Child Grief Coach and Practitioner Training
Specialist training for professionals who support grieving children and young people. The STILL Method framework, practical tools, and a complete six-week programme you can deliver the week after you qualify.
Children do not grieve the way adults do
Their grief shows up as behaviour changes, sudden fears, circling questions, explosive anger, or a quiet withdrawal that is easily misread. This training gives you the depth, structure and evidence-based tools to support grieving children within your professional role.
Grief in childhood carries developmental patterns and vulnerabilities that differ from adult bereavement. Without trained, trauma-informed support, children are at greater risk of long-term anxiety, attachment disruption and fear-based behavioural patterns that affect their education, relationships and wellbeing.
What appears as defiance is often fear. What looks like avoidance is frequently confusion. What seems like a behaviour problem is usually a child who no longer feels emotionally safe. A trained Child Grief Coach provides the emotional safety, developmental understanding and structure that bereaved children need.
Grief and bereavement education has been a statutory part of RSHE in English schools since September 2026. Schools now need staff who can deliver it well, and this training is built for that.
How childhood grief shows up
Grief presents differently across developmental stages. Recognising these patterns is the first step in effective support.
Sleep disruption
Night terrors, difficulty falling asleep, fear of the dark, separation anxiety at bedtime, regression in sleep independence.
School refusal and avoidance
Refusing to attend, separation anxiety from carers, difficulty concentrating, academic decline, social withdrawal.
Heightened anxiety
Excessive worry, catastrophic thinking, hypervigilance, fear of further loss, preoccupation with death.
Explosive anger
Sudden outbursts, physical aggression, destructive behaviour, irritability, low frustration tolerance.
Developmental regression
Loss of acquired skills, return to earlier behaviours, bedwetting, thumb-sucking, baby talk.
Social withdrawal
Isolation from peers, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, difficulty forming relationships.
Somatic symptoms
Stomach aches, headaches, illness fears, unexplained physical complaints, health anxiety.
Emotional shutdown
Appearing fine, emotional numbing, avoidance of grief-related conversations, dissociation.
Choose the cohort that works for you
Three days, 9.30am to 2.30pm each day, live on Zoom. Weekend cohorts run Saturday and Sunday with the third day the following Saturday. Weekday cohorts run on the same day across three consecutive weeks.
October cohort
Live on Zoom, 9.30am to 2.30pm
February cohort
Live on Zoom, 9.30am to 2.30pm
May weekend cohort
Live on Zoom, 9.30am to 2.30pm
May weekday cohort
Live on Zoom, 9.30am to 2.30pm
Professionals across education, care, health and wellbeing
No counselling or therapy qualification is needed. The training is built for people who already work with children and young people, and for those building a practice around it.
Education
- Teachers and pastoral care leaders
- SEN coordinators and learning mentors
- School counsellors and wellbeing staff
- Alternative provision and PRU staff
- Teaching assistants and support workers
Care and support
- Residential children's home workers
- Foster carers and kinship carers
- Therapeutic care teams
- Early help and family support practitioners
- Social workers and family liaison officers
Health and wellbeing
- Counsellors and psychotherapists
- Mental health support workers
- Youth workers and community practitioners
- Children's bereavement service workers
- Play therapists and art therapists
Building a practice
- Professionals specialising in child bereavement
- Those establishing private practice
- People with lived experience who want to help others
- Career changers with a relevant background
- Existing STILL Method coaches adding a specialism
Three days, three modules
A complete, evidence-based education in child-centred grief work, grounded in The STILL Method framework for emotional safety.
Day one: foundations of childhood grief and development
How children understand death, loss and bereavement across developmental stages, from early years through adolescence.
Developmental understanding of death
How children aged 3 to 18 conceptualise death, magical thinking, concrete thinking, and adolescent grief responses.
Normal and complicated grief
Typical grief trajectories, prolonged grief in children, traumatic grief, and when to refer for specialist intervention.
Behavioural manifestations
How grief appears through behaviour, somatic complaints, academic change, social withdrawal and regression.
Co-occurring presentations
How childhood grief intersects with trauma, anxiety, neurodevelopmental conditions, attachment and sensory needs.
Day two: The STILL Method framework for grief
Applying the five steps, nervous system regulation and trauma-informed practice to work with grieving children.
Creating emotional safety
Establishing environments where children feel safe enough to process grief without overwhelm or shutdown.
Behaviour as communication
Reading fear-driven reactions, finding the distress beneath surface behaviour, and responding therapeutically.
The nervous system in grief
What happens in the developing brain during bereavement, autonomic responses, somatic patterns and polyvagal theory.
Regulation and grounding
Practical, age-appropriate tools for helping children settle their nervous system and restore felt safety.
Day three: practical application and professional practice
Real-world skills, ethical practice, difficult conversations, and working within schools, care settings and families.
Talking about death with children
Language that supports processing, answering hard questions, what to avoid, and developmentally appropriate explanations.
