Animal Loss & Grief Support Program of Study ::

Animal Spirit Healing & Education^® Network is offering a three level program in Animal Loss & Grief Support which will guide you to be a compassionate presence and trained counsel for end-of-life care, loss, and grief.

This program is guided by Teresa Wagner, a compassionate and admired instructor with an extensive and grounded background in couseling and grief support studies. Her years of experience, both in counseling and as a professional animal communicator specializing in grief support, provide an ideal combination to help strengthen the skills and confidence of those wishing to consciously enhance their comfort and expertise with this tender topic.

The various "100" Level courses are excellent for anyone interested in working with their own animals or animal companions of friends and family - or to establish a solid foundation for completing the Program of Study.

Levels 2 and 3 become increasingly focused on enhancing skill level, knowledge, and techniques to prepare students to work professionally with clients.

Certificate of Completion

To earn a Certificate of Completion in Animal Loss & Grief Support, students must fulfill all program requirements.

Requirements: Students must successfully complete the 7 "100" level Grief Support specialty classes, 2 Core Courses (Ethics and Legal), a "200" level Counseling Skills class, and 8 Case Studies.

The 7 "100" level Grief Support Specialty Courses can be taken in any sequence.  Ethics (BM101) must be completed prior to starting Level 3 Case Studies (GS301). Essential Counseling Skills (MS230) must be completed prior to the second group of Level 3 Case Studies. 

All courses must be completed before Certificates of Completion are issued.

Click HERE to view a flowchart that provides a visual overview of the Animal Loss & Grief Support Program of Study.

The Core classes and select Speciality classes are offered as either scheduled teleclasses or on demand classes (via digital audio recordings and downloadable handouts). The Core Courses are included in the programs of study to help round out your education and bring you to a level of professional competency. The instructors of the core courses are well-established professionals and teachers in their field of expertise.

Who Should Attend

• Anyone who would like to provide deeper emotional and spiritual support for beloved animals during their illness/hospice period and throughout their death process (for current or future situations)
• Anyone who would like to feel relief from the physical and emotional stress that is part of intense caregiving for a loved one, as well as support for anticipatory grief.
• Anyone who supports others who grieve and would like help in not taking in the pain of grievers, and with overwhelm, stress or uncertainty about how best to help, feelings natural to the grief support role.
• Practitioners who wish to assist and educate their clients with information about how they can support the process of death and grieving, and the roles of caregiving and grief support: animal communicators, healing arts professionals such as flower essence and aromatherapy practitioners, energy healers; veterinarians and other veterinary staff, animal shelter and rescue group workers, trainers and behaviorists, pet loss support group facilitators, therapists who want to learn more about pet loss, as well as friends and family members who want to fully support their loved ones who are grieving or caregiving.

These classes provide practical information you can use the rest of your life to support the animals you love and care for during the critical and stressful times of illness and transition. The information you'll gain can also be easily shared with clients to assist them in supporting their animal loved ones.

Legend:
Check calendar for available class dates	Classes available on demand	Contact us about available classes or sessions

Specialty and Core courses in sequence ::

Course Code	Course Title	Class Format	ASN Course Credits	Class Tuition	Fieldwork Review Tuition	Click for More Info (Next Live Class Section Noted)
"100"	"100" Level Animal Loss & Grief Support Courses	Teleclass, or On Demand	Various (see below)	Various (see below)		(See Table Below)
MS230	Essential Counseling Skills for Animal Communicators, Healing Practitioners and Those Providing Grief Support	Teleclass, 5 weeks	10.0	$330* / $360	$65	Begins October 1, 2012
BM101	Ethics for Animal Care Practitioners	Teleclass, 2 weeks	3.0	$95* / $105		Begins July 16, 2012
GS301	Animal Loss & Grief Support: Case Study Procedures	On Demand	0.5	$45
GS302	Level 3 Animal Loss & Grief Support: Case Grouping A	Mentoring	2.0	$195
GS303	Level 3 Animal Loss & Grief Support: Case Study Grouping B	Mentoring	2.0	$195

*Early registration incentive pricing. On Demand pricing. See individual course pages for more information.

Specialty and Core courses in any order::

It is recommended to begin the "100" Level and Core courses following GS101: Finding Grace in Grief.  All courses must be completed to obtain an ASN certificate of completion in the Animal Loss & Grief Support program.

Course format availability (scheduled teleclass, or on demand) is noted next to the course description below. Each course includes a brief follow-up Fieldwork assignment, (or the Fieldwork assigment unique to GS104), to obtain program credit for an ASN certificate of completion in the Animal Loss & Grief Support program. Separate fieldwork tuition rates are noted when applicable.  All courses can be taken by non-program participants for personal interest as well, without the fieldwork componenet.

