We encounter grief everywhere—in our personal lives, at work, and in both personal and institutional contexts. Welcome to the School for Grief Counseling.
Grief, saying goodbye, and dying are often part of everyday professional life. You encounter them in conversations with family members, patients, clients, students, or coworkers. Such situations require presence, clarity, and a professional demeanor. At the same time, they raise questions: How do I structure these conversations? How do I maintain my professional role? Where are my boundaries? How do I talk about feelings in a way that provides support and guidance?
Since 2005, Monica Lonoce’s School for Grief Counseling has been training professionals who wish to support people going through loss, farewells, and change in a scientifically sound, responsible, and contemporary manner. Our courses combine scientific principles from the fields of prevention and health promotion with clearly structured, field-tested tools.
The foundation is the GEFÜHLE.LEBEN.LERNEN.® model for life and grief support—based on a humanistic view of humanity and Antonovsky’s “sense of coherence.” The model offers a nuanced vocabulary for emotions, a clear conversational structure, and concrete tools that can be applied in palliative care, social work, education, counseling, therapy, coaching, institutions, businesses, or the funeral industry.
If you’d like to professionalize your role in helping people cope with grief, deepen your expertise in end-of-life care, and confidently support people going through life transitions—or if you’d like to establish your own practice as an independent grief counselor—then visit our website to learn more about our current training programs. There you’ll also find the dates for our regular online information sessions, with the option to register for free and with no obligation.
Our training and continuing education programs are specifically designed for professionals with work experience who wish to deepen and refine their skills in supporting others through grief, loss, and the end of life—or who want to establish an additional career path as a grief counselor.
Online Certificate Course in Grief Counseling (8 months)
This course is a compact, structured, and closely guided blended-learning process. It combines flexible self-study phases on a secure online platform with live calls every 14 days in a dedicated learning group. These live calls are the cornerstone of the shared learning journey: They facilitate in-depth exploration of the subject matter, reflection, supervision, case discussions, and the continuous application of what you learn to your practice.
The course consists of a total of 16 comprehensive lessons, organized into three modules that build on one another:
Every 14 days, a 2-hour LIVECALL in the evening supplements the previous lessons with in-depth coverage, additional practical examples, supervision, etc.
Module 1 – Fundamentals & Practical Application (Conducting Grief Counseling Sessions)
You will develop the scientific foundations of the model and learn to conduct grief counseling sessions in a structured manner (including safety guidelines, the four-level model, and the five emotional qualities). You will apply what you have learned directly and reflect on your first real-world cases.
Module 2 – Self-Awareness & Professional Conduct
You will explore emotional states through guided self-awareness exercises and strengthen your inner clarity. You will learn to clearly distinguish between personal resonance and your professional role—as the foundation for providing responsible guidance.
Module 3 – Process Support & Professional Development
You will accompany real-life processes over extended periods of time, continually reflect on your role through supervision, and develop your own grief counseling program. Theory, practice, and attitude are integrated.
All course content is available in the 16 lessons on the learning platform, drawn from an extensive video and audio library spanning over 20 years of teaching and practical experience. Based on the practical assignments and learning tasks you complete, you will create a final project that takes shape step by step throughout the course. Upon successful completion, you will receive the certificate: GEFÜHLE.LEBEN.LERNEN.® Certified Grief Counselor.
Information Sessions for the Online Certificate Program in Grief Counseling and Curriculum
Online information sessions are regularly posted on the school’s website. There, you can learn about the program, the course, and how it works—with the option to register directly, free of charge and with no obligation. You can also request the course curriculum via the contact form on the website.
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In-house training (online and/or on-site)
In addition, we offer customized in-house training programs for institutions, teams, and professional groups. We can come to your organization or work online with your employees, or provide online courses tailored to your needs that your employees can access independently and immediately. Content and focus areas are developed to suit your specific context—for example, for nursing and caregiving, palliative care, education, social work, HR, counseling centers, or organizations serving people with disabilities. The goal is to provide practical support for developing the right attitude, language, and confidence in dealing with grief and loss in everyday professional life.
Free online information evening: Get an insight into the online certificate course in grief counseling and the GEFÜHLE.LEBEN.LERNEN.® model with its tools. Ask your questions, get to know Monica Lonoce and her team - without obligation and in person.
» Click here to register for the info evening
ABSCHIED26 - Swiss trade fair (Lucerne, 29-30.10.2026): Visit the School for Grief Counseling at the booth on both days. On 29.10. Monica Lonoce will give a lecture. Get to know the GEFÜHLE.LEBEN.LERNEN.® model, get into conversation and get inspiration for your practice.
» More information about ABSCHIED26 directly here
Monica Lonoce’s School for Grief Counseling is a school for professionals—professional, modern, and holistic:
In-depth professional training:
Our courses are specifically designed for professionals—with a focus on professional roles, boundaries, integration into practice, and responsible application, whether in their current professional lives or as a new, additional career path in grief counseling.
Scientifically Based on Prevention and Health Promotion:
GEFÜHLE.LEBEN.LERNEN.® is based on salutogenesis and Antonovsky’s “sense of coherence,” and combines a scientific perspective with effective practice.
Tried and tested in universities and CAS programs:
For over 20 years, the School for Grief Counseling has been teaching this model in its training programs at Universities (in the fields of health and education/special education) as well as in CAS contexts, including palliative care.
Unique tools—usable anywhere:
The tools from the GEFÜHLE.LIFE.LEARNING. are universally applicable: with children, adults, people with cognitive impairments or dementia, in palliative care and with family members, in schools, institutions such as retirement and nursing homes, facilities for people with disabilities, and also in companies within human resources management.
Quality, Community, and Growth:
We operate in accordance with the ISO 9001 quality standards and are in the process of obtaining certification in 2026. Our programs and tools are continuously updated and refined, and shared with the grief counselors we certify.
Certified grief counselors can, if they wish, join a professional community that offers opportunities for exchange, supervision, and regular online and in-person sessions for quality assurance. Our grief counselors are recommended by the school upon request when inquiries are received.
