The Difference Grief Literacy Can Make



Michele Neff Hernandez

CEO and Founder of Soaring Spirits International  

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Choose a single course or explore a topic in greater depth with a three-course or comprehensive bundle.

Hear From Other Professionals

“Even after decades in the insurance industry, I’ve always wondered if I was saying the right thing to grieving people. This training fills a gap professionals are rarely taught, offering practical guidance for showing up with clarity and compassion when someone is grieving. I’ll use this at work, but just as importantly, I feel more prepared to support friends and family, too. This is one of those rare trainings that applies not only to business, but to life. ”

Darryl Nind, Insurance Agent

“My experience with the grief literacy training was that it was both unique and extremely helpful. It offers clear guidance on what to say and how to show up when providing professional services to someone who has recently been widowed. The information is heartfelt and drawn directly from widowed people and SSI’s work, which makes it especially valuable and credible. ”

Vivian Yochelson, Yochelson and Associates Personal Injury Attorney

“If you are searching for quality education on how to be a better resource for the widowed community…look no further. This program hits all the right areas of empathy, compassion, and understanding when it comes to working with the widowed community. ”

Andy Dziedzic, MBA Prepared Retirement Institute

Michele Neff Hernandez

Founder & CEO of SSI and Lead Instructor

Michele Neff Hernandez

Michele Neff Hernandez Lead Instructor | Founder and CEO, Soaring Spirits International** Michele Neff Hernandez is the founder and CEO of Soaring Spirits International and was named one of CNN’s Top 10 Heroes of 2021. Drawing on her own experience of widowhood, she has dedicated her work to connecting widowed people with community, practical resources, and hope. Under her leadership, Soaring Spirits has served more than four million widowed people worldwide. Michele created Camp Widow®, a program that brings widowed people together for education, support, and connection. She is the author of *Different After You: Rediscovering Yourself and Healing After Grief and Trauma* and was featured in the Apple TV+ docuseries *Gutsy*. Her teaching experience includes resilience workshops and grief literacy trainings for financial and business professionals, medical and hospice teams, first responders, funeral directors, and organizations supporting bereaved families. Through SSI’s grief literacy programs, Michele brings the perspectives of widowed people into professional education, helping learners build understanding, communicate with greater confidence, and offer informed, compassionate support.

Carrie West, PhD

Carrie West

Carrie West, PhD Instructor | Director of Research, Soaring Spirits International Dr. Carrie West brings together research, teaching, and her own experience of widowhood to help professionals better support widowed people. As Director of Research for Soaring Spirits International, her work explores widowhood, resilience, social support, and communication following loss. She is a coauthor of the Widowhood Resilience Scale, and her research has appeared in the *Journal of Financial Planning*, *Journal of Financial Service Professionals*, and *OMEGA—Journal of Death and Dying*. Her publications include studies of widows’ financial confidence, self-empowerment, and the role of financial professionals. Carrie holds a PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Denver, specializing in interpersonal and family communication. She has more than two decades of college and university teaching experience, including teaching leadership communication in MBA programs. Her background also includes international research and training development in customer service. Through SSI’s grief literacy programs, she helps translate research, communication principles, and lived experience into practical approaches professionals can use in their work with widowed people.

Why Soaring Spirits?

For nearly two decades, Soaring Spirits International has been helping widowed people rebuild lives after the death of a partner. Our approach is shaped by lived experience, informed by research, and strengthened every day by one of the largest peer support communities in the world.

Our professional education is built upon: Evidence-informed research, including the published Widowed Resilience Scale, developed through the Soaring Spirits Resilience Center to better understand resilience following widowhood. Real-world insights gained from serving tens of thousands of widowed people through the Newly Widowed Program, Camp Widow®, Widowed Village®, Regional Social Groups, and other peer support programs. Twenty years of listening to what widowed people say helped—and what they wish the professionals in their lives had understood. Nationally recognized leadership, including the award-winning Camp Widow® documentary, which has brought the lived experience of widowhood to audiences around the world and sparked important conversations about grief, resilience, and the power of peer support.
Group of 5 people smiling and wearing name. tags.

FAQ

  • Who are these courses for?

    Our courses are open to anyone who wants to better understand and support widowed people. The continuing education courses focus on financial planning conversations, with practical insights relevant to a range of professional roles. You do not need to be a CFP® professional to enroll.

  • How are the courses taught?

    Courses are online and self-paced, so you can work through the material when it fits your schedule. Lessons include presentations, written content, and practical examples that connect course concepts to professional situations. Each course includes a final assessment.

  • How do I choose a course or bundle?

    Start with the topics most relevant to your work. You can enroll in an individual course, choose a themed bundle of three related courses, or purchase the complete collection, including foundational grief literacy training. Each course page describes its focus and learning outcomes.

  • Should I start with foundational grief literacy training?

    If grief literacy is new to you, the foundational course is a helpful starting point. It introduces the widowed experience, supportive language, and the professional’s role. If you already have that foundation, you can explore courses focused on the situations and conversations most relevant to your work. Check individual course pages for any prerequisites.

  • How do I earn CFP® continuing education credit?

    Complete the required course lessons and pass the final assessment with a score of at least 80%. If you are seeking CFP® continuing education credit, provide your CFP Board identification number so Soaring Spirits International can report your completion to CFP Board. Please allow up to 14 days for credit to appear in your record. Credit information is listed on each course page.

  • Will I receive a certificate of completion?

    Yes. A certificate of completion is available after you meet the course requirements, whether or not you are seeking CFP® continuing education credit.

  • How do these courses differ from the Newly Widowed Packet Partner Program and Premier Professional Membership?

    The courses offered here provide education on grief literacy and supporting widowed clients. You can purchase them individually or in bundles. The Newly Widowed Packet Partner Program combines foundational grief literacy training with access to order Newly Widowed Packets for the people you serve. Premier Professional Membership offers more extensive training and additional member benefits. Visit Soaring Spirits International’s grief literacy website to compare those programs, create an account, and sign up.

  • Who should I contact if I need help?

    Contact us at [email protected] with any questions or if you need assistance.

  • What is a Newly Widowed Packet and how will this help my clients?

    Newly Widowed Packets are comprehensive bereavement resources written by and for widowed people. Combining practical guidance with reassurance and hope, each packet includes checklists relevant to the earliest days of widowhood, helpful resources, and information about Soaring Spirits’ peer support programs. For financial planners, offering a packet is an immediate, tangible way to acknowledge a client’s loss and demonstrate care beyond financial matters. It gives clients information they can revisit at their own pace and connects them with a community of people who understand widowhood firsthand.