Do you offer ce?

Yes! The Institute for Grief Massage Inc is an Approved Provider through the NCBTMB (#521).

You can earn CE for taking our online “The Joy of Grief Massage” classes, as well as our live webinar Zoom and in-person classes.

We offer training in a variety of formats.

40 CE online self-paced bundle: 5 recorded Grief Massage training courses priced accessibly at $395. Available now. More information here.

15 CE 2-day Zoom training: Weekend trainings available on an ongoing basis. Join waitlist by contacting Aimee Taylor (at) griefmassage (dot) org.

15 CE 5 week Zoom training: This series meets once per week for 5 weeks. Each class meeting is 3 hours/3 CE. Available on an ongoing basis. Join waitlist by contacting Aimee Taylor (at) griefmassage (dot) org.

15 CE live in-person training: Weekend live in-person trainings available on an ongoing basis. Next live class 8/8/ and 8/9 in Charlotte NC. Learn more and register here.

40 CE Zoom training series: This series meets once per month for 5 months. Each class meeting is 8 hours. Available on an ongoing basis. Join waitlist by contacting Aimee Taylor (at) griefmassage (dot) org.

40 CE live in-person training series: This series meets in-person for two weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and one Saturday (8 hours each day). Available by request for small groups. Join waitlist or request a training date by contacting Aimee Taylor (at) griefmassage (dot) org.

If you would like to book a training for your employees at a massage therapy private practice or spa, please contact Aimee to discuss group pricing discounts for tuition, available dates, and training options.

We look forward to seeing you in class!

do i need training in grief massage?

Yes, to specialize in this work, training is strongly recommended.

While the basic skills you acquired in massage school (and your personal experiences/self-study of grief & loss) can inform situations that arise spontaneously, specialized Grief Massage training is vital if you plan to actively encourage grieving clients to seek out massage therapy.

Seeking out grieving clients entails a great deal of responsibility.

It is important to be prepared to create a truly safe space, to explain how and why touch can be beneficial in grief, to set gentle boundaries and explain the massage therapy scope of practice, to know when to make referrals to other professionals, and to feel prepared to handle emotional release.

When you train in Grief Massage, you will also take a deep dive into cultural aspects of grief that often affect Grief Massage clients. This matters because it’s important to be aware of the unique cultural stressors grievers face, and it’s vital to learn how to communicate with Grief Massage clients in ways that do not perpetuate cultural grief-phobia or death denial.

Upon completion of any of our full trainings, Grief Massage practitioners can describe themselves as “Grief Massage trained” or may state that they have “Completed 15 hours of Grief Massage training/continuing education” or “40 hours of Grief Massage training/continuing education” or “Received training through The Institute for Grief Massage Inc”.

We do not encourage the use of the terms “certified” or “certification” as a true certification requires an outside 3rd party organization to test, certify and retest/recertify every few years. While many in the field of massage therapy use the terms “certified” or “certification” to describe continuing education trainings, it is actually incorrect to do so. We encourage our learners to avoid using the terms “certified” or “certification” to describe the continuing education training we offer.

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what are your qualifications to teach?

Aimee has personal, professional and academic qualifications to teach Grief Massage. First and foremost, she is a human who has experienced profound loss. The sudden death of her brother in 2005 and the suicide death of her mother in 2009 initiated her onto a very personal path of grief and healing.

As a professional, she has been licensed to provide massage and bodywork since 2007 and began offering Grief Massage from the very start of her career. She created and named the Grief Massage modality, pioneered the first Massage Therapy Foundation Community Service Grant projects in Grief Massage, and created the first NCBTMB approved Grief Massage training course.

Aimee is also trained in counseling and is licensed to provide therapy. She specializes in grief counseling and often draws on her training as a counselor to inform her approach to teaching Grief Massage. Additionally, she published a popular article about Grief Massage in Massage & Bodywork magazine in 2017.

is grief massage a form of counseling?

No, Grief Massage is not a form of counseling. Grief Massage is a specialized form of gentle massage that utilizes therapeutic presence, touch, and felt safety to support grievers. Many grieving clients enjoy silence during sessions.

While a client may choose to share their personal grief experience with a Grief Massage practitioner, the practitioner must never explore, process, or offer advice.

As a dually trained massage therapist and counselor, Aimee is uniquely qualified to help massage therapists learn about the boundaries, scope of practice distinctions, and communication skills needed to maintain the massage therapy scope of practice in a Grief Massage setting.