Become a Certified Caregiving Mentor | The Caregiving Years Training Academy

Become a Certified Caregiving Mentor

Make sure family caregivers know they are not alone. Volunteer to offer support, friendship, and good company to family caregivers in your workplace, community, house of worship, or online.

Enroll Now

Flexible Pricing

$29-$199 depending on your situation (individual, organization, or professional)

15 CEUs

Continuing education available for healthcare professionals

Ongoing Access

Keep resources while your certification remains active

Program Overview

As a Certified Caregiving Mentor™, you volunteer to offer support to family caregivers at your workplace, house of worship, in your community, or online. You make sure family caregivers know they are not alone. This 15-hour training program prepares you to be the supportive presence that you wish you had received when caregiving began for you.

Whether you're a retired professional, an active caregiver, a workplace colleague, a faith community member, or simply someone who cares—you can make a real difference by offering your friendship and good company to those navigating the caregiving journey.

What's Included (15 Hours Total)

📚 10 Hours: Caregiving Master Classes (On-Demand)

Gain the insights you need to support family caregivers with caring calm and understanding.

• The Art of Listening
• The Caregiving Fatigues
• The 19 Caregiving Systems
• Grieving After Caregiving
• The Six Caregiving Stages
• Resilience During Caregiving
• The Family Caregiver's House of Cards
• Create Your Daily Healing Plan

🌐 2 Hours: Live Training (Virtual)

Learn directly from Denise M. Brown. Training held on the first Friday of each month at 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT, 10 a.m. PT).

• Your role as a mentor: Setting expectations and boundaries
• Overcoming common challenges
• Resources, referrals, and how to help
• Mentor session practice with Denise

💼 3 Hours: Practice & Community

Put your skills into practice and connect with fellow mentors.

• Hold 5 practice mentoring sessions (30 minutes each)
• Private community group with fellow mentors
• Regular meetings with mentor community for support & learning
• Free listing in our Mentor section in Solutions Marketplace

Is This Right for You?

You're perfect for our Certified Caregiving Mentor training if:

✓ Listen with Compassion

You listen with genuine compassionate curiosity and deeply without inserting your own story.

✓ Want to Support Others

You want to ensure family caregivers feel connected to support and resources in meaningful ways.

✓ Value Volunteering

You want to volunteer your time and offer your good company to help fellow family caregivers.

✓ Offer Your Presence

You're willing to be a regular, reliable presence—during difficult times, throughout their journey, and after.

Where You Can Serve

🏢 At Your Workplace

Support caregiving colleagues by suggesting resources specific to your organization's culture and benefits.

⛪ At Your House of Worship

Help faith community members by suggesting resources while sharing a common belief system and values.

🏘️ In Your Community

Be a resource for your neighbors, offering insights unique to your shared community and culture.

💻 Online

Connect with family caregivers through Caring Our Way or other online communities to offer support anytime.

How It Works

📚 Complete Master Classes

Access 10 hours of on-demand training on caregiving stages, fatigues, systems, and more. Learn at your own pace.

🌐 Join Live Training

Connect with Denise for 2 hours of interactive learning. Practice mentoring skills and discuss real-world challenges.

🤝 Hold Practice Sessions

Connect with 5 people as a mentor (30 minutes each). Receive guidance on how to structure these supportive conversations.

✓ Get Certified & Connect

Pass your exam and join our community of mentors for ongoing support, learning, and friendship.

What You'll Learn

During training, you'll develop knowledge and mentoring skills:

Caregiving Knowledge

The Six Caregiving Stages and their emotional journey
The 19 Caregiving Systems that overwhelm caregivers
The 12 Caregiving Fatigues and how they manifest
The Family Caregiver's House of Cards concept
How to support resilience during caregiving
How to support people grieving after caregiving

Mentoring Skills

Listening skills that truly support family caregivers
Setting boundaries and expectations as a mentor
Understanding your role and specialty as a mentor
Structuring mentoring sessions effectively
Overcoming common mentoring challenges
Knowing resources and making meaningful referrals

Certification Requirements

You'll become a Certified Caregiving Mentor™ after completing:

✓ Complete Master Classes

Finish all 10 hours of Master Classes and pass their exams.

✓ Attend Live Training

Participate in the 2-hour live training session with Denise M. Brown.

✓ Practice Sessions

Hold 5 practice mentoring sessions (30 minutes each) with different individuals.