Course Code	Course Title	Class Format	ASN Course Credits	Tuition	Fieldwork Review Tuition	Click for More Info (Next Live Class Section Noted)
GS102	The Animals' Perspective and Stories about Death, The Other Side and Coming Back	On Demand	4.0	$95	$45
GS103	Legacies of Love: A Gentle Guide to Healing from the Loss of Your Animal Loved One	Teleclass, 4 weeks	8.0	$214	$65	late Summer / into Fall 2012 to be announced
GS104	Grief Support Skills	On Demand	8.0	$214	$65
GS110	Understanding and Preparing for Euthanasia	On Demand	4.0	$115	$45
GS115	Animal Hospice from the Perspective of the Veterinarian, the Animal, and their People	On Demand	4.0	$115	$45
GS120	Flower Essences for End-of-Life Care, Loss and Grief	On Demand	4.0	$115	$45
GS125	Aromatherapy for End-of-Life Care, Loss and Grief	On Demand	4.0	$115	$45
BM104	Legal Insights for Animal Care Practitioners	On Demand	1.5	$37

*Early registration incentive pricing. On Demand pricing.  See individual course page for more information.

Strongly recommended electives (other electives available as well):

Course Code	Course Title	Class Format	ASN Course Credits	Tuition	Click for More Info
CafeMH	Animal Spirit Cafe / Mastery Hour	Teleclass, or On Demand	0.0	Included in Cafe Membership
GS101	Finding the Grace in Grief	On Demand	0.5	FREE

Level 1 Animal Loss & Grief Support

Level 1 includes a breadth of "100" level Animal Loss & Grief support courses to orientate and ground you to the various topics, insights, and healing approaches relevant to the field of grief healing and grief support.

You'll have opportunities to raise your own awareness and process your own deep healing of grief. This is a vital component in helping others, for we can not help anyone in pain to heal at a level beyond which we have worked through our own pain and healing. You'll also gain in-depth knowledge and training in key competency areas of grief support. You'll learn the perspectives of both animals and veterinarians regarding hospice, and the perspectives of animals regarding death and after death experiences You'll also gain the tools and skills needed to support both animals and people through death and grief.

Level 2 Animal Loss & Grief Support

The necessary foundation of all healing work is compassion and love. Effectively communicating the energies of love and compassion to our clients is not automatic, however deeply we may feel these qualities in our hearts. They need to be effectively and appropriately expressed. It is the skillful expression of empathy along with compassion and love that creates a sacred haven of safety, understanding and acceptance in which our clients can open to their own full healing. Level 2 provides an opportunity to learn very specific skills in the MS230 Essential Counseling Skills 5-week teleclass to bring the power of our love, compassion and expertise alive to serve the clients we care so much about.

Level 3 Animal Loss & Grief Support/Personal & Professional Development Sequence

Level 3 is a case studies course sequence, where you integrate your experiences and get feedback on your work.

There are 8 total case studies required to earn your certificate of completion in the Animal Loss & Grief Support Program. A review of four case studies is included in GS302, and an additional four in GS303.

You may begin your first set of case studies after BM101, GS102, GS103, and GS104.

You may begin your second set of case studies after completion of MS230, plus all "100" level Animal Loss & Grief Support courses.

Case studies should be completed within 6-9 months following Level 2.

Here are the steps in the process:

GS301:

Procedure Review: Handouts provided, which participants review individually. Your questions about the forms and procedures can be posted to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . (class code GS301)

GS302 (Case Study Grouping A:: 4 cases):

Cases Themselves: You will write up your 4 cases on the forms provided in GS301.

Feedback and Mentoring with Teresa: You are given 60 minutes of one-on-one feedback time over the phone with Teresa with your course fee for GS302. You can use this at any point you like in the process. You may use all 60 minutes at once, or you may break it down into two calls. To initiate phone mentoring time, register online through the ASN website for GS302, and then e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to set up your appointment. You can get more time beyond the 60 minutes included for each case grouping by setting up private mentoring appointments with Teresa directly.

GS303 (Case Study Grouping B:: 4 cases):

If you are completing 8 case studies in the Animal Loss & Grief Support program, you will sign up for this GS303/Group B series once you have completed GS302/Group A, plus all other GS303 prerequisites. This series has all the same features and benefits as Group A. You will complete the work and fill out the forms. You will receive 60 minutes of personal phone feedback with Teresa.

Additional Guidelines

Required Core courses are included as part of the full study program to ensure sufficient coverage of ethics, legal, and business aspects for students receiving a program certificate of completion. These are crossover requirements with other training programs offered through Animal Spirit Network, so the core requirement classes can fulfill credit in all programs simultaneously if a student is taking more than one study track over time.

Required courses for completion of the Animal Loss & Grief Support program through Level 3 cover concepts and techniques which are closely related to the skills of being a well-rounded Grief Support practitioner.

Program credit for certain Core courses may be provided if you already have documented training or professional experience in specific classes.

Click HERE to view a flowchart that provides a visual overview of the Animal Loss & Grief Support Program of Study.