Completion and Certification

Sample Certificate

The certificate below shows the GGN certificate design. Certificates are signed by Tony Lynch, Founder of The Global Grief Network. GGN issues each personalized certificate, with its credential number and dates, directly after reviewing the candidate's complete file.

SAMPLE

Practitioner Certificate

This certifies that [Practitioner Name] has met all requirements of

GGN Certified Somatic Grief Support Practitioner (GGN-CSGSP)

Credential number [Number] · Issued [Date] · Renewal due [Date]

Tony Lynch, Founder
The Global Grief Network

Issued by the Global Grief Network. A professional development credential in non-clinical grief support. Not a state or national license and not a clinical credential.

Certification Requirements

To earn the GGN Certified Somatic Grief Support Practitioner (GGN-CSGSP) credential, a candidate must:

1. Complete the GGN Grief First Aid course (prerequisite).
2. Complete all twelve modules (66 hours), including at least 75 percent live attendance at practice labs and 100 percent attendance at the Module 11 crisis role-play lab.
3. Pass each module quiz with at least 80 percent (retakes allowed).
4. Complete 20 practicum hours, logged and signed by a GGN-approved supervisor.
5. Pass all three parts of the final assessment.
6. Sign the GGN Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice agreement.
7. Pay the certification fee, as listed at enrollment and checkout.

Upon certification

• A digital and printable certificate with a unique credential number, signed by Tony Lynch, Founder of The Global Grief Network.
• Listing in the GGN Practitioner Directory (optional, opt-in), showing name, credential, service area, languages, and in-scope services.
• Use of the credential title and abbreviation in accordance with GGN brand guidelines.
• Access to the GGN practitioner community and continuing education offerings.

Use of the credential

Practitioners must use the full credential name or the abbreviation GGN-CSGSP, and must not shorten it to imply a license (for example, "Certified Somatic Clinician"). GGN may suspend or revoke a credential and remove a directory listing for misrepresentation, ethical violations, or lapse.

Practicum and Supervised Hours

The practicum is where knowledge becomes skill. It totals 20 hours and begins only after Modules 1 to 5 and Module 11 (including the live crisis role-play lab) are complete.

Practicum components

Practicum rules

• Volunteer clients must be 18 or older and not currently in a mental health crisis. Trainees do not practice with anyone whose loss occurred within the past eight weeks, unless within an agency setting under direct supervision.
• Volunteers are not charged for practicum sessions.
• All sessions use the GGN Somatic Client Informed Consent and Release (L07, in the GGN Legal and Policies set), including the trainee disclosure.
• Recordings are stored securely, used only for supervision, and deleted after assessment.
• Any safety concern is reported to the supervisor the same day.
• Trainees log every hour on the Practicum Log (Appendix C), signed by the supervisor.

Supervisor qualifications

GGN-approved supervisors hold the GGN-CSGSP credential for at least two years with active status, or hold a relevant professional license (for example, in counseling, social work, psychology, or chaplaincy) with demonstrated grief experience, and have completed GGN supervisor orientation.

Continuing Education and Renewal

The credential is valid for two years. To renew, practitioners must:

• Complete 20 hours of continuing education in each two-year cycle, including at least:
• 3 hours in ethics or scope of practice,
• 3 hours in suicide prevention or crisis response,
• 2 hours in cultural humility, equity, or accessibility.
• Complete at least 6 hours of consultation or supervision during the cycle.
• Attest to verifying their referral and crisis resource list within the past six months.
• Re-sign the Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice.
• Report any complaints, legal actions, or changes to licensure.
• Pay the renewal fee, as listed at checkout.

Continuing education may come from GGN offerings (live trainings, GGN streaming courses, Grief Talk Magazine CE articles if approved) or from other providers whose content is relevant to grief, trauma-informed care, ethics, or somatic practice. A credential that lapses may be reinstated within 12 months by completing missed requirements; after 12 months, the candidate must complete the capstone again.

Continuing Education Approval Resources

What CE approval is

Licensed professionals such as counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, and addiction professionals must complete continuing education to renew their licenses or certifications. Their licensing boards decide which courses count. Many boards accept courses from providers that have been reviewed and approved by a recognized national body. An approval means the body has reviewed the provider's processes (for example, learning objectives, instructor qualifications, evaluation, record keeping, and freedom from commercial bias) and allows the provider to award CE credit for that profession.

Important points:

• CE approval is profession-specific. An approval for counselors does not automatically cover social workers or nurses.
• CE approval allows licensed participants to earn CE hours. It does not turn the GGN credential into a license, and it does not change the GGN Scope of Practice.
• Each licensing board makes its own decisions. Even with an approval, practitioners should confirm acceptance with their own board.
• Fees, timelines, forms, and rules change. Check current fees and requirements on each official site before applying.

