Home Hospice Association

Infant & Pregnancy Loss Support Certificate Program

Program Overview

Our Certificate Program is designed to combine maximum flexibility with support from a peer learning network.

Program Description & Benefits

Launched in 2015, Home Hospice Association’s Infant & Pregnancy Loss Support Certificate Program addresses the expressed need for compassion, education, and support in infant and pregnancy loss experiences.

As the first of its kind in Canada, this program offers you skills, insights, a peer-support network, and guidance from highly qualified and experienced professionals. It plays a crucial role in filling the significant gap in pre and perinatal loss and grief support services nationwide.

By training in Infant & Pregnancy Loss Support through HHA, you will receive:

A certificate of completion to recognize your acquired skills and knowledge to support and encourage grieving individuals and their families

Personalized support from your Candidate Advisor

Access to HHA resources and programs for continued learning

Free admission to networking and support events for HHA community professionals

If you still have questions, visit our Training FAQs page.

Program Dates

This program is designed for you to learn at your own pace. Except for the 2.5-day in-class (online) component, you can complete the rest of the learning at your own speed and on your own time.

When you register, you will choose a learning cohort, which will meet online for the weekend training session. All other Certificate Program requirements can be completed at your own pace.

Registration is open for the following cohorts:

Spring 2024

Weekend Training Session: May 31-June 2

As soon as you register and pay your registration fee, you will get immediate access to the first online learning components of the program (even if you have registered for a cohort that is several months away). You will also receive invitations to all HHA's candidate learning nights and other educational and social events.

Facilitator Testimonial

"Working with Home Hospice Association and their Infant and Pregnancy Loss Support Program has been incredibly rewarding and valuable. I have had the great pleasure of teaching in the program, and meeting extraordinary individuals who are looking to change the face of support through some of the hardest and most heartbreaking pregnancy experiences clients can have. As a midwife, I have witnessed and supported these losses firsthand, and the information in this program is invaluable to build confidence, community, and skills to offer care to people who need it dearly. The greatest thing about HHA is its tight-knit community. I am in regular contact with past students to support them through their first support experiences, and have reached out to the other staff and presenters at HHA to support me with client losses in my own clinical practice when I need help navigating complex aspects of the system. The program is comprehensive and long lasting." - Molly Hockin, RM

Infant & Pregnancy Loss Support
Certificate Program

Program Structure

HHA's Certificate Program includes four learning components:

1. Compassionate Caregiving

(Online in Google Classroom)

7 modules, including topics such as:

Spiritual Care at End-of-Life
Ethics in Hospice Palliative Care
The Role of a Caregiver

3. In-class Sessions

(Virtual in Google Meet)

2.5 days, including topics such as:

Stages of Gestation

Maternal Wellness & Comfort Measures

Grief & Bereavement

Rituals & Memorialization

Funeral Services

*Ongoing training in specialized topics is provided through optional monthly learning nights

2. Independent Studies

(Online in Google Classroom)

4 mandatory modules with some optional modules, including topics such as:

Community Resources
Leadership

4. Projects & Assignments (Online in Google Classroom)

Final projects & assignments, including topics such as:

Case Studies
Book Reviews

Practical Experience
Community Engagement

Certificate Program Fee

$700

(inclusive)

Paid by e-transfer to funds@homehospiceassociation.com

Payment in full is required to begin the Certificate Program.

As soon as we receive your registration fee, you'll get access to learning materials and events, including role play nights, guest speakers, and other invitation-only networking and educational sessions.

Please Note: Registration fees are non-refundable. However, if you are unable to attend your cohort's weekend training session, you are able to join another cohort with a minimum of 30 days notice.

Included with Fee

Online independent learning modules in Google Classrooms - learn at your own pace!

2.5 days of in-class sessions, delivered virtually via Google Meet (see dates below)

Online independent projects and assignments in Google Classrooms

Ongoing Professional Development Training Through Monthly Virtual Learning Nights

Opportunities to co-facilitate HHA’s "Our Babies, Our Grief" drop-in support groups alongside an experienced Infant & Pregnancy Loss Support Professional

Cohort Learning Training Sessions
(online via Google Meet)

May 31-June 2, 2024

To complete the Certificate Program, your attendance is mandatory during one online weekend classroom session.

Class times for all sessions:

Friday: 6pm-9pm (EST)

Saturday: 9am-5pm (EST)

Sunday: 9am-5pm (EST)

All other Certificate Program requirements can be completed asynchronously.

Meet the Facilitators

Glen Burkholder

Glen is a co-founder of Home Hospice Association and has been a funeral director since 1986. Originally from the Niagara Region, he moved to Toronto in 2012. He is a member of the Niagara District Funeral Service Association and currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Toronto District Funeral Directors Inc. and the Ontario Funeral Service Association. In February 2023, Glen joined the team of McKersie & Early Funeral Home in Milton, Ontario.

