The Core Course — Six Modules
The core course trains you in all five steps of the TRACE Method, plus a dedicated module on building your counselling practice. Each module contains short video content, a guided reflection exercise, a quiz (80% to pass, retakes allowed), and a downloadable summary PDF.
Opening the therapeutic relationship. How to invite a pet owner to share who their pet was — and why that matters before anything else.
Validating pet grief. The human-animal bond, what the research says, and how to say — clearly, directly — that this loss is real.
Active listening, sitting with grief. Worden's Tasks One and Two. What not to say. How to hold space without trying to fix.
Gathering memories, photos, stories. The memorial page begins. Continuing Bonds Theory — why we don't ask people to let go.
Moving forward without leaving behind. Worden's Tasks Three and Four. Completing the memorial. Closing the therapeutic relationship with care.
Your directory profile, how to price your services, generating referrals from vets and cremation services, and using your TRACE credentials to build a credible practice.
The extended course adds two further modules:
- Module 6 — Complex Loss: anticipatory grief, sudden death, euthanasia decisions and guilt, loss of working and assistance animals
- Module 7 — Widening the Circle: supporting children, multiple pets, the grieving household, different species considerations
What you receive on completion
Academy for Pet Loss, TRACE Methodology Practitioner. A named, dated certificate you can display, share, and add to your professional profile.
An Open Badge 2.0 digital credential — verifiable by anyone, embeddable on your website and LinkedIn, powered by Open CPD.
Your profile goes live immediately in our directory of over 1,600 counsellors. Visible to pet owners searching for specialist support.
Free first month of Academy membership — including memorial page credits, community access, and your verified badge on your profile.
Pricing
First 50 students only. Join the waitlist to lock in the founding price.
Includes all 8 modules — Complex Loss and Widening the Circle in addition to the core TRACE curriculum.
Monthly live Q&A
All enrolled students are invited to a monthly live group Q&A session on Zoom — one hour, open to everyone currently in the course. A chance to ask questions, connect with other practitioners, and go deeper on anything in the curriculum. Sessions are recorded and added to the course library over time.
Join the founding cohort waitlist
The course opens soon. The first 50 students get founding member pricing (£97 for the core course) and are part of shaping the Academy's early community. Add your email to be first in line.