COMING IN THE FALL 2025

A Grief Wellness Care Program Exclusively for Death Care Professionals

“Because those who care for grieving families deserve compassionate support too.”

The death care profession is a special calling. You show up. You care. You serve. You mask your own personal challenges. But guess what? You grieve too and your grief matters.

You carry the business that supports the bereaved, often being available 24 hours a day… but what about you?

You show up with strength and compassion to meet grieving families… but what about your heart silently breaking under personal struggles and losses?

You meet company goals, quotas, and burn the midnight oil to secure personal and financial success… but what about your self-care needs to sustain you?

You hear devastating news broadcasts and lose sleep wondering if you’ll be called upon to assist that family… but what about the emotional grief you carry through the night?

You provide pre-need and aftercare products and services with excellence and dignity… but how does your team handle grief and loss within their own lives?

You hold sacred space for the bereaved because that is the compassionate path you’ve chosen… but what happens to your own family and friends when you have no energy left for them?

You work directly or indirectly with grieving families, clients, coworkers, and teams and think you understand… but did you know that saying, “I understand how you feel,” is not the best thing to say?

You listen with care and concern to stories expressing emotions of sorrow, anger, guilt, or regret… but do you know how to handle the collective grief expressed when losing a coworker or team member?

You probably have a first aid kit in your office for accidental cuts, scrapes, or bruises… but what about first aid for that team member returning to work after losing her mother and experiencing those unpredictable grief bursts – those sudden tears or emotional waves triggered by a sight, a song, a person, or sometimes… no trigger at all?

My Grief Coach® Care Program is for YOU! 

A grief wellness care program designed exclusively for funeral directors, cemetery professionals, and all who support families through end-of-life, death care, and memorialization.

 Inside your online portal, you’ll find:

• Monthly tools, tips, and micro-learning videos

• Quick, actionable resources to build resilience

• Practical self-care strategies to support your emotional wellbeing

• Monthly resources, checklists, and scripts taken from the ICF-accredited Workplace Grief Coach Certification Program to strengthen your professional practice

• Occasional webinars and pop-up events

• Team-focused grief education tips and communication tools

Monthly Office Hours: Your Space to Ask, Share, and Connect

Each month (except July and August), join Dora Carpenter or a team member live for a heartfelt, supportive space where you can ask questions, share reflections, and receive guidance in real time.

Why Enroll in the Program?

• Accessible anytime, anywhere – built for your busy schedule

• Be able to support your team for less than the cost of a casual dinner with a friend

• No contracts – cancel your monthly subscription anytime

A Message from the Founder ...

I’ve worked in the death care industry for over 25 years. On September 11, 2001, I was working less than 10 miles from where the plane hit the Pentagon. I remember hearing and feeling the impact. We were given less than five minutes to “cry it out,” and then our director said, “The beat goes on. Families are waiting in the lobby to be served.”

In that moment of shock, disbelief, and uncertainty, we didn’t even know if our own families were safe. We didn’t know the wellbeing of our children or loved ones. Yes, we cared deeply about the families we served as cemetery professionals… but what about us? What about our emotional wellbeing, our fear, and the anticipatory grief we carried in those moments – and in the hours, days, weeks, and months that followed? Was our value only measured by serving families and meeting sales quotas?

We made it through that day by supporting each other as best we knew how. But sadly, no in-house support was ever offered following that event. We were expected to continue serving, no matter what we were feeling inside. That heartless statement, "the beat goes on," still echoes in my mind today when I hear stories of leaders showing less than compassionate concern for their teams. And what about our own personal losses—grieving loved ones, the passing of coworkers, or simply trying to stay focused while navigating personal challenges? These moments often went unnoticed, brushed aside in the name of professionalism and productivity.

While planning for the future, making at-need arrangements, or providing aftercare support, death care professionals are not immune to the emotional toll of working with grieving families. I often wonder if the day-to-day demands of our work subtly reinforce a culture in the death care industry that prioritizes bottom-line results over the well-being of its employees.

Recently, a funeral director called our office seeking assistance for a coworker who had just returned to work after losing her child. He said, “She just isn’t handling it well.” I am so grateful he called, choosing not to ignore or dismiss her emotional state, or rely on the old myths like, “It just takes time… stay busy… think about happy things instead… or, the beat goes on.”

That phone call reminded me that even after 25 years, we are still lacking in grief education and support – especially within our own death care industry. We can do more. We must do more beyond EAP and the three to five days (or more) of bereavement leave offered for immediate family.

Want to know why this matters to me? It matters because those who care for grieving families deserve compassionate support too.

Dora Carpenter, CPC

Founder and Program Director

Institute of Professional Grief Coaching | IOPGC

www.fromgrieftogratitude.com

P.S. Grief is not a 9 to 5 event. As you care for your families and clients, don’t forget to care for them beyond their time with you. GRIEF TV| IOPGC offers on-demand grief support and education streaming on The Roku Channel and online at grief.tv. This aftercare resource will beautifully complement any existing aftercare services and resources currently offered, and gives families the gift of 24/7 compassionate care and support programming, anytime they need it ... at no cost to you or your clients. (Funeral and Cemetery News, Nomis Publications, June 2025)