Grief Start is available in TWO streams:

02. GRIEF START PLUS+

For those who want to engage and interact with the presenter and the cohort who are taking the course.

This option is offered only THREE times a year.

• Five modules, divided into lessons
• Supporting documents for each lesson
• Healthy Choice worksheets
• Course content format options (audio / video / text)
• Zoom Q&A sessions with the presenter and cohort
• Safe online community – designated platform forum for increased privacy
• Bonus teachings on specific topics – unique to each cohort

Only $197.00

Register for next available class

“I recently had the privilege of participating in Rick Bergh’s online Grief Start course. I have been a Mental Health consultant going on 46 years, and I can say the material Rick presents and the way he presents it, are unequivocally the best stuff on grief that I have seen in all those years. Rick offers new ideas about a most difficult subject in a personal, respectful, compassionate and collaborative manner. Uniquely, he refers to all course participants as “authors” and invites everyone to re-consider their relationship with grief as we each go forward in our own lives without our loved one. 

If you are struggling with grief, a professional helping others or perhaps both – I highly recommend this course. You will not be disappointed. “

George MacDonald M.A. (Psych) C.C.C.  |  Central Plains Counseling

“I have been going over how to put my thoughts down since taking the Grief Start course. First of all, thank you so much. It certainly stirred up things I didn’t expect.

The most surprising thing I found was that, although I took the course to help me deal with my husband’s death, so much more was revealed. It happened that at the beginning of the course I dealt with the death of a very dear cousin. Then, during the course, I found myself going through lists of people I had lost throughout my life, People that were important to me and, shockingly, just how many there were. I realized I had never dealt with their deaths properly. Being English I was very good at stifling emotion. As difficult as this process was I feel it has been very healing for me. I know I would have allowed myself to continue to stifle any feelings of grief if it hadn’t been for your course. Again, thank you.”

Paula Valentine

“As someone just entering the funeral profession, I’m eager to learn as much as I can to better serve the families who come into our care. Grief Start was such an insightful course full of great lessons that I’m confident will help me in my future career. I would definitely recommend this course to others in funeral services, whether they are just starting out like me, or have been in the profession for a while! Thank you again, Rick!”

April Tran  |  funeral Director

“As a pastor, I deal regularly with people suffering grief over the death of a loved one. After taking the Grief Start course, I now have a much better perspective on what the person is going through at a personal and emotional level, and therefore, I’m able to offer better spiritual support. Rick’s teaching and experience have shown me the importance of listening deeply and of celebrating the memory of the deceased with the grieving. He has also broken me of the habit of moving to “closure,” for which I’m very grateful. I highly recommend Grief Start to anyone who is struggling with a loss or who supports those who are grieving. You will find Rick’s teaching accessible, memorable and practical.”

Rev. Robert Szo  |  Anglican Priest

“Losing someone whom you love is one of the hardest things to go through in life.  Perhaps it is the hardest thing to experience in life?  There are moments that are so painful where it feels as though something within your mind is about to snap as you’re on the verge of having a nervous breakdown?  And adding to the difficulty is the feeling of being alone in your pain.

Grief Start brought to me an understanding that there are scores of people trying to find their way through their own grief journey and so I am not alone.  I also came to understand that grief is part of the fabric of our lives, but it can be managed too.  The concepts provided by Grief Start have helped me to navigate through my own personal grief with the assurance and confidence that I will be okay.  What peace of mind this has been for me.  Thank you Rick.”

Tom Baker  |  Lutheran Pastor

“GS is a set of tools that has reached parts of my heart and mind that are usually out of sight – even to myself.

GS is like a treasure hunt. To find certain treasures, you have to dig deep. GS is a set of tools for digging deeper, finding what you’re looking for, and bringing it up into the light, where it can be properly handled.

Using GS was a bit like working with a master locksmith. There was something inside me that seemed impregnable, but a master locksmith has been at work, in the form of GS. The place inside me that was locked is now unlocked – and that part of me that was held captive, is now set free.

GS is a bit of a mystery journey. How can you get ready for something you don’t know about?

To a certain extent, you don’t want to go on the GS journey, because it comes close to another path that you know all too well – the path of loss and pain. For a long time, I have not felt ready to take the journey alone. With Rick and the GS community, I have not been alone, and the pathway was not as bad as I had feared. More importantly, the journey has taken me to a new way of relating to my loss. It is a place I could not have anticipated. Nor could I have reached it alone.

It has not been a journey back to the pain, it’s a journey that helps form a different relationship with the pain. Loss has not vanished, but I relate to loss, differently, now.”

Phil Thompson

“There are so many components of Grief Start I enjoyed. I really appreciated the short lessons – giving time to understand the concepts, work through some of them with the workbooks and not overwhelm the griever. The combination of video and written information, allowing the griever to decide what worked best for them was really helpful. Many times I listened to the video but then printed the pdf so I could read it again later, especially when working on the workbook that week.

That brings me to the other thing that I absolutely thought was genius – the simplicity and practicality of the course. The entire content stresses the need to work through the process at your own pace, utilizing the workbooks and other practical tips, when appropriate for you. I also really appreciated the variety of topics the workbooks addressed from eating to playing, to thoughts and feelings – very well thought out, Rick!

I will be recommending this course to several of my connections as it is an easily accessed and comprehensive resource for grievers. Thank you Rick.”

Pansy Angevine RN

“Grief Start and Rick Bergh’s seminars were a safe place to process my grief.  I am sure that I am not the only one who has found myself alone in my grief, because those around me had their own grief to process.  When someone dies, rarely is only one person affected.  There is a community of grievers all with their own pain, their own relationship with the deceased, and their own process of walking through their grief journey.   What has been the most painful for me in the grief journey is being alone.   I am thankful for Grief Start and Rick Bergh’s seminars for giving me a place of acknowledgement.  “My pain matters!””

Ruby Neumann

“The grief Start online course allowed me to learn wonderful material buy also to share my experience and to learn from others who were part of the community. With the help from studying each chapter in Ricks course, I learned to dig deeper within myself, to open up and deal with scars related to my past and finally start to heal 100 percent within. My heart is more open now, the hole that I thought would be there for the rest of my life is no longer there. A course that everyone should take part in! Thanks again Rick!”

Cynthia Gamble