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.
- The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the South Carolina Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.
- The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Professional Registered Nurses. CE Provider # 50-11975.
- The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the New Mexico Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.
For the full list of our current state and board approvals, please visit our healthcare continuing education approvals page.
Christian Grief Counseling Courses
The eight courses below cost $1,225 in total. You may enroll and pay for one course at a time if you wish. These are all available as online classes, and you will receive a unique student ID number and password to access each course. These online environments feature a comprehensive syllabus and course information, which details vital details on numerous exams and evaluations. Students have access to the online classrooms at all times. All examinations are taken online. Courses are self-paced and students have two years to complete a program, as needed. Faculty mentoring is always available as needed. Many courses have videos for supplementary course materials. The cost of the courses does not include the cost of required textbooks.
The following CE Courses are required to complete the Christian Grief Counselor Curriculum to qualify for Certification in the American Academy of Grief Counseling:
GC 400 – Death, Dying & Mourning
This online CE course provides a very comprehensive overview of studies, research, and dynamics related to death and dying. Students study many facets of death and dying, as well as major theories, process models, cultural issues, religious issues and other related content. Progression in the course then focuses on processes of mourning and grieving, including effective strategies for assisting the bereaved. Death, dying and mourning is presented also according to various age groups. This course provides for scientific inquiry into death and dying and care of the bereaved.
Course Code: GC 400. Contact hours of education: 30 hours. Course Cost: $165.00
$35.00 Optional AKH.inc Companion Certificate of Completion
Note: for currently certified grief counselors, by the American Academy of Grief Counseling, this course is “waived.”
GC 410 – Grief Counseling for the Helping Professions
This online CE course provides students with a continuation of course content, based on learning from the above course “Death, Dying & Mourning.” Students continue to study other theories and model processes of grieving, as well as more scientific inquiry into these processes. Case studies are provided which allow students the opportunity to better equate theory into practice. The student continues in this course to study and learn many interventions and modalities for use in grief counseling and bereavement education.
Course Code: GC 410. Contact hours of education: 20 hours. Course Cost = $ 160.00.
$35.00 Optional AKH.inc Companion Certificate of Completion
Note: for currently certified grief counselors, by the American Academy of Grief Counseling, this course is “waived.”
SC 570 – Christian Counseling
This course approaches various counseling aspects from a Christian prism. The first segment primarily deals with the ethics, world views, and procedures of a Christian counselor. Since it is biblically based, it emphasizes Christ as the central figure and paradigm for all Christian counselors. The second segment deals with the Christian world view of happiness. It is imperative that one understands the importance of a proper ultimate end when counseling to the downtrodden. This course directs the future Christian counselor to the proper road of a Christ centered happiness. In addition, to cultivating a proper world view for the Christian counselor, the third segment of this course addresses the multiple “isms” and problems Christians face in the modern world. This undoubtedly is the largest component of the course for it covers everything from marital problems and abortion to drug abuse and depression: all under a Christian and biblical perspectives. This course is particularly designed for those who would like to apply for Certification as a Certified Spiritual Counselor in Christian Counseling by the American Institute of Health Care Professionals, Inc,.
Course Code: SC 570. Contact hours of Education: 50.Course Fee: $ 150.00.
GC 600 – Christian Death and Dying
The Christian perspective on death and suffering has always presented a unique theism of a personal God who willingly allowed himself to experience suffering and death through the Incarnation of the 2nd Person of the Trinity. The story of Jesus offers the perfect paradigm and example on how Christians should greet suffering and death. This does not mean the Christian is immune from the emotional, psychological, or spiritual pains of suffering, but it does mean that via Christ, the ultimate teacher and example, Christians can transform suffering into something greater than mere loss. Through Christ’s death was life, and through a proper understanding of Christian suffering, eternal life and merit can be found and applied to one’s life. This course explores the sufferings of Christ, his saints, and looks at the Christian notion of death and man’s final eschatological end. It sets the foundation for the Christian perspective on Christian grief.
