Grief Facilitator
This onboarding pathway equips Grief Facilitators with clarity, confidence, and a shared language of care, ensuring every facilitator is prepared to hold space with wisdom, compassion, and professional integrity.
The experience blends relational formation, trauma-informed training, supervised guidance, and mission alignment, culminating in a shared activation experience that launches each facilitator into safe, structured, and restorative service within Northern Star.
Phase 1: Welcome, Alignment & Orientation
1. Formal Welcome & Acceptance
• Official Serving Appointment Letter
• Role Description & Expectations
2. Mission, Vision & Culture Alignment
• Founders’ Story & Organizational Origin
• Mission, Vision, Purpose & Culture Code
• Strategic Priorities & Community Impact Focus
3. Orientation Class
• Facilitator Roles & Boundaries
• Fiduciary Duties: Care & Unity
• Facilitator Structure & Decision-Making Flow
Phase 2: Certification
SOC111: Children and Grief
1. Understanding Childhood Grief
◦ How children understand death at different developmental stages
◦ Common emotional and behavioral responses to loss
◦ Myths and misconceptions about grieving children
◦ Recognizing anticipatory grief and complex grief
2. Supporting Children Through Loss
◦ Age-appropriate communication strategies
◦ Creating safe spaces for expression
◦ Validating emotions without minimizing pain
◦ Helping children separate identity from traumatic experience
3. Recognizing Trauma & Complicated Grief
◦ Warning signs requiring additional intervention
◦ When to refer to licensed professionals
◦ Maintaining facilitator boundaries
◦ Ethical and mandated reporting awareness
4. Certificate Assessment
◦ Completion of all course modules
◦ Passing score required per CEI standards
◦ Retakes allowed per provider guidelines
Phase 3: 3-Week Immersion & Shadowing
Week 1: Understanding Northern Star Culture in Action
Observing Safe & Relational Environments
◦ Shadow a live mentorship session, circle, or family program
◦ Observe how emotional safety is established and maintained
◦ Identify how mentors practice active listening
◦ Watch how boundaries are modeled in real time
◦ Notice how facilitators separate behavior from identity
◦ Reflect on how Village values guide every interaction
Guided Debrief (30 minutes):
Processing emotional tone, safety, and relational presence.
Week 2: Understanding the Role of a Northern Star Mentor
Clarity, Boundaries, and Responsibility
◦ Shadow a mentor check-in or structured engagement activity
◦ Observe how trust is built over time
◦ Identify appropriate mentor vs. counselor boundaries
◦ Learn escalation pathways for safety concerns
◦ Clarify expectations regarding consistency and commitment
◦ Review documentation and communication protocols
Guided Debrief (30 minutes):
Role clarity. Boundaries. Accountability. Safeguarding youth.
Week 3: From Observation to Engagement
Focus: Supervised Mentor Participation
Participants will:
◦ Participate in a supervised mentoring interaction
◦ Practice active listening and reflective responses
◦ Engage in age-appropriate conversation techniques
◦ Demonstrate emotional regulation and non-reactive presence
◦ Receive real-time coaching and feedback
Final Debrief & Evaluation (45 minutes): Readiness assessment, strengths identified, growth areas, and place