Grief Recovery Institute

What Grief Recovery Institute does

Grief Recovery Institute is a private, Idaho-incorporated company that develops and commercializes The Grief Recovery Method, an evidence-based, action-oriented program for healing from emotional loss. Founded by John W. James and Russell P. Friedman, the company offers books (notably The Grief Recovery Handbook with over 1 million copies sold, plus specialized titles for children and pet loss, translated into 30+ languages), 6-meeting support groups, 2.5-day personal workshops, one-on-one online support, and a free online course, supported by a free e-book and content marketing funnel. The Grief Recovery Method is the only grief support program validated as "Evidence Based" by Kent State University research.

The company operates a two-sided business: certifying individuals as Grief Recovery Method Specialists who then deliver programs to end consumers, and selling books and digital products directly to grieving individuals. Certification training is delivered over 4 days in person or 2.5 days intensively, with separate tracks for mental health professionals, coaching professionals, and general applicants, in 6 languages. Pricing for programs is largely set by individual certified specialists, while training tuition and book sales are captured centrally. Distribution is handled through 2,100+ certified specialists, international affiliate offices in Australia, Sweden, Mexico, and Hungary, and a UK operations director based in-market.

The company is bootstrapped, with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or institutional investors. It generates revenue from certification training tuition, ongoing program enrollment fees, book and audiobook sales, and freemium-to-paid online courses, with marketing concentrated in content, blog, podcast, PR, and a find-a-specialist directory.

Name

Grief Recovery Institute

Legal name

The Grief Recovery Institute, Inc.

Website

https://griefrecoverymethod.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Grief Recovery Institute is a private, Idaho-based company that develops The Grief Recovery Method, an evidence-based grief support program delivered through books (1M+ copies sold), certification training, support groups, and workshops in 30+ languages via a global network of 2,100+ certified specialists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bereavement and Grief Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Family Aftercare) (HSABAFAI)

Keywords

• Grief recovery method
• Bereavement support programs
• Certification training services
• Evidence-based counseling
• Mental health training

Headquarters

HQ city

Hayden

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Certification Training Programs: Revenue from training individuals to become certified Grief Recovery Method Specialists. Training is delivered in-person over 4 days or via 2.5-day intensive workshops, with separate tracks for mental health professionals, coaches, and general participants.
2. Program Enrollment Fees: Revenue from participants enrolling in grief recovery programs delivered by certified specialists, including 6-meeting support groups (pet loss, general grief), one-on-one sessions, and 2.5-day personal workshops.
3. Book Sales: Sale of The Grief Recovery Handbook (over 1 million copies sold), When Children Grieve, Grief Recovery Handbook for Pet Loss, Moving On, Moving Beyond Loss, and other translations. Books available in over 30 languages.
4. Online Course Access: Free online grief course for awareness, with audiobook and premium online course offerings available for purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Grief Recovery Institute delivers The Grief Recovery Method, an evidence-based, action-oriented grief support program developed over 40+ years and validated by Kent State University research. The company generates revenue through three primary streams: certifying individuals to become Grief Recovery Method Specialists (in-person 4-day or 2.5-day intensive training), delivering grief recovery programs to end consumers via 6-meeting support groups, 2.5-day personal workshops, and one-on-one online sessions, and selling published books and audiobooks in 30+ languages.

