Who is Eligible:
To be eligible for CGP certification, the applicant must have earned a minimum of a master’s degree in their profession AND hold a registration/credential as listed below:
- Nurse Practitioner
- Registered Nurse
- Physician
- Physician Assistant
- Occupational Therapist
- Provisional, qualified or student registration level mental health professionals
By applying for certification, the applicant agrees to adhere to Evergreen Certifications’ Professional Code of Ethics
Training Requirements
A minimum of 6 hours of continuing education in specific grief counseling topics.
Pre-approved, 3rd party trainings that meet the training requirements for CGP certification include:
- Certified Grief Informed Professional Training: Redefining Grief Work with Up-to-Date Counseling, Support, and Treatment Tools by PESI Canada – Certification Included!
- Trauma & Grief Dual Certification Course: Expert Treatment of Loss, Acute and Complex Trauma, and Co-Occurring Issues by PESI Canada – Certification Included!
- Grief-Informed Professional Certification: Tools and Techniques for Effective Therapy by EngagedMinds Continuing Education – Certification Included!
- Grief Informed Professional Certification: Helping Clients Navigate Grief Across the Lifespan by Elevate Continuing Education
- Complexities of Grief, Loss and Trauma by ITTI – Certification Included!
Wondering if a course meets the requirements for CGP certification? Submit a copy of or link to the course title, speaker, outline and learning objectives to info@evergreencertifications.com for review.
Please note that Evergreen Certifications does not offer CE, all training must be purchased directly through the accredited training organization. Training is not included in the certification fee.
Application Process:
For your initial 1-year certification, please complete the following steps.
- Complete a qualifying training
- Remit your initial application payment of 99.99 USD online
- Upload the following documents to your account:
- Evidence of completion of qualifying training, in the form of completion certificate
- A copy of the candidate’s professional registration
Evergreen Certifications will certify applicants who meet the above requirements.
Please note: Certification does not imply endorsement of competency. As a registered/credentialed professional, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities that are defined in law as beyond the boundaries of practice in accordance with and in compliance with your profession’s standards.
Renewal Process:
To maintain CGP certification, a renewal is required. After your initial 1-year certification, you have the option to renew for 1, 2 or 3 years. A 1-year renewal requires 6 clock hours of grief-focused CE since you were last certified; a 2-year renewal requires 12 clock hours, and a 3-year renewal requires 18 hours.
Sample CGP renewal trainings include:
- Grief Treatment: Current Evidence-Based Approaches to Care Across the Lifespan online training by PESI
- The Ultimate Grief Treatment Toolbox: Over 60 Interventions to Promote Healing & Hope Among Grieving Children, Adolescents & Adults online training by PESI
Renewal CE content cannot be the same content used for prior renewal or initial certification
Renewal Process
- Complete a qualifying training
- Upload the following documents to your account:
- Evidence of completion of qualifying training, in the form of a completion certificate
- A copy of the candidate’s professional registration
- Remit your CGP renewal fee online
- $49.99 for a 1-year renewal
- $79.99 for a 2-year renewal
- $99.99 for a 3-year renewal
Renewal training hours need to have been taken in the time since you were certified or last recertified.
Renewals are calculated from the date that your certification was issued. If you allow your certification to lapse for more than 3 years, you are no longer eligible to renew your certification and instead can reapply for certification.
Alissa Drescher - LPC, FT, GC-C, MA
Alissa Drescher, LPC, FT, GC-C, MA, is a highly sought after speaker addressing topics related to grief and mourning, and is known for her creative, interactive, and story-telling presentation style. She began working in the field of bereavement services in 2006, offering encouragement to grieving parents. Alissa’s passion for supporting people through the grief process led to counseling both grieving children and adults in individual and group settings.
At the Tristesse Grief Center in Tulsa, OK, she served as senior program director, overseeing a variety of programming including the Healing Hearts Camp, Oklahoma’s first overnight camp for grieving children and teens (now Camp Erin Tulsa). Alissa was an adjunct professor at Southern Nazarene University teaching several undergraduate counseling courses including Death, Grief and Loss. After relocating to Tennessee, Alissa became the founder/executive director of the Grief Center of Middle Tennessee, whose mission is to help children, teens, and adults cope with loss and change.
Alissa is a Fellow in Thanatology: Death, Dying & Bereavement and holds a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy with a focus in Play Therapy. She is also a member of the Association of Death Education and Counseling and the National Alliance for Grieving Children.
Joy Samuels - D.MIN, LPC-MHSP, NCC
Joy R. Samuels, D.MIN., LPC-MHSP, NCC, has over 25 years experience as a licensed professional counselor, Fellow in Thanatology, chaplain, and ordained minister. She teaches in the graduate clinical mental health psychology department at Lipscomb University and at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in the United Methodist Church Course of Studies. She maintains a private counseling practice and supervises those seeking licensure as a LPC-MHSP. Dr. Samuels holds D.MIN. and MDIV. degrees from Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC. Additionally, she holds an MS degree in counseling psychology from California State University, Northridge, CA, and a counseling certificate in substance abuse from the Northern Virginia Community College, Annadale, VA. Among her areas of expertise are individual, couples and family counseling, trauma and bereavement, and post-masters supervision.