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Credential verification

Verify a Board Certified in Grief Care credential

There is no license for grief coaching or other non-clinical grief support. Enter a credential number to confirm the person holds an active BCGC credential, whatever their title. Verification is free, and the practitioner is not notified.

Credential numbers are formatted BCGC-YYYY-NNN. Ask the practitioner for their credential number, or request written verification at verify@inbgc.org.

Credential status
Active · The credential is current and in good standing. The certificant has completed all annual renewal and ethics attestation requirements.
Inactive · The credential was not renewed by its renewal date. The BCGC designation may not be used until the credential is reinstated.
Revoked · The credential was withdrawn following an ethics review. The BCGC designation may not be used.

For formal written verification, contact verify@inbgc.org. To report unauthorized use of the BCGC credential, contact ethics@inbgc.org.

Before you search

What to ask the practitioner for

In short

Ask for the credential number. Verification is done with the number alone, it takes seconds, and the practitioner is not involved.

Every certificant is issued a credential number when the credential is awarded. It is formatted BCGC-YYYY-NNN, and certificants are expected to provide it on request. Certificants may also list it on their website and in their professional materials so it can be checked without asking.

You do not need the practitioner's permission to verify, and nothing about your search is reported back to them.

If there is no number

When a practitioner cannot produce a credential number

In short

There are two common reasons, and they are not the same. In either case the practitioner may still be well prepared, but the review becomes yours to perform.

They hold a training certificate

A training certificate is issued by the program that taught the course and records that someone completed it. It is not a board credential, and no body outside the program that issued it can confirm anything about it. The two are frequently described using the same words, which is why the number matters more than the document.

They hold no credential at all

There is no license for grief coaching and no required training, so a practitioner may hold nothing and still use the title.

What changes without a credential is where the burden sits. Your organization performs the review rather than relying on one already completed, and it is worth documenting what you found.

The six criteria to evaluate a practitioner against, six questions to ask, and sample policy language are published at referral criteria. Free to use, cite, and adapt.

Scope of a search

What verification confirms, and what it does not

In short

An Active result confirms preparation and standing. It does not confirm that a particular practitioner is the right fit for a particular person.

An Active result means an independent board reviewed the practitioner's grief-specific education against six published topic areas, verified their practice hours, examined their knowledge under proctoring, and holds them to a published Code of Ethics, and that the credential is current.

Fit is a separate question, and the practitioner is the one to ask:

  • Experience with the specific kind of loss involved, since non-clinical grief support covers divorce, job loss, serious illness, estrangement, identity change, and career transition as well as death
  • Whether they work with children and adolescents, which requires preparation distinct from adult work
  • Fees, session structure, and payment arrangements, which INBGC does not set, approve, or publish
  • Format, whether in person or by video, plus language support and current availability

Looking for support rather than checking a practitioner? Find a Grief Coach matches individuals with active certificants. There is no cost, and no certificant can pay to be matched ahead of another.

Accountability

Reporting misuse of the credential

Anyone may file a report

Members of the public, referring professionals, employers, clients, and other certificants may all report inaccurate or unauthorized use of the BCGC credential, and Program Administration reviews every report.

Write to ethics@inbgc.org with what you saw and where you saw it.

This applies to an Inactive credential still being displayed as current, a credential number that does not match the name using it, a designation used by someone who never held it, and any claim that misstates what the credential requires.

The published Code of Ethics requires honest representation of credentials, and outcomes can include guidance, warning, probation, suspension, or revocation.

Common questions

Ask the practitioner for their BCGC credential number and enter it in the registry on this page. The result confirms the name on the credential and whether it is Active, Inactive, or Revoked. There is no cost, no account is required, and the practitioner is not involved in or notified of the search.
No. The registry is searched by credential number only. It is a verification tool rather than a browsable directory, so it confirms a specific credential rather than returning a list of practitioners. If you are looking for support rather than checking a practitioner, use Find a Grief Coach.
The credential was not renewed by its renewal date, and the BCGC designation may not be used until it is reinstated. An Inactive credential is not an ethics finding. It means the credential is not currently maintained, and the certificant may be able to reinstate it. A Revoked credential is different: it was withdrawn following an ethics review, and the designation may not be used.
Yes, at no cost. Organizations that maintain credentialing or vendor files often need documentation rather than a screen check. Write to verify@inbgc.org with the practitioner's name and credential number, and Program Administration will provide formal written verification.
No. Verification is free, both through this page and through written verification from Program Administration. No one who references the standard or verifies a credential is ever charged, including members of the public and institutions.
They may hold a training certificate rather than a board credential, or they may hold nothing, since there is no license for grief coaching and no required training. A practitioner without a credential may still be well prepared. Evaluate them against the six published referral criteria, which cover grief-specific education, documented practice, a written scope of practice, defined referral thresholds, accountability to published ethics, and independently verifiable standing.
Write to ethics@inbgc.org with what you saw and where you saw it. Anyone may file a report, including members of the public, referring professionals, employers, clients, and other certificants. Program Administration reviews every report under the published Code of Ethics, and outcomes can include guidance, warning, probation, suspension, or revocation.

Become board certified.

Applications are open and reviewed on a rolling basis. Apply when you are ready. Organizations can use the referral criteria and verify any credential at no cost.

Get certified Read the referral criteria