Free Matching Service
Find a Grief Coach
Finding the right grief coach is hard, and it is difficult to tell who is actually qualified. We match you with a Board Certified Grief Coach whose focus fits your situation. Free, and no obligation.
Tell us who the support is for and what you are working through, and we connect you with a Board Certified Grief Coach whose focus fits your situation.
Every coach we match you with holds an active Board Certified Grief Coach credential from the Independent National Board for Grief Coaching, which you can confirm yourself.
The problem
Why finding a grief coach is hard
If you have searched for a grief coach, you already know the problem. Anyone can use the title. There is no license required to call yourself a grief coach, and very little way to tell who has real grief-specific training, who works within a clear and appropriate scope, and who is the right fit for the person who needs support.
Grief coaching is not one size fits all. Support after a death is not the same as support through a divorce, a serious diagnosis, a job loss, an estrangement, or a major life change. The focus matters. The situation matters. The fit matters.
That is what this service solves. Instead of guessing from a list of search results, you tell us what you need, and we match you with a certified grief coach whose focus fits your situation.
The process
How the matching service works
A simple, free process that connects you with the right grief coach.
Complete a short form describing who the support is for, the kind of loss or life change involved, your location, your preferred session format, and anything specific you would like a coach to understand. It takes a few minutes.
We review your request and identify the Board Certified Grief Coach whose focus, experience, and availability best fit your situation. Every request is reviewed by a person.
We email you a personal recommendation for a coach who is ready to help. There is no fee and no obligation to contact them.
Matching rests on credential status and fit with what you have described. No coach can pay to be matched ahead of another, and INBGC sells no placement, preference, or visibility to certificants. This service is free to you and generates no revenue for the board.
What to expect
After you are matched
You receive the coach's name, how to reach them, and a short note on why they fit what you described. From there the relationship is yours to begin, or not.
Coaches set their own rates, and you discuss fees directly with the coach you are matched with. INBGC is not part of that arrangement and takes no payment from either side.
You are under no obligation. If the coach is not the right fit after an initial conversation, you may come back and ask for another match, or take the information and look elsewhere entirely. Nothing is owed.
A match confirms that the coach holds an active credential and that their focus fits what you described. It is not a guarantee of a good working relationship, and INBGC does not supervise, oversee, or take part in the coaching itself. Certificants are held to a published Code of Ethics, and anyone may raise a concern about a certificant's conduct with Program Administration at no cost.
The assurance
What board certification means for you
You should not have to guess whether the person you are trusting has real preparation. With a board credential, you do not have to.
Verified competence, not just attendance
Every coach we match you with has passed a proctored Board Examination through the Independent National Board for Grief Coaching, at 80 percent across six topic areas, rather than simply attending a training.
A credential you can check yourself
Each coach holds a unique credential number. Ask for it and enter it in the INBGC lookup to confirm the credential is active and in good standing. It takes seconds, it is free, and the coach is not involved.
A published code of ethics, with consequences
Every certificant agrees to the INBGC Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice. Anyone may raise a concern, and outcomes run from guidance through to revocation of the credential. That is what accountability means in practice.
A defined, non-clinical focus
Grief coaches provide forward-focused support for loss and life change. Certification confirms the coach understands where coaching helps and where clinical care is the right referral.
The full standard behind the credential is published and free to read. See the certification standards.
Areas of focus
The kinds of grief we match across
Grief is not only about death. These are the situations coaches in the matching pool work with.
Death of a loved one and bereavement
Divorce and the end of a significant relationship
Serious illness, diagnosis, and caregiving
Job loss and career transition
Estrangement and family rupture
Identity change and major life transitions
Pet loss, infertility, forced retirement, and losses that other people fail to recognize are all grief, and all within scope. Tell us your situation, and we match you with a coach who works in that area.
An important distinction
Grief coaching and therapy are different, and that matters
A grief coach provides non-clinical, forward-focused support for loss and life change. A therapist is a licensed clinician who can diagnose and treat mental health conditions. The two often work well alongside one another.
If what you are carrying may need clinical care, a Board Certified Grief Coach is trained to recognize that and to point you toward the right support. Matching you with the right kind of help is part of what this service is for.
If you are in crisis, or having thoughts of harming yourself, please reach out now rather than waiting for a match. In the United States, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text at 988, at any hour. A grief coach is not a crisis service, and you deserve support from someone equipped to give it.
For the fuller comparison, see grief coach versus therapist. If you would rather find someone on your own, how to choose a grief coach sets out what to ask.
Common questions
Free, No Obligation
Get matched with a grief coach
Tell us a little about what you need. We review every request personally and email you a match with a Board Certified Grief Coach who fits your situation. Free, with no obligation.