What a Child Grief Coach Actually Does
A clear, professional role that blends knowledge, safety, and practical tools for supporting grieving children
Grief in childhood often hides in plain sight. It looks like silence, tiredness, anger, or distraction. A child grief coach understands that these reactions are not misbehaviour but communication. Their role is to create safety, help the child understand what is happening inside them, and teach simple ways to manage big feelings so that life can keep moving forward.
Understanding the role
A child grief coach is a trained professional who helps children process loss safely. The work is grounded in evidence, child development, and the STILL Method approach to emotional regulation.
Rather than offering therapy or diagnosis, the coach provides structured, compassionate guidance that helps the child and the adults around them manage daily life during bereavement.
Coaches work with schools, families, and care settings to make sure the child’s environment feels predictable, calm, and supportive. They teach tools that reduce anxiety and give children language for emotions that are often too large to explain.
The foundation of the work
Every session begins with safety. Children cannot talk about loss until they feel steady in their body.
Through STILL Method tools, coaches help them stop, talk, imagine, listen, and learn in ways that settle the nervous system and allow reflection to happen without overwhelm.
This process gives children:
emotional language to describe their experience
strategies to manage panic, fear, or guilt
space to remember safely and find meaning
small, realistic steps back to confidence
How the six week framework fits
Trained coaches receive a six week programme they can deliver in one to one or small group settings. The structure offers a gentle progression:
Building safety and understanding feelings
Naming grief reactions and learning to regulate
Exploring memories and connection
Handling difficult times at home or school
Re-establishing confidence and routine
Reflecting, closing, and looking ahead
The framework gives coaches predictability and ensures each child’s support is paced and contained. It is flexible enough to adjust for age, developmental level, or cultural background.
Knowledge and expertise behind the sessions
Coaching is not about scripts; it is about professional understanding.
Graduates of the Child Grief Coach Training learn:
developmental differences in how children grieve
the physiology of stress and loss
how trauma and anxiety intersect with bereavement
language that keeps children safe and empowered
how to collaborate with parents and teachers
safeguarding and ethical practice
This knowledge makes the six week framework meaningful rather than mechanical.
The difference between a grief coach and a counsellor
A grief coach works in the present. They focus on daily functioning, emotional regulation, and practical support.
A counsellor or therapist explores deeper patterns, trauma, or clinical need. The two roles complement one another when clear boundaries and communication are in place.
Results families and settings see
Children begin to regulate emotions more quickly
Classrooms feel calmer and more predictable
Parents understand how to respond without fear of saying the wrong thing
Communication between home and school improves
Confidence slowly returns as routines become stable
These changes build over time, often with quiet, measurable progress rather than dramatic breakthroughs.
Who becomes a child grief coach
People drawn to this work are often teachers, pastoral staff, care workers, or coaches already supporting children. Others come from lived experience and want a professional, accredited route. What unites them is patience, compassion, and respect for how children experience grief.
Training to do the work well
To practise safely and confidently, coaches complete accredited Child Grief Coach Training with The STILL Method. The training provides both the theoretical depth and the practical toolkit needed to support grieving children effectively. It equips professionals with:
a full understanding of child grief
STILL Method regulation tools
creative and reflective techniques
clear structure and boundaries
the six week programme ready for delivery
Graduates leave confident, supported, and professionally accredited to work with schools, families, and care providers.
Apply for Child Grief Coach Training
If you are ready to develop real expertise in supporting grieving children and want accredited training that combines deep knowledge with practical tools, apply for the next cohort through our Child Grief Coach Training page.
If you are seeking support for yourself or a teenager, visit our grief page designed for adults and teens.
