BOARD CERTIFICATION

Eligibility Requirements

These are the requirements to apply for the Board Certified Grief Coach (BCGC) credential. They are published in full so you can confirm you qualify before you apply.

Eligibility is a documentary review. INBGC confirms that your education, your practice hours, and your professional attestations meet the published requirements. Competence itself is assessed by the Board Examination, not by an opinion about where you trained.

The requirements are identical on both pathways.

Requirements at a glance

In short

To apply for the Board Certified Grief Coach credential you need documented grief-specific education covering the six topic areas, 25 verified practice hours, agreement to the INBGC Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice, and a complete, accurate application. There is no degree requirement and no licensure requirement, and the requirements are identical on both pathways.

Requirement	What is needed
Grief-specific education	Documented education covering the six topic areas, from any qualified provider.
Verified practice hours	A minimum of 25 hours of grief coaching practice.
Ethics and scope	Agreement to the INBGC Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice.
Application	Complete, accurate information. 18 years or older.

What this page is, and is not

What education is required?

In short

Grief-specific education covering the six topic areas, completed through any qualified provider. Hours in general life coaching, general counseling, or unrelated professional training do not count toward the minimum. Education from more than one provider may be combined.

What INBGC reviews is preparation specific to grief and loss. A general coaching qualification is valuable professional background, but it does not substitute for grief-specific study, because the credential attests to grief coaching competence in particular.

Why there is no hours minimum

INBGC does not set a minimum number of instructional hours. Hours measure time spent, not competence, and two candidates with identical hours can be very differently prepared. What INBGC reviews is whether your education covers the six topic areas. Competence itself is demonstrated on the proctored Board Examination, which every candidate sits regardless of where or how long they trained.

A candidate may arrive having trained with a single program, or may combine a primary training with continuing education, graduate coursework, or clinical training. Both routes are accepted, and what is assessed is whether the six topic areas are covered between them.

What must the education cover?

In short

Your education is reviewed against six topic areas: foundations of grief and loss, grief coaching practice, ethics and scope of practice, cultural competence and diverse grief experiences, risk recognition and referral, and professional practice. These are the same six topic areas the Board Examination covers, and they are set by the INBGC Advisory Board.

Foundations of Grief and Loss

Theories and models of grief, types of loss and their impact, the distinction between grief as a natural human experience and complicated or clinical presentations, and the difference between grief coaching and clinical treatment.

Grief Coaching Practice

Core coaching skills applied to grief work: holding space, goal-setting, meaning-making, identity reconstruction, and supporting clients through the practical and emotional dimensions of loss. Session structure, documentation, and client engagement.

Ethics and Scope of Practice

The INBGC Code of Ethics, professional boundaries, confidentiality obligations, informed consent, honest representation of credentials, conflicts of interest, and the limits of the grief coaching scope.

Cultural Competence and Diverse Grief Experiences

Grief across cultural, religious, and community contexts. Disenfranchised grief: losses that are not publicly acknowledged or socially supported. Equity and inclusion in grief support practice.

Risk Recognition and Referral

Identifying presentations that exceed the coaching scope, including suicidal ideation, complicated grief disorder, acute psychiatric symptoms, and trauma requiring clinical intervention. Referral protocols and coordination with licensed professionals.

Professional Practice

Informed consent, documentation, practice management, professional development, and the obligations of an active BCGC credential holder. Renewal requirements and continuing education responsibilities.

Your education does not need to have been organized around these six headings. INBGC reviews whether the content is covered, not how a program labeled it. See the full certification standards for how the Advisory Board defines each area.

What formats of education are accepted?

In short

Live, cohort-based, and self-paced programs are all accepted, delivered in person or online. Graduate coursework, clinical training, and continuing education from professional associations and universities count as well. INBGC does not maintain a list of approved programs and does not endorse any provider.

Live, cohort-based, and self-paced programs. Format does not affect eligibility. The Board Examination is what verifies knowledge either way.
In-person and online delivery. Both are accepted on the same terms.
Graduate coursework. In counseling, social work, thanatology, chaplaincy, or a related field, where the content is grief-specific.
Clinical training in grief and bereavement. Counted toward the education requirement for clinicians certifying in a coaching frame.
Continuing education. From professional associations, hospice and palliative care organizations, and universities.
The optional INBGC curriculum. Available to candidates on either pathway. It is not required, and completing it confers no advantage on the Board Examination.

Why there is no approved list

A board that maintained a list of approved schools would be making a commercial judgment about the programs whose graduates it certifies. INBGC reviews the education a candidate brings, on the same terms for every provider. That separation is what keeps the credential independent of any training program, including its own.

Does older training still qualify?

In short

Yes. There is no expiration on qualifying education. Education completed more than seven years ago must be accompanied by evidence of continued grief-related practice or continuing education in the period since.

Grief practice has developed, and a credential means less if it certifies preparation that has not been used or refreshed. Continued practice satisfies this. So does recent continuing education. A coach who trained a decade ago and has worked with grieving clients throughout meets the requirement on the strength of that practice.

What documentation is required?

In short

Any official record showing the program, the provider, your name, and your completion. Certificates of completion, transcripts, official course records, and letters on provider letterhead are all accepted. Clear scans or photographs are fine.

Certificates of completion. The most common form of documentation.
Transcripts or official course records. For graduate and university coursework.
Letters of completion on provider letterhead. Where a program did not issue a certificate.

Scans and photographs are accepted provided the program name, the provider, and your name are legible. Candidates who complete the INBGC curriculum have their completion record on file already, and no upload is required.

What are verified practice hours, and how many are required?