Glen is especially passionate about HHA’s continued education and training mission, and is deeply involved in the development and facilitation of the Death Doula and Infant and Pregnancy Loss Doula certificate programs.

Cari Ferguson

Cari is a trainer for both the Death Doula and Infant and Pregnancy Loss Doula (IPLD) training programs, as well as being the Candidate Advisor for the IPLD Certificate Program. Additionally, Cari is HHA's communication manager.

Cari is deeply passionate about death and grief education. She is the founder of Strong Winds Consulting, a professional bereavement service that provides insight, guidance, and companionship to those approaching their end of life as well as grief support to those in mourning.

Molly Dutton-Kenny

Molly is a Registered Midwife in Ontario, practicing in the GTA. With her experience and passion for working with clients through perinatal loss and abortion, particularly through a home-centered midwifery model of care, Molly brings a wealth of knowledge to HHA as our Termination Subject Matter Expert. She also teaches the section on abortion for HHA’s Infant and Pregnancy Loss Doula training.

Julie Anne Mauno

Julie-Anne Muano is a Registered Perinatal Support Worker (PNSW), a faculty member for the PNSW program at Mohawk College, an Infant and Pregnancy Loss Doula (IPLD) and a Social Work student. She helped create HHA’s Our Babies, Our Grief and is part of HHA’s Death Education team for the Infant and Pregnancy Loss Doula Certificate program.

She lives and works in Northeastern Ontario and is passionate about providing perinatal support to families, including infant and pregnancy loss support. Her interests include trauma-informed care, anti-oppressive practice, decolonization, perinatal grief support, and postpartum mental health and well-being.

Who should take this program?

Anyone who provides emotional support, advice or comfort to an individual and their loved ones experiencing perinatal loss and grief, including social workers and counsellors

Caregivers or individuals wanting to learn how to better support grieving loved ones
Birth workers (professionals or students) working within primary care and/or birth environments, including birth doulas and neonatal medical practitioners
Primary care practitioners looking to develop their skills in compassionate care
Persons in community supportive roles who serve bereaved families
Professionals who provide one-to-one bereavement support to families before, during and after death, including bereavement specialists and funeral professionals
Professionals who work in emergency or trauma environments that may witness infant death
Individuals who have experienced this type of loss and want to support and empower others

Infant & Pregnancy Loss Support
Certificate Program

Why choose Home Hospice Association?

This is Canada’s first training in Pre and Perinatal Hospice Services. It was created - and is continuously being developed - by a team of experts who share a common passion for educating and bringing comprehensive knowledge and practical perspectives to end-of-life care. Our educators come from diverse backgrounds and bring experiences in birthing, end-of-life, and bereavement care.

Our program provides extensive opportunities for engagement between students, facilitators, and special guest speakers. Over the course of the program, you will acquire valuable skills and will get the chance to apply your learnings and nurture your professional networks in order to further expand your knowledge.

To date, we have trained hundreds of support professionals who provide services across Canada.

Testimonials

“This is an amazing team with a wide variety of skills and experience! I am more than pleased to have access to all of your knowledge and feel that it was presented quite well.”

Learning Outcomes

Explore your role as an Infant & Pregnancy Loss Support Professional assisting clients (and their loved ones) before, during, and after the death

Experience what active dying looks like in order to educate your client’s family on what to expect

Gain practical knowledge of the four domains of care (planning, active support, legacy, and grief)

Build compassionate strategies to help prepare clients & families for their grief journey, beginning with self-compassion

Achieve awareness about how your own death experiences may influence your work in order to manage your reactions and possible fears

Topics Covered

Stages of gestation and how to support a loss at each stage

Miscarriage at any stage

Medical and elective termination

Prematurity, stillbirth, and neonatal death

Compassionate and empathetic communication

Grief & bereavement, including the complexity of grief and how to respond effectively to expressions of grief

Comfort measures before, during and after delivery

Support of family members

Honouring a life - rituals, traditions and cultural awareness

Memorialization and memory-making at the time of birth

Consultation practice for delivery plan
Legalities of funeral practices in Ontario

Selfcare, triggers and debriefing

Home Hospice Association

Infant & Pregnancy Loss Support Certificate Program

Program Overview

Program Description & Benefits

Program Dates

Facilitator Testimonial

Infant & Pregnancy Loss Support Certificate Program

Program Structure

Certificate Program Fee

Included with Fee

Cohort Learning Training Sessions (online via Google Meet)

Meet the Facilitators

Who should take this program?

Infant & Pregnancy Loss Support Certificate Program

Why choose Home Hospice Association?

Testimonials

Learning Outcomes

Topics Covered

Frequently Asked Questions

Infant & Pregnancy Loss Support
Certificate Program

Cohort Learning Training Sessions
(online via Google Meet)

Infant & Pregnancy Loss Support
Certificate Program