Course Code: GC 600. Contact hours of continuing education: 35. Course Fee: $ 150.00
GC 610 – Christian Principles For Survivors Of Traumatic Grief
War, plague, disaster and sudden and personal loss all define the temporal human condition. The previous courses have attempted to explain them under a Christian light and better alleviate pain and loss via the sacrifice and example of Jesus Christ. The next course in this program bases itself off of the story of Julian of Norwich, a Christian Mystic, who lived during the Black Plague. During her intense visions of Christ’s death, she found a perspective not only on suffering in general, but also suffering during times of great death and loss. The text, “Transfiguring Loss”, extensively covers the psychological aspect of survivors who have dealt with horrendous ordeals and apply them to the spirituality of Julian of Norwich. This course goes beyond the “normal” grief one experiences from day to day, and analyzes catastrophic loss from a Christian prism.
Course Code: GC 610. Contact hours of continuing education: 40. Course Fee: $ 150.00
GC 620 – Contemporary Grief: Theory And Practice
The striking disconnect between the world of ministry and the world of grief research and theory has existed in many texts and courses. Alienating God from suffering and grief and hoping to meet the challenges of grief from a purely secular view has stripped the healing process of its most vital source; the divine. This course hopes to bridge the gap between science and God and give the grief counselor a comprehensive guide for both the mind and the soul. Kelley, in her work, “Grief: Contemporary Theory and the Practice of Ministry” incorporates new modern ideals on grief while including the most important element in healing: God. This course aims at better equipping those who minister to the downtrodden in explaining the modern concepts of grief but clothing them with the warmth of God’s love and teaching. In addition to this, the primary emphasis of the program continues in the topic of Christian suffering via the encyclical, ‘Salvifici Dolaris” by Pope John Paul II and shares some of the late Pope’s ideas on human suffering.
Course Code: GC 620. Contact hours of continuing education: 40. Course Fee: $ 150.00
GC 630 – Counseling Ministry To The Bereaved
Christianity has always viewed grief as a true human reality that is not to be escaped but accepted and transformed into something new and redeeming. This course, GC 630 continues this Christian theology and attempts to apply it to ministry. The text for the course “The Unwanted Gift of Grief” exemplifies this notion as grief as a gift. The text is not intended for one to escape the pain but hopes to invite one into it and through that pain create a “transformation and new life”. The course Christianizes the behavioral sciences not only within the text but also looks at the “Unwanted Gift of Grief” through the story of Job. This second text and commentary on Job nourishes the spirituality of the counselor and equips the counselor with greater understanding of one of the greater Old Testament works on grief.
Course Code: GC 630. Contact hours of continuing education: 50. Course Fee: $ 150.00
GC 640 – Christian Approaches To Survivors Of Suicide
The tragic nature of a loss involving suicide is more than a simple death but a tragedy of despair and anguish—one society can at times stigmatize and leave family members in a state of grief saturated with ambivalence. The Christian’s answer to this catastrophic event has for the longest time been aligned with the “Death of Judas” leaving the mark of suicide as a state of betrayal. While it is true Christian moral theology has viewed it as a sin of despair, there are other elements of Christianity that has always sought to understand the despair and find love in the chaos. This is especially true in recent years as Christianity has embraced a more loving pastoral understanding of the misfortunes associated with suicide both for those who have attempted it and those who have been victims of lost family members who have succeeded in it. This course aims at first identifying the Christian theology on suicide, including both suicide and assisted suicide, and then giving the Christian counselor feedback on how to administer to those who contemplate suicide and those who are victims of suicide within the family.
Course Code: GC 640. Contact hours of continuing education: 40. Course Fee: $ 150.00
The Benefits of Christian Grief Counseling Courses
Taking the courses above is more than just a stepping stone to a certification; it’s an opportunity to raise the level of care with each client or patient. Each course is packed with new insights and developments in the space that can pave the way for techniques that address specific concerns and provide better comfort and healing.
After passing each course, you can then apply for the credentials of “CGC-C” or “Certified Christian Grief Counselor” or “Christian Grief Counselor-Certified” for use in your professional title.
This certification is valid for four years, and if you want to continue using the credential after that period, you will need to enroll in AIHCP’s recertification courses.