FINAL CALL: Enroll in CANA’s Certified Cremation Specialist Program  

Registration Deadline July 1, 2025

WHEELING, IL— Strengthen your own real-world arrangement skills while raising service standards across the profession! Time is running out to register for the Certified Cremation Specialist (CCS) training program from the Cremation Association of North America (CANA). With registration closing July 1, funeral professionals and their employers are urged not to miss the opportunity to join this innovative, cremation-focused certification.   

This unique online program goes beyond compliance and procedures to develop the “power skills” essential for today’s funeral arranger: communication, listening, and ethical decision-making. Whether new to arrangements or experienced and looking to refresh their approach, you’ll gain valuable tools you can use immediately to better serve families and grow your business. 

FLEXIBLE LEARNING. REAL IMPACT. 
You’ll complete eight online courses—seven on-demand and one live session—on your own schedule, with full access through October 1. With content that’s engaging and interactive, including self-reflection exercises and expert insights, this program is built for your busy professional life and offers meaningful professional development to raise your level of service for every client family. 

The CCS program doesn’t just benefit individual professionals—it’s an investment in your entire operation. Graduates walk away with tools to improve communication, connect with families more deeply, and contribute to increased satisfaction and revenue. In fact, many participants cite a noticeable shift in motivation and pride in their work after completing the course. 

Since its launch, 112 professionals have earned their CCS credential, joining a growing group of cremation specialists making a difference in their communities. 

Program Details: 

• Interactive and Practical Curriculum 

• Complete coursework by October 1 

• $615 General, $465 CANA Members 

This is the final opportunity to join the 2025 CCS cohort. With space limited and registration closing soon, funeral professionals and employers are encouraged to act now and claim your place in this transformative training program. 

Become a CANA-Certified Cremation Specialist at cremationassociation.org/CCS 

About CANA 

Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,700 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization. 

Practical, Results-Driven Cremation Specialist Training Registration Deadline July 31, 2025  

WHEELING, IL— Registration is now open for the Cremation Specialist training program offered exclusively by the Cremation Association of North America (CANA). This unique certification course