Product overview

The Grief Recovery Institute offers The Grief Recovery Method, an evidence-based grief support program. The core methodology is delivered through multiple formats: group support groups (6 meetings), intensive 2½ Day Personal Workshops, one-on-one support (7 sessions), and an online course. The program is supported by published books including The Grief Recovery Handbook (over 1 million copies sold), When Children Grieve, Grief Recovery Handbook for Pet Loss, Moving On, and Moving Beyond Loss. The institute also offers a comprehensive certification training program for individuals wanting to become Grief Recovery Method Specialists, with specialized tracks for Mental Health Professionals and Coaching Professionals. Pet Loss Support Groups and Helping Children With Loss are specialized program variants. Materials are available in over 30 languages. The program is the only grief support program to receive evidence-based distinction from Kent State University research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grief Recovery Method Certification Training Program Comprehensive certification program that trains individuals to become Grief Recovery Method Specialists, with specialized tracks for Mental Health Professionals, Coaching Professionals, and General applicants. Average rating of 4.81 from 2161+ reviews.
• Grief Recovery Method Support Groups Six-meeting support groups teaching grievers how to recover from loss with structured guidance from a certified specialist, available in-person or online.
• Pet Loss Support Groups Specialized six-meeting support groups for pet loss, available in-person or online, using The Grief Recovery Handbook for Pet Loss as curriculum. Average rating of 4.84 from 69+ reviews.
• 2½ Day Personal Workshops Intensive 2.5-day workshop format taking participants through all necessary recovery actions, led by Advanced GRM Specialists. Rating of 4.74 from 106+ reviews.
• One-on-One Online Support Seven-session format for individual grief support using the same proven materials as group programs, available in-person or online with certified specialists. Overall rating of 4.77 from 905 reviews.
• Helping Children With Loss Four-week educational program teaching parents and those working with children the tools to help children deal with broken hearts. Uses When Children Grieve as curriculum. Rating of 4.52 from 520+ reviews.
• Free Online Grief Course Free online course providing helpful tools and insights around emotional pain and grief for both grievers and professionals.
• The Grief Recovery Handbook (20th Anniversary Expanded Edition) The foundational book of the Grief Recovery Method, providing step-by-step tools to work through unresolved grief. Over one million copies sold.
• When Children Grieve Book for adults to help children deal with death, divorce, pet loss, moving, and other losses. Used as the curriculum for the Helping Children With Loss program.
• Grief Recovery Handbook for Pet Loss Specialized handbook focused on helping pet owners deal with the emotional pain of losing a beloved pet. Used as the curriculum for Pet Loss Support Groups.
• Moving On Book offering guidance for moving forward after loss.
• Moving Beyond Loss Book providing tools and insights for processing grief related to various types of loss.
• Audiobook - 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition Audio version of The Grief Recovery Handbook 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition, available for purchase.

Quantifiable outcome

• Evidence-based effectiveness validated by Kent State University research
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Kent State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership for evidence-based validation. Kent State University conducted research validating The Grief Recovery Method as an evidence-based and effective approach for helping grievers deal with emotional loss.
• Grief Recovery Method Sweden (Sorg.se)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational affiliate office for Scandinavia region, handling program delivery and certification training in Swedish language.
• Grief Recovery Method Australia/New ZealandmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational affiliate office serving Australia and New Zealand, handling regional program delivery and certification.
• Metodo Grief Recovery (Mexico)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational affiliate office serving Mexico, handling Spanish-language program delivery and certification.
• Grief Recovery Method HungarymajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational affiliate office serving Hungary and Eastern European region.
• Westerville City SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partnership for delivery of Helping Children With Loss programs to school staff and families.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Dougy Center: The Dougy Center provides peer-based grief support programs and training for children, teens, and adults, closely mirroring Grief Recovery Institute's combination of structured support programs and specialist training.
• Center for Loss and Life Transition: Center for Loss and Life Transition delivers professional training and grief support programs (including Alan Wolfelt's companioning model), making it a direct competitor in the grief training and certification space.
• What's Your Grief: What's Your Grief is a grief education platform offering online courses, books, and community resources to grievers and helping professionals, comparable to Grief Recovery Institute's content-led, certification-adjacent model.

Broad incumbents

• VITAS Healthcare: VITAS is the largest hospice provider in the U.S. and operates bereavement programs for families of patients, representing a broad incumbent offering grief and bereavement support as part of an end-of-life care platform.
• BetterHelp (Teladoc): BetterHelp is a large online counseling platform that includes grief counseling among its offerings, competing for the same consumer mental health dollars though via general therapy rather than grief-specialized methodology.
• National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization: NHPCO sets industry standards and resources for hospice-based grief and bereavement support, serving as an umbrella organization whose grief programs overlap thematically with Grief Recovery Institute's offerings.
• HopeHealth: HopeHealth is a hospice and palliative care organization that offers bereavement support services as part of a broader clinical care portfolio, comparable to Grief Recovery Institute's bereavement/grief focus but delivered as part of a healthcare provider.
• Headspace: Headspace is a broad mental health and wellness platform that addresses grief and loss content within a much larger portfolio, representing a different delivery model for similar end-consumer emotional support.

Emerging players

• Open to Hope: Open to Hope provides grief and loss content, podcasts, and online support, addressing the same grieving consumer market as Grief Recovery Institute but through media rather than structured certification-led programs.
• Modern Loss: Modern Loss is a digital grief community and content platform that serves grieving individuals with editorial and live programming, competing for the same end-consumer grief audience as Grief Recovery Institute's programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GriefRecoveryMethod
• Xx.com/griefrecovery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grief Recovery Institute