Do Accreditations Even Matter? by Mimi Rothschild
Accrediting is a misunderstand and overvalued concept in the coaching field and in education in general. Let's unpack what accreditation really means to both the prospective client, employee and for the credibility of the certification program.
What do accrediting agencies actually do? Accrediting agencies are usually for-profit businesses that sell a service. The service is usually costly. The service is like a "Goodhousekeeping Seal of Approval". The accreditor is supposed to review the program to see if it meets their standards. Some do that and some do nothing. Some do it partly.Some just charge a whole lot of money because they spent a whole lot of money marketing their service and their name to make people think they are more credible or more desirable than others. Welcome to Marketing 101.
Some accrediting agencies even go as far as to insinuate (although it would be highly unethical, possibly even fraudulent) to say that "without our accreditation, your program is substandard or won't be accepted in the marketplace." Any suggestion of this nature should be regarded for exactly what it is - marketing hyperbole (and that's the nice word) - and quickly disregarded.
The Global Grief Institute conducted informal, market based research into which accreditations matter most to prospective employers. The overwhelming consensus was that employers did not care nor do they even know much about them. A Harvard or a Yale degree will always get attention, but those institutions do not offer Certifications for Grief and Trauma Coaching. To some clients, those institutions are intimidating.
The indisputable majority nonsense was that employers base their hiring decisions on the answers to the applicants questions and overall qualifications, personality, demeanor, not who their Certification program was affiliated with or who they may have or may not have paid for the "stamp of approval."
Grief coach Employers realize accreditation companies are just businesses selling a service. They focus on the merits of the prospective employee, not how well their training organization was marketed or pumped.
It is worth noting that accrediting agencies also can use their perceived power to keep competitors out of the field.
Grief coach Clients have a fuzzy concept of "accreditation" being a positive but generally have no knowledge of what is actually means.
Grief Coach Students should prioritize a program created by survivors that will prepare them for the real world of coaching real victims of trauma
The Global Grief Institute's Certification Programs are comprehensive, digestible, actionable and rooted in scientific theory and clinical practices and interventions. Our sources are leaders in the field of nanothology, bereavement, grief and trauma. Our texts are previously published and peer reviewed. Our courses may broach alternative and experimental ideology which is duly noted. The developers of the program not only have clinical experience and training but also have life experiences that have uniquely qualified them to offer educational tools to others.
In our research most prospective clients rate the Grief Coach's own personal life tragedies and their recovery journey (or lack thereof) as the #1 thing that matters to them. Someone who has been there, in their minds, is much more equipped to understand their plight. Someone who has actually walked in their shoes is much more needed and trustworthy and credible than someone with a "fancy degree."
Global Grief Institute seeks to enroll students who have suffered the worst of what life can bring and use that power to empower others. We recognize that those who have truly suffered in this world have a perspective and understanding that cannot be duplicated by all of the degrees and diplomas in the world. We help you harness your wounds to wisdom. You can then use your life to make a difference in this hurting and broken world.
The Founder and CEO of Global Grief Institute, Mimi Rothschild, buried 3 of her 5 sons and her husband of 33 years. She has survived the most brutal of life's vicissitudes and is using her wounds to give you wisdom and the most profound and complete training currently available.