Creative and expressive approaches
Structured activities needing no artistic skill that help children express what they cannot put into words.
Working with family systems
Parental grief, sibling responses, secondary losses, joined-up support and complex family dynamics.
Boundaries, ethics and self-care
Working safely within your role, safeguarding, knowing when to refer, and looking after yourself in grief work.
The six-week children's grief programme
A complete, structured, ready-to-deliver bereavement support programme that becomes part of your professional practice.
Structured weekly sessions
Six themed sessions with clear objectives, emotional processing activities and measurable outcomes.
Complete session scripts
Word-for-word guidance including opening rituals, core activities, conversation prompts and closing grounding.
Practical activities
Evidence-based exercises needing minimal materials, suitable for schools and care settings.
Developmental adaptations
Modifications for ages 5 to 7, 8 to 11 and 12 to 16, and for different communication and neurodevelopmental needs.
Progress tracking
Frameworks to monitor wellbeing, spot when additional support is needed and evidence outcomes.
Individual and group formats
Built for one-to-one work and group delivery in schools, children's homes, hospices and community settings.
A professional qualification, not an awareness course
Complete deliverable programme
A full six-week children's grief programme ready for immediate use in your workplace or private practice.
Evidence-based and trauma-informed
Grounded in developmental psychology, attachment theory, polyvagal theory and The STILL Method framework.
Immediately applicable
Tools and structures you can use the week after training in schools, residential care, hospitals and with families.
Accredited certification
ACCPH and IPHM accredited certificate as a Child Grief Coach and Practitioner.
Ongoing practitioner support
The STILL Method practitioner community, mentoring, resource updates and professional development.
Open to all professionals
No counselling qualification required. Built for educators, care workers, youth workers and wellbeing staff.
Competencies you will gain
Working across the whole family
The STILL Method also offers Life After Loss, our accredited adult grief coach training. Many practitioners complete both to work across the family system, supporting bereaved children, teenagers and adults.
Stuart Thompson
Stuart Thompson is the creator of The STILL Method. With over 25 years in anxiety, trauma and emotional health, he began his career as a social worker before becoming an award-winning therapist and a Fellow of the ACCPH.
Named one of the most influential disabled people in the UK in 2019, Stuart's work combines developmental psychology, trauma-informed practice and polyvagal theory with practical tools that children and families can use immediately. He teaches every live cohort himself.
£595. Two ways to train, one qualification.
Both routes lead to the same ACCPH and IPHM accredited certification and include lifetime access to all programme materials. Klarna is available at checkout.
Three-day live training
Same price on every cohort
Three full days with Stuart and a small cohort. Live demonstration, peer practice and direct question time. Places are limited to keep the group small.
View dates and bookOnline at your own pace
Start today
The full accredited programme whenever suits you. All course materials, the complete six-week children's grief programme and your certification, at a pace that fits your life and work.
Start self-paced trainingIncluded in the Training Pass: every STILL Method certification for £2,100.
Frequently asked questions
Is this suitable for people without counselling qualifications?
Yes. The training is designed for professionals working in education, residential care, youth work, pastoral support and wellbeing roles. You do not need a therapy or counselling background.
When does it run?
Four cohorts are open: Mondays 26 October, 2 and 9 November 2026; Saturday 6, Sunday 7 and Saturday 13 February 2027; Saturday 8, Sunday 9 and Saturday 15 May 2027; and Tuesdays 11, 18 and 25 May 2027. All run 9.30am to 2.30pm on Zoom. The self-paced route starts whenever you do.
How much does it cost?
£595, the same on every cohort and on the self-paced route. Klarna is available at checkout. The course is also included in the Training Pass.
Will I be able to call myself a Child Grief Coach?
Yes. On successful completion you receive an accredited certificate as a Child Grief Coach and Practitioner, recognised by ACCPH and IPHM.
Can I use the six-week programme in my workplace?
Yes. It is written for schools, residential care settings, hospices, early help teams, bereavement services and community organisations.
Can the programme be delivered to groups and individuals?
Yes. It includes adaptations for group work and one-to-one support, with guidance on group sizes and individualised approaches.
Is there ongoing support after certification?
Yes. You join The STILL Method practitioner community with mentoring sessions, resources, updates to materials and professional development opportunities.
What age range does the training cover?
Children and young people aged 4 to 18, with developmental adaptations across early years, primary, secondary and adolescent stages.
Will the training be emotionally challenging?
Working with bereaved children involves emotional content. The training is delivered with psychological safety, clear boundaries and support throughout.
How is this different from bereavement awareness training?
This is a complete professional qualification. You receive in-depth theory, structured practical tools, a deliverable six-week programme, accredited certification and ongoing support.
Ready to train as a Child Grief Coach?
Join the network of STILL Method practitioners supporting bereaved children and families in schools, care settings and private practice.
Questions about the training? train@thestillmethod.org