In short

A minimum of 25 hours of grief coaching practice with clients. Hours may be paid or unpaid, in private practice, an organizational setting, or a volunteer capacity. They are verified through scheduling documentation or a signed professional attestation, and no client session is ever recorded, submitted, or reviewed.

The purpose of a practice requirement is to confirm that the credential reflects applied work rather than examination performance alone. Because grief coaching is confidential, verification relies on documentation and attestation rather than observation.

Scheduling documentation

Calendar exports, booking reports, or invoicing records showing grief coaching sessions with clients.

Professional attestation

A signed attestation from a licensed clinician, supervisor, mentor, employer, or colleague with direct knowledge of your grief coaching work.

You need one or the other, not both.

Client confidentiality

No client sessions are ever recorded, submitted, or reviewed. No client participates in the certification process at any point, and no client is identified in any submission.

What do candidates agree to?

In short

Every candidate reviews and agrees to the INBGC Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice as a condition of certification, and again at every renewal. Grief coaching as INBGC defines it is non-clinical, and the scope requires referral to licensed care at defined indicators.

A Board Certified Grief Coach does not diagnose, treat, or provide mental health care. Licensed clinicians are welcome to certify, and do so as coaches operating within a non-clinical frame, distinct from their clinical role.

Agreement to the code is not a formality. It is enforceable, and a credential can be suspended or revoked for violating it.

Review the Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice

Requirement

What else is required to apply?

In short

You must be 18 or older, provide accurate and complete information, hold a valid government-issued photo ID, and have a computer that can run a remotely proctored examination. Submitting false or misleading information is grounds for denial of an application and for revocation of a credential already awarded.

Identification

Every candidate presents a valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID at the start of the Board Examination. The name on it must match the name on your application.

A driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID
Unexpired, with a clearly legible photograph and name
The name on your ID must match the name on your INBGC application

Technology for the Board Examination

The examination is administered remotely through a live proctoring platform. Check these before you enroll, because a device that cannot run the platform is the most common practical obstacle candidates hit.

A desktop or laptop computer. Tablets and phones are not supported by the proctoring platform
Permission to run the proctoring software on that device. Employer-managed and institution-issued computers often block installation. If your only computer is a work machine, confirm this before you enroll
A working webcam and microphone
A stable internet connection
A private, quiet space for the full duration of the examination, with no other people present

General requirements

You are 18 years of age or older
The information in your application is accurate, complete, and current

Submission of false or misleading information is grounds for denial of an application and for revocation of a credential already awarded.

What happens if you do not meet a requirement?

In short

Your candidacy stays open. INBGC tells you exactly what is outstanding, and you may complete it through any qualified provider. There is no deadline and no penalty, and fees already paid are applied to your continuing candidacy.

Closing a gap

You are not turned away

Where documentation does not meet a published requirement, INBGC identifies what is outstanding. You may complete it through any qualified provider, including but not limited to the optional INBGC curriculum. INBGC does not require its own training, and completing it confers no advantage on the Board Examination.

Once the outstanding requirement is complete, you submit the documentation and your review continues from where it paused.

This applies to practice hours as well as education. A candidate short of 25 hours completes the remaining hours and submits documentation when ready.

Before you apply

In short

Review these requirements and the published fee schedule before you enroll. All fees are non-refundable. If you are unsure whether your education or practice hours qualify, Program Administration will review your background with you at no cost before you pay.

Every requirement and every fee is published in advance so you can confirm you qualify before committing. Write to [email protected] with any question about eligibility, and you will get a plain answer at no cost. See the full fee schedule for what certification costs and how it can be funded.

Next step

Create your candidate account

Certification begins by creating your account. It takes about a minute and does not enroll or charge you. You choose your pathway in the next step.

Create your account

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Frequently asked questions

No. There is no degree requirement and no licensure requirement. Eligibility is based on documented grief-specific education and practice, not on credentials from another field. Licensed clinicians are welcome to certify and do so as coaches operating within a non-clinical scope.

No. INBGC sets no hours minimum, because hours measure time spent rather than competence. What is reviewed is whether your education covers the six published topic areas. Competence is demonstrated on the proctored Board Examination.

It may. INBGC reviews education from any qualified provider against the six published topic areas. INBGC maintains no list of approved programs and endorses no provider. If you are unsure, contact Program Administration before you apply and INBGC will tell you at no cost.

Yes. The requirement may be met through a primary training plus continuing education, graduate coursework, or clinical training. What is assessed is whether the six topic areas are covered between them.

No. Paid, unpaid, and volunteer grief coaching hours all count, provided the work was grief coaching with clients and can be documented. Hours completed in private practice, an organizational setting, or a volunteer capacity are all accepted.

Qualifying education does not expire. Education completed more than seven years ago must be accompanied by evidence of continued grief-related practice or continuing education since.

Your candidacy stays open. INBGC tells you exactly what is outstanding, and you may complete it through any qualified provider. There is no deadline and no penalty, and your fees are applied to your continuing candidacy.

No. All fees paid to INBGC are non-refundable. Every requirement and every fee is published in advance, so review these requirements and the full fee schedule before you enroll, and contact Program Administration with any question beforehand.

A valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID. The name on it must match the name on your INBGC application.

A desktop or laptop computer with a working webcam, microphone, and stable internet connection. Tablets and phones are not supported by the proctoring platform. You also need permission to run the proctoring software on that device, which employer-managed and institution-issued computers often block. Confirm this before you enroll.

Next step

Get board certified

Applications are open and reviewed on a rolling basis. Creating your account takes about a minute and does not enroll or charge you. You choose your pathway in the next step.

Get Certified Check your eligibility