Portland Institute for Loss and Transition

What Portland Institute for Loss and Transition does

Portland Institute for Loss and Transition is a private, for-profit professional training institute headquartered in Portland, Oregon, that delivers certification and continuing education in grief therapy to mental health practitioners worldwide. The company's core offering is a six-track certification curriculum built on the proprietary Tripartite Model of Meaning Reconstruction: a foundational Level 1 Certification in Grief Therapy (eight lessons, approximately 24 hours) serving as the prerequisite for five Level 2 specialty tracks — Meaning-Focused Grief Therapy (MFGT), Family-Focused Grief Therapy (FFGT), Grief Therapy for Non-Death Losses (NDL), Art-Assisted Grief Therapy (AAGT), and Grief Therapy for Traumatic Loss (GTTL) — each approximately 55 hours.

Training is delivered through three formats — in-person workshops and residential Learning Retreats, live online webinars, and asynchronous recorded modules — and operationalized through the ACORN PLMS learning management system (portlandinstitute.acornplms.com), which manages enrollment, video delivery, CE quiz tracking, and certification records. PI is an approved continuing education provider for the American Psychological Association and the Association of Social Work Boards (ACE program, Provider 1954), positioning it within the regulated CE ecosystem that licensed clinicians require for license renewal.

The business model combines individual learner tuition (per-lesson pricing at $99, certification enrollment fees of $100, mentoring sessions at $495, session evaluations at $345), CE credit fees ($25 online, $50-$125 in-person), residential Learning Retreat fees ($1,695-$2,445), and fee-for-service Speakers Bureau engagements. Learners are acquired globally — with participation reported from 30+ countries including the US, Singapore, Canada, Spain, and Belgium — through a combination of direct website enrollment, in-person partner-hosted workshops (e.g., Academy of Human Development in Singapore), and the annual flagship retreat at IslandWood on Bainbridge Island, WA. The institute is led by Director Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD, a globally recognized thanatology scholar with 37 books, 600+ articles, and 60,000+ citations.

Name

Portland Institute for Loss and Transition

Legal name

Portland Institute for Loss and Transition

Website

https://portlandinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Portland Institute for Loss and Transition provides certification and continuing education in grief therapy to licensed mental health professionals globally through online, in-person, and recorded training formats built on a proprietary Meaning Reconstruction framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Training and Certification

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAFAEAO

Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Home Health & Hospice Providers

SECONDARYHSABAFAH

End-of-Life Emotional & Spiritual Support (Chaplaincy/Counseling) In-Home

Home & Personal Services/Elder Care & In-Home Care Services/Hospice & Palliative In-Home Care

SECONDARYHLADAHAL

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

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Elder Care & Long-Term Care/Hospice & Palliative Care (Home/Facility-Based)

SECONDARYEDAOAJAI

Rehabilitation Support (PT/OT Aide)

Education/Vocational, Technical & Trade Education/Healthcare Allied & Clinical Support Training

Keywords

• Grief therapy training
• Professional certification programs
• Bereavement counseling education
• Continuing education providers
• Thanatology training

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Certification Programs: PI offers Level 1 Certification in Grief Therapy (8 lessons, ~24 hours, ~$900-1,100 total) and Level 2 Certification in five specialty tracks (MFGT, FFGT, NDL, AAGT, GTTL; ~55 hours each, ~$2,600-$3,500 total). Each certification requires an enrollment fee ($100), individual lesson purchases ($99 each for online), mentoring sessions ($495), and session evaluation ($345). Revenue is primarily one-time per program, with potential for multi-track learners to pay multiple enrollment fees.
2. In-Person Training Workshops and Retreats: Multi-day in-person workshops and residential Learning Retreats generate revenue through registration fees. Workshop pricing varies by location (e.g., Singapore 2-day workshops at SGD$975/$900 early bird). The annual Grief Therapy Learning Retreat (5-day/4-night at IslandWood, Bainbridge Island, WA) offers tiered pricing: single room $2,445/person, twin-sharing $2,145/person, non-stayer $1,695/person.
3. Continuing Education (CE) Credits: PI offers APA (American Psychological Association) and ASWB ACE (Association of Social Work Boards) approved CE credits across its training catalog. A modest Credit Fee of $25 applies to Live Online and Recorded Training. For In-Person Training events, the CE Fee ranges $50-125 depending on session length. The Learning Retreat CE Processing Fee is $125.
4. Speakers Bureau: PI faculty are made available for conference keynotes, training workshops, and other engagements for external organizations (associations, universities, institutes), generating fee-for-service revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Portland Institute for Loss and Transition delivers professional certification and training programs in grief therapy for licensed mental health professionals and allied practitioners, built around its proprietary Meaning Reconstruction framework. The portfolio includes a foundational Level 1 Certification in Grief Therapy (8 lessons, ~24 hours) and five Level 2 specialty certifications (MFGT, FFGT, NDL, AAGT, GTTL; ~55 hours each), delivered through In-Person workshops, Live Online webinars, and Recorded asynchronous modules, and supported by an annual 5-day residential Learning Retreat and a Speakers Bureau for external engagements.

