We have a waitlist for a live 2-day in-person weekend training to be held in Charlotte NC in October 2025.
Please contact Aimee at aimeetaylor(at)griefmassage(dot)org to join the waitlist or schedule a phone call to talk about the live training and see if it would meet your needs!
2 day live trainings are limited to 9 students, and include an opportunity for hands-on practice.
We must have at least 4 participants in order to reserve the classroom space. Class will be held on a weekend (Saturday and Sunday) in October. Exact Dates to Be Determined.
Saturday Day One: 9:30 am - 5:30 pm EST
Topics will be:
Grief, the Body & the Nervous System:
Grief Massage Intake & Protocols:
The Grief Massage Sequence:
Sunday Day Two: 10:30 am - 5:30 pm EST
Topics will be:
Emotional Release & Scope of Practice
Developing Grief Massage Programs
When we meet in person, snacks will be provided and we will take many breaks to ground, connect with nature, listen to music and share. Being human is encouraged! Please plan to wear comfortable clothing!
This live training requires at least 4 participants. The waitlist currently has 1 person. When you add your name to the waitlist, that helps the instructor gage interest before reserving the classroom space.
Please reach out with any questions. See the description of the curriculum below:
About Our “The Joy of Grief Massage” Curriculum
In times of deep sorrow and grief, massage therapists can offer tangible comfort.
Massage therapists have unique skills that can be used to create grounding, nourishing physical retreats for heart-broken clients.
If you are a massage therapist with an interest in serving grieving people through touch, this training is for you!
In this "The Joy of Grief Massage" webinar class series, we train students on the importance of witnessing (not “fixing”) grief.
At The Institute for Grief Massage, we help compassionate massage therapists feel skilled, confident and prepared to serve grieving clients.
We help massage therapists learn to hold space, trust the moment, and “just be” with a client. There’s a lot more to Grief Massage than a simple list of techniques or a particular bodywork sequence.
The good news: becoming more grief literate can help you be a much more effective Grief Massage practitioner (as well as an overall more sensitive, empathetic and compassionate human).
Grief Massage asks us to create and hold safe space. We prepare you to do so, while also providing the practical information you expect from any massage therapy continuing education course.
Virtual class dates:
To Be Determined. Waitlist is accepting potential participants for a weekend 2-day live training in October 2025. The needs and preferences of participants will determine which weekend in October 2025 is selected. We require at least 4 participants in order to reserve the classroom space.
What to expect
This class can be your guide for offering massage to bereaved or grieving clients.
As a small group, we will share insights and experiences, in a warm and accepting atmosphere.
Lecture and discussions will center on the "big picture" (preparing you to offer Grief Massage to your clients and community).
Our comprehensive training will empower your work by covering a wide range of important factors such as:
-empathy for the experience of grieving
-how the physical body responds to loss
-how grieving influences the nervous system
-special considerations for intake and appointment scheduling
-grief and the massage therapy scope of practice/emotional release
-creating a safe space for clients.
-self-care and boundaries
-Grief Massage techniques (including a very simple & calming Grief Massage sequence)
-insights on how to gain experience with Grief Massage
-marketing ideas for sharing this work with your community
Your experience
Learning will be personal.
You will be a part of a small group (1 instructor and a maximum of 9 students)
The training will weave together group discussion and sharing (always optional), presentation of topics by the instructor, and experiential activities to ensure that the material is well digested and integrated by students.
Not only will you be supported in developing skills to be present with grieving clients, you will also learn specific tools and techniques.
This training will encourage you to meet grieving clients where they are – accepting them just as they are – by letting your presence and touch communicate support and empathy.
Why this class matters
It's so easy to feel powerless and overwhelmed in the face of great suffering.
Do you feel inadequate or ill-equipped to "fix" the pain you see in the world at large or in the faces of those near you?
It's human to want to fix suffering.
But what if the impulse to "fix" the pain of others is actually part of the larger problem?
What if instead of "fixing" grief, you could learn to simply communicate support and acceptance through touch?
What if you, as a massage therapist, could learn to ground yourself, take a deep breath of courageous empathy, and create a space where grievers can rest amid the hard work of grieving?
What if steadfastness, empathy and gentle touch in a safe, respectful and sacred environment were contribution enough?
What if you could embark on the lifelong quest to train your hands and heart to let go of the need to "fix" suffering?
What would that ability bring to the world?
(Whether or not you join this class, you encouraged to ponder those questions and let those questions become a part of your work.)
Important Details About Continuing Education:
he live training weekend features “The Joy of Grief Massage Live 2 Day Training” is approved for 15 CE by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork. The Institute for Grief Massage Inc is a NCBTMB continuing education Approved Provider (#521)..
Each class session must be attended in its entirety and if a student misses any portion of the class, they will not be eligible to receive their CE certificate.
If a student misses class or misses a portion of class, a CE certificate cannot be issued.
Each hour of class meeting will include a 10 minute break.
Very Important: Please note that while this course is approved by the NCBTMB, it is the sole responsibility of each student to check with their individual state board/licensing body to ensure that the CE from these classes will be accepted toward licensure renewal.
The instructor makes no guarantee that the CE offered in this class will be accepted by any individual state massage board.
New York students: This NCBTMB approved course is NOT sponsored in New York by the NCBTMB and will not be accepted toward license renewal (to the best of our knowledge).
Please also note that this is a training course and not a professional certification. You will earn continuing education credits through this course but will not be certified as a result of taking this introductory course.
Registration Policy:
Registration is not yet open. We currently have a wait list of interested potential participants. Join the waitlist by contacting the instructor.
Once registration opens, you will be able to register for this class on our Thinkific website. Once you are registered for the class, you will have access to a printable workbook to bring to the live training.
Please contact the instructor at the email address provided within the Thinkific portal with any questions once you have registered.
By registering for this class series and paying the tuition, you agree to be fully responsible for attending the training weekend in its entirety. There is one 15 CE certificate offered at the end of the weekend to participants who attended all sessions.
By registering for this class, you affirm that you are a licensed massage therapist and hold an active massage therapy license (or that you are a massage student and the laws of your governing body allow you to participate in continuing education courses).
Registration Deadline:
The deadline to register for this live training will be October 1, 2025. However, as the exact training date (weekend) is to be determined, and we do not yet have the required 4 participants, we are offering a waitlist. The waitlist can be joined by contacting the instructor.
Payment and Fee Information:
The tuition for the 2-day 15 CE live training is $395.
When you register for the live 2 day class, tuition is due in full ($395). There is no fee to join the waitlist.
Payment is due in full at the time of registration and no refunds will be offered for any reason except in the event of an emergency on the part of the instructor (which causes the instructor to reschedule or cancel class).
In the rare event of such an emergency, the instructor will offer to reschedule the class and/or offer a refund if a makeup class cannot be scheduled.
Please note that, per the attendance policy, if you miss part of any class, you will not be eligible to receive the CE certificate at the end of the training..
Cancellation Policy:
Class will only be cancelled in the event of an emergency on the part of the instructor.
In the event of an emergency or technical failure that requires the instructor to cancel class, every effort will be made to reschedule the class session. If the cancelled class session cannot be rescheduled, that individual class session will be refunded.
Refund Policy:
Refunds will not be offered, except in the rare event of an emergency that requires the instructor to cancel the class session. If a class session is cancelled, every effort will first be made to reschedule the session.
Only when/if a class session that was cancelled by the instructor cannot be rescheduled will a refund be made available.
The Joy of Grief Massage℠ and Safe and Gentle Grief Massage℠ are service marks of Aimee Joy Taylor/The Institute for Grief Massage Inc℠