✓ Pass Exam

Demonstrate your understanding of caregiving concepts and mentoring skills.

Timeline: Complete all requirements within 90 days of your live training date. Those completing after 91 days incur a $200 penalty fee. Complete your 5 practice sessions within this timeframe to earn certification.

Certification Renewal

Your Certified Caregiving Mentor™ certification is valid for two years. Here's how renewal works:

Renewal Requirements

👥 Mentor at Least 4 Caregivers
Support 4 family caregivers or former family caregivers during your two-year period
✅ Submit Renewal Checklist
Complete a simple form documenting your mentoring activities
💰 Pay $10 Renewal Fee
One of the most affordable renewal fees in caregiving certification

💎 Ongoing Access Benefit

As long as you maintain your certification through renewal, you retain unlimited access to all training materials, Master Classes, and resources.

You also keep your listing in our Solutions Marketplace and access to our mentor community for ongoing support, connection, and learning.

Your Opportunities as a Mentor

🤝 Offer Good Company

Be the supportive presence that family caregivers need during difficult times, ongoing challenges, and transitions.

🌍 Create Community Impact

Make a real difference in your workplace, faith community, neighborhood, or online—wherever caregivers are.

💪 Build Meaningful Connections

Create lasting relationships with family caregivers by offering your friendship and understanding over time.

📈 Grow Your Influence

List your mentoring services in our Solutions Marketplace and connect with caregivers seeking support online.

Our Vision for Mentors

We believe every family caregiver needs a Certified Caregiving Mentor. Our vision includes:

🏢 Mentors in Organizations: Employers offer mentoring programs to support caregiving employees with company resources and time.
⛪ Mentors in Faith Communities: Faith organizations embed mentors to support members through caregiving journeys.
🎯 Specialized Mentors: Mentors trained to support specific caregiving situations (spousal caregivers helping spouses, working caregivers helping colleagues, neighbors helping neighbors).
🔗 Mentors as Connectors: Mentors become the connection point who refer caregivers to consultants, listening artists, specialists, and other resources they need.

Meet Your Trainer

Denise M. Brown

Your trainer is Denise M. Brown, founder of The Caregiving Years Training Academy. She began supporting family caregivers in 1990 and launched one of the first online caregiving communities in 1996.

Through her community, Denise saw how the most gifted listeners became natural mentors who transformed the caregiving experience for others. With 30+ years of professional caregiving expertise and 35 years of personal caregiving experience, she understands exactly what mentors need to succeed.

Denise has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, and Time magazine. She believes deeply in the power of good company and mentoring relationships.

Denise M. Brown

Founder & Trainer

30+ years of professional caregiving expertise. Founder of first online caregiving community (1996). 2017 Next Avenue Influencer in Aging. Featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, and Time.

Continuing Education Credits Available

We've been approved to provide 15 continuing education hours for healthcare professionals and coaches who complete our Certified Caregiving Mentor™ training program. Credits are provided by the Continuing Education Institute of Illinois.

All 50 States

Certified Dementia Practitioners®
Certified Senior Advisors®
Nurses
Professional Coaches (15 PDCs)
SHRM Professionals (15 PDCs)

Illinois + Neighboring States

All Illinois healthcare professions
Social workers in Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin
Check our CEU provider map for your state

Need credits for another profession? We're approved for healthcare professionals throughout the United States. Check the map from our CEU provider to see if your profession is included. Don't see yours? Email Denise to inquire.

Ready to Become a Caregiving Mentor?

Flexible Pricing Options

$29

For Individuals

$99

For Organizations (using training budget)

$199

For Professionals (earning CEUs)

Includes 15 hours of comprehensive training, 10 Master Classes, 2 hours of live training with Denise, community access, free marketplace listing, and ongoing mentor support.

Enroll Now

Have Questions?

Connect with Denise directly to discuss how the Certified Caregiving Mentor training can help you offer support in your community.

📞 (773) 343-6341 ✉️ Email Denise 📅 Schedule a Call

Enhance Your Impact: Bundle with Guide Training

Expand your offerings by adding our Certified Caregiving Guide program. Help caregivers both through personal mentoring AND educational workshops.

Certified Caregiving Guide + Mentor

Bundle and save! Pay What You Want (suggested: $697)

Deliver the Caregiving Stages workshop alongside your one-on-one mentoring. You'll also receive our Certified Caregiving Advocate training at no charge!

Explore Bundle →