“Walking beside humanity during its most tender miles.”

Interested in becoming a Grief and the Next Mile™ Facilitator? Training is available for those who feel called to guide others through this compassionate framework.

About the Facilitator Certification Program

Grief and the Next Mile™ is designed to be held and guided by trained facilitators equipped with a clear, ethical, and repeatable framework for walking beside others through loss and life transition.

This program is for:

• Coaches and facilitators

• Helping professionals

• Leaders and educators

• Guides who hold space for others navigating change and loss

The program equips facilitators with:

• A clear, non-linear framework

• Language that does not minimize grief

• Tools adaptable across populations and settings

• Ethical boundaries between facilitation, coaching, and therapy

• Confidence to guide without fixing

Facilitators are trained to:

• Meet individuals exactly where they are

• Normalize pauses, detours, and plateaus

• Guide exploration without directing outcomes

• Help people identify what feels possible now

Created by Dora Carpenter, CPC, founder of the Institute of Professional Grief Coaching (IOPGC), Grief and the Next Mile™ reflects decades of experience walking beside individuals and training grief coaches to support those navigating loss with dignity, compassion, and care.

One step. One mile. Then another. Then a pause. Then another. This makes the framework adaptable across:

• Individual coaching

• Workplace settings

• Group facilitation

• Community programs

• Leadership development

• Wellness and resilience initiatives

No one is pushed to run. No one is left standing alone on the road. Participants are not taught what to feel. They are supported in discovering how to live alongside what they feel. Grief and the Next Mile™ is about continuation, not correction. About lighting the next stretch of the path, not forcing a destination.

What the Facilitator Program Includes

Enrollment in the Grief and the Next Mile™ Facilitator Certification Program includes:

On-Demand Video Training

A thoughtfully structured series of video modules that introduce the framework, explore each of the Eight Miles in depth, and guide facilitators in developing the posture, language, and presence required for this work. The training is designed to be completed at your own pace, with space for reflection and integration.

Facilitator Conversation Guide

A detailed, facilitator-facing guide that supports real-world conversations. This guide focuses on:

• listening cues

• facilitator posture

• supportive language

• ethical boundaries

• common pitfalls to avoid

It is not a script or manual. It is a companion for presence.

Participant Companion Guide

A gentle, participant-facing guide designed to support reflection without pressure. This guide offers:

• compassionate orientation

• optional reflections for each Mile

• permission-based language

• space for writing, noticing, or pausing

Facilitators use this guide to support participants without directing outcomes or requiring disclosure.

Facilitator Promise and Ethical Framework

Clear articulation of the values, boundaries, and responsibilities that guide the use of Grief and the Next Mile™. This ensures consistency, integrity, and respect for participants across settings.

Certification, Licensing, and Use of the Framework

Upon certification, facilitators are authorized to use the Grief and the Next Mile™ framework in their work with individuals, groups, organizations, and communities, in accordance with program guidelines. Certification is earned once. Licensing reflects an ongoing commitment to ethical use of intellectual property. Licensing renews annually to maintain active facilitator designation.

This Grief and the Next Mile™ Facilitator Certification Program is not an ICF-accredited program and does not confer ICF credentials.

 Ready to take the Next Step?

If something in this work resonates with you, you’re invited to request an informational chat with Dora Carpenter to learn more about the Facilitator Certification Program and explore whether this path feels aligned for you at this time.

“You don’t have to know the whole road. You only need permission to take the next step, the next mile in your own way, in your own time. This framework does not promise transformation. It offers companionship, clarity, and courage. And it trusts that when people are met without urgency, life finds its way back in quietly, honestly, and sustainably.” – Dora Carpenter

Important Disclaimer. This program is educational and facilitative in nature and is not coaching-specific. It is not intended to replace professional counseling, therapy, or mental health services. Grief and the Next Mile™ does not diagnose, treat, cure, or heal grief. Facilitators do not provide clinical or therapeutic services. If you are experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or visit 988lifeline.org for immediate support.