CIRGL Certification:
Culturally Informed Responses to Grief and Loss

The School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA), in proud partnership with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) and the New York Life Foundation, is thrilled to present the CIRGL Certification Program — your gateway to culturally responsive grief support in schools.

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN ACCESS TO:

Eight power-packed modules, fully online and available on-demand — learn at your own pace, wherever you are.
Culturally-informed expertise: discover how grief uniquely impacts students across diverse cultural backgrounds — and how to support them with empathy and skill.
Expanded understanding of grief and loss: innovative curriculum that expands the narrative of grief through
an anti-racist lens, gaining new understanding of racialized trauma and loss—challenging outdated models and transforming how we support every student, every story.

Investment & Perks

Launch special: Enroll now for just $250 — partial and full scholarships available*!
Bulk registration rate: Ideal for school districts or teams of 5+
10 continuing education credits (CEs)
Certificate as a Culturally Responsive Grief Practitioner — bolster your professional credentials.
Scholarships: Full and partial scholarships are available*, with priority for:
- Staff in districts with diversity-training restrictions
- Participants in New York Life Foundation’s Grief-Sensitive School Program
- Professionals serving tribal schools
  *Scholarship availability is based on funding and enrollment capacities; available until funds expire

Apply for Bulk-Rate Pricing

Apply for Scholarships

Interested in CIRGL?

Complete the form below and we’ll follow up with next steps.

Why CIRGL Matters

Grief is showing up in schools daily from students, families, and staff in a variety of ways from personal losses to community violence, systemic racism, displacement, and ambiguous loss, humans in the school communities are carrying invisible burdens that impact learning, behavior, and connection.
Traditional grief models fall short and don't take into account the school setting or systemic and cultural experiences -- Most grief frameworks used in schools center dominant cultural norms and often ignore the intersections of identity, oppression, and collective trauma. CIRGL fills that gap.
Students grieve a wide range of experiences, in deeply personal and culturally rooted ways, yet are often met with bias that invalidates or oppresses their pain. Families, too, feel unseen and unsupported.
Current research and data continue to overlook anti-racist perspectives on grief in children, leaving critical gaps in how we respond. It's time to change that — with training that equips educators to respond to grief through a culturally-responsive, anti-oppressive lens.

Who's It For

School Social workers, multidisciplinary teams and anyone who is…

Committed to equity, diversity and well-being through critical examination of their positionalities and the systems in which they work
Striving to build inclusive, trauma-informed school environments that support grieving youth in a culturally responsive way
Seeking to deconstruct traditional narratives around grief and loss in order to more fully engage with the impacts of historical oppression and expand their understanding beyond conventional approaches and dominant narrative that have existed.

Let's

onnect

Questions? Reach out to the CIRGL team anytime at CertificatePrograms@sswaa.org, we're ready to help!

why members love cirgl

“Insightful, flexible, and deeply relevant — CIRGL taught me how culture shapes grief and equipped me to help students in truly sensitive ways.”

“My knowledge about grief and loss has certainly expanded. I learned a lot about myself and about the experiences of historically excluded groups. I will forever be grateful for any opportunity to learn and grow as a person and as a social worker”

“It was an amazing class, very diﬀerent and eye/mind opening. I had done other courses regarding culture, but nothing like this.”

“Thank you so much for this opportunity. I have been referencing the materials quite frequently in conversations with colleagues and know that I will continue using the knowledge gained. I think this class should be a requirement for anyone working within school-based mental health!”

“I enjoyed being able to learn more about grief and loss and have been personally and professionally impacted by the learning I have done the last couple of months.”