Product overview

Portland Institute for Loss and Transition offers a unified certification-based training platform centered on Meaning Reconstruction grief therapy. The core offering consists of Level 1 Certification in Grief Therapy (8 lessons, 24 hours) as the foundational prerequisite, followed by five Level 2 Certification specialty tracks: Meaning-Focused Grief Therapy (MFGT), Family-Focused Grief Therapy (FFGT), Grief Therapy for Non-Death Losses (NDL), Art-Assisted Grief Therapy (AAGT), and Grief Therapy for Traumatic Loss (GTTL) — each approximately 55 hours. Training is delivered through three flexible formats: In-Person Training (workshops and Learning Retreats), Live Online Training (interactive webinars), and Recorded Training (asynchronous modules). The ACORN PLMS learning management system powers the online learning community, enabling learners worldwide to mix training formats and progress toward certification at their own pace.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Level 1 Certification in Grief Therapy An 8-lesson, 24-hour foundational certification program introducing the Tripartite Model of Meaning Reconstruction, required as the prerequisite for all Level 2 Certification tracks.
• Meaning-Focused Grief Therapy (MFGT) Certification A Level 2 certification program (approximately 55 hours) focusing on helping survivors reconstruct meaning and purpose following significant loss, drawing on contemporary therapeutic approaches.
• Family-Focused Grief Therapy (FFGT) Certification A Level 2 certification program (approximately 55 hours) designed to help professionals support children, adolescents, and adults through grief within family systems, addressing the collective impact of loss.
• Grief Therapy for Non-Death Losses (NDL) Certification A Level 2 certification program (approximately 55 hours) focusing on therapeutic skills for addressing losses beyond death, including relationships, health, roles, and other significant life aspects.
• Art-Assisted Grief Therapy (AAGT) Certification A Level 2 certification program (approximately 55 hours) training professionals to incorporate creative modalities, including visual arts, creative writing, music therapy, and movement, into grief therapy practices.
• Grief Therapy for Traumatic Loss (GTTL) Certification A Level 2 certification program (approximately 55 hours) equipping professionals to support individuals and families dealing with suicide, overdose, homicide, fatal accident, and other forms of violent deaths.
• In-Person Training In-person workshop and multi-day residential formats offering close interactions with faculty and networking opportunities, available for individual enrollment and also contributing toward certification hours.
• Live Online Training Live-stream webinar training sessions enabling real-time interaction with faculty and fellow learners without travel requirements, with sessions contributing toward certification credits.
• Recorded Training Asynchronous recorded training modules available for individual purchase, allowing viewing at the learner's convenience with included course packs and Responsive Journals; videos can be rewatched indefinitely.
• Grief Therapy Learning Retreat A 5-day/4-night residential retreat at IslandWood on Bainbridge Island, WA, offering substantial training with internationally renowned faculty and guest speakers, with tiered pricing for single room, twin-sharing, and non-stayer attendees.
• Speakers Bureau Keynote speakers and faculty available for professional conferences and organizational training focused on grief therapy, offered in both onsite and online formats, generating fee-for-service revenue.

Quantifiable outcome

• Level 1 Certification: 8 lessons, 24 hours of training; Level 2 Certification: ~55 hours across Orientation, Techniques, Case Studies, Practicum, Mentoring, and Session Evaluation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Academy of Human Development (AHD), SingaporecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAHD is PI's primary partner for delivering in-person training in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region. AHD handles local logistics, venue booking (Lifelong Learning Institute), promotion, and registration for PI workshops. PI provides faculty and curriculum. This partnership enables PI to serve learners across multiple time zones with regionally accessible in-person training.
• IslandWood (Bainbridge Island, WA)coreOthersIslandWood serves as the exclusive venue for PI's annual 5-day/4-night Grief Therapy Learning Retreat. The 250-acre retreat center on Bainbridge Island, WA provides accommodations, dining, and natural campus settings for the residential training program. PI books the venue annually for its flagship experiential learning event.
• ACORN PLMScoreTechnology or IntegrationACORN PLMS (Learning Management System) is the technology platform underpinning PI's online training delivery, enrollment management, CE tracking, and certification records. Accessible at portlandinstitute.acornplms.com, it handles the full learner lifecycle from registration through certification completion.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• VITAS Healthcare: Largest U.S. hospice provider with extensive bereavement and grief support programs for patients and families, plus internal clinician training. Comparable in addressing the hospice-linked grief services space.
• Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC): The leading multidisciplinary professional association in thanatology and grief, offering credentials (FT, CT, CCTP) and CE programs. Larger incumbent with overlapping audience and credentialing function.
• Zur Institute: Long-running provider of online continuing education courses for mental health professionals, with comparable grief/loss courses. Overlaps in audience and CE credit model though broader in scope.
• PESI: Large-scale continuing education provider for mental health, healthcare, and social work professionals. Competes broadly in the same CE credit market PI serves, though without PI's grief specialization.

Direct peers

• End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC): National nursing education initiative providing curriculum and certification for end-of-life and palliative care, including grief support training. Comparable in delivering specialty training to healthcare clinicians.
• Hospice Foundation of America: National nonprofit that produces bereavement training programs and teleconferences for hospice and palliative care professionals. Directly comparable in offering grief/bereavement CE training to clinicians.
• Social Work Hospice & Palliative Care Network (SWHPN): Professional organization offering social work training and certifications in hospice, palliative care, and grief support. Overlaps with PI's social worker and counselor audience.
• Center for Prolonged Grief Disorder: Columbia University-based research and training center focused on prolonged grief disorder, offering clinician training and certification in grief therapy. Direct overlap with PI's specialty focus and clinician audience.

Emerging players

• Teleosis Institute: End-of-life care education nonprofit offering certificates and courses for clinicians in palliative and contemplative end-of-life care. Emerging player with partial overlap in clinician grief/palliative training.

Regional players

• Pallium Canada: Canadian palliative care education provider offering the LEAP course series for clinicians. Comparable in delivering specialty palliative/grief training to clinicians but primarily serving Canada.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/portlandinstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/portland-institute-for-loss-and-transition

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Portland Institute for Loss and Transition