National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP)

What it is. NBCC approves continuing education providers whose programs can award NBCC credit to counselors. Many state counseling boards accept NBCC-approved CE.

Typical requirements. NBCC offers two routes: Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP) status, which lets an approved organization add and run its own programs under NBCC policy, and Single Program approval for one specific, fully developed live program. ACEP applicants submit evidence of their history as a CE provider; for live formats, a live program that has already concluded, and for home study formats, a fully functional home study program. Providers must follow the NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy and maintain their status.

Steps.

1. Read the NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy and the comparison of ACEP and Single Program approval.
2. Decide which route fits (Single Program can help build a CE history).
3. Prepare program materials: learning objectives, agenda, presenter credentials, evaluation, and attendance tracking.
4. Submit the application with the required fee. Check current fees on the site.

Official website: https://www.nbcc.org/resources/ceproviderresources/ceproviderapplicants

Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved Continuing Education (ACE)

What it is. ASWB's ACE program approves providers, and individual courses or conferences, to offer continuing education credit for social workers. Many social work regulatory boards accept ACE-approved CE.

Typical requirements. ASWB offers provider approval (for organizations with many courses) and individual course or conference approval (for providers with a small number of courses). ACE standards include knowing and following social work CE regulations, adherence to social work values and ethics, cultural awareness, accessibility, assigned staff roles (including a social work consultant), measurable learning objectives, a bibliography for each course, qualified instructors, avoiding commercial bias, posttesting and pilot testing where required, a written grievance policy, record keeping, course evaluations, and attendance documentation.

Steps.

1. Download and read the ACE Handbook.
2. Choose provider approval or individual course approval.
3. Assign required staff roles and build the documentation the standards require.
4. Apply through ASWB. Check current fees on the site.

Official website: https://www.aswb.org/ace/

American Psychological Association (APA): CE Sponsor Approval

What it is. APA's Office of Continuing Education Sponsor Approval (CESA) approves organizations to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Approval is at the organizational level rather than for single programs, and many psychology boards accept APA-approved sponsors.

Typical requirements. Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to deliver CE consistent with APA's Standards and Criteria, including fully developed program components, and must follow APA policies, pay required fees, respond to review reports, and submit annual reports once approved. Applications are reviewed in scheduled cycles.

Steps.

1. Read APA's Standards and Criteria and the Policies and Procedures Manual on the CESA pages.
2. Request an account for APA's online application system.
3. Prepare and submit the organizational application within an open review cycle. Check current fees and deadlines on the site.

Official website: Search "APA CE Sponsor Approval" at the American Psychological Association website. (The APA site could not be automatically verified for this edition because it blocks automated checks. GGN staff should confirm the current page address in a browser before publishing a link.)

IC&RC and NAADAC: Addiction professionals

IC&RC (International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium)

What it is. IC&RC sets credentialing standards and examinations for prevention, substance use disorder, and recovery professionals. IC&RC credentials are issued through IC&RC Member Boards, which are organized by state, jurisdiction, or country, and each Member Board sets its own requirements, including which continuing education it accepts.

Typical requirements. Because CE acceptance is decided locally, a provider usually works with the relevant Member Board (or Boards) to have courses approved or accepted for their credential holders.

Steps.

1. Identify the Member Boards in the regions GGN serves using the IC&RC Member Board directory.
2. Contact each board to ask about its CE approval or acceptance process for outside providers.
3. Submit course materials as each board requires. Check current fees on each board's site.

Official websites: https://internationalcredentialing.org/ and the Member Board directory at https://internationalcredentialing.org/member-boards/

NAADAC (the Association for Addiction Professionals): Approved Education Provider Program

What it is. NAADAC approves education providers whose CE hours are accepted toward national addiction credentials through the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCC AP), and by many state licensing and certification bodies.

Typical requirements. First-time applicants may apply for approval of unlimited trainings for a two-year period or a single training event. The application includes forms covering strategy, goals, and objectives; trainings to be offered; references; and any co-sponsor relationships. Applicants should read the NAADAC Approved Education Provider Guidelines first.

Steps.

1. Download and read the NAADAC Approved Education Provider Guidelines.
2. Complete the application, checklist, and Forms A to D.
3. Submit to NAADAC. Check current fees on the site.

Official websites: https://www.naadac.org/providers and applications at https://www.naadac.org/naadac-approved-education-provider-applications

ADEC (Association for Death Education and Counseling): grief-specific

What it is. ADEC is a professional association focused on dying, death, and bereavement. It offers the Certified in Thanatology (CT) and Fellow in Thanatology (FT) credentials. Through its ADEC aCcredited Education (ACE) Process, formerly called the Pre-Approval Process, organizations can submit educational programs to be listed as counting toward CT and FT certification or recertification contact hours.

Typical requirements. ADEC's process generally expects the program to be offered by an accredited educational institution or by an organization already approved to offer CE for nurses, physicians, or licensed mental health disciplines; other programs are evaluated individually. Applicants submit the program title, faculty names and credentials, program description and objectives, documentation of approvals from other accrediting bodies, and the application fee. Each program is reviewed separately. Approved programs may use ADEC's specified statement in marketing, but may not use the CT or FT logos, suggest ADEC endorsement, or imply that the program prepares people for the CT exam.

Steps.

1. Consider first obtaining at least one profession-specific CE approval (for example, NBCC or ASWB), which strengthens an ADEC submission.
2. Complete ADEC's ACE program form for each program.
3. Respond to ADEC's follow-up about payment once the course is accepted. Check current fees on the site.

Official websites: https://www.adec.org/page/Pre_Approval_Home and, for the CT credential, https://www.adec.org/page/CT-Certified-In-Thanatology

State and provincial licensing boards

What it is. Each state, province, or territory licensing board sets its own CE rules for its licensees. Some boards accept national approvals (such as NBCC, ASWB, APA, or ANCC); some run their own provider approval process; some accept courses case by case.

Typical requirements. These vary widely. Common items include course content relevant to the profession, qualified instructors, a minimum length, attendance verification, and certificates of completion with specific wording.

Steps.

1. List the jurisdictions where most GGN students are licensed.
2. Check each board's CE rules and whether it accepts national approvals.
3. Apply directly where a board runs its own approval process. Check current fees on each board's site.

Useful directories: social work board websites are linked from ASWB at https://www.aswb.org/licenses/protecting-the-public/look-up-license/ and addiction credentialing boards from IC&RC at https://internationalcredentialing.org/member-boards/

IACET: general continuing education units (CEUs)

What it is. The International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) accredits organizations that create and administer continuing education and training. IACET Accredited Providers may award IACET CEUs. IACET accreditation is not profession-specific licensure CE, but it signals quality in adult education and is recognized by some employers and regulators.

Typical requirements. IACET's eligibility criteria include being a legally recognized entity that has been in business for at least one year, a defined organizational unit responsible for continuing education, written policies and processes that comply with the ANSI/IACET Standard for Continuing Education and Training, and the ability to provide documentation for an application and accreditation interview. Accredited providers reapply periodically.

Steps.

1. Review IACET's eligibility criteria and application process.
2. Create a free IACET account and use the Accreditation Readiness Calculator to find gaps.
3. Purchase the ANSI/IACET Standard and application, prepare evidence, and submit online.
4. Complete the accreditation interview. Check current fees on the site.

Official websites: https://www.iacet.org/accreditation/, eligibility at https://www.iacet.org/ce-t-accreditation/eligibility/, and the application process at https://iacet.org/ce-t-accreditation/application-process/

Nursing: ANCC Nursing Continuing Professional Development (NCPD)

What it is. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) accredits organizations worldwide to provide nursing continuing professional development (NCPD). ANCC also accredits "Approvers," organizations in the United States that approve NCPD providers using ANCC criteria. Some organizations obtain approval through an accredited Approver rather than applying to ANCC directly.

Typical requirements. Applicants must pass a systematic peer review and meet the standards in the ANCC NCPD Accredited Provider Policy and Operations Manual, including an educational design process that is evidence-based and independent of commercial influence, and record keeping (activity files must be retained for a set period). ANCC's Commission on Accreditation makes the final decision.

Steps.

1. Download the ANCC NCPD Accredited Provider Policy and Operations Manual from the ANCC site.
2. Decide whether to apply to ANCC directly or seek provider or activity approval through an ANCC-accredited Approver.
3. Build the required educational design and documentation, then apply. Check current fees on the site.

Official websites: https://www.nursingworld.org/organizational-programs/accreditation/ and https://www.nursingworld.org/organizational-programs/accreditation/ncpd/

Suggested GGN approach

1. Decide which professions make up most of the expected licensed audience.
2. Start with one profession-specific approval (for example, NBCC Single Program or ASWB individual course approval), which also builds a provider track record.
3. Add ADEC ACE listing for grief-specific recognition once one approval is in place.
4. Consider IACET accreditation if GGN wants a general, organization-wide quality accreditation.
5. Until approvals are granted, describe the program only as professional development, and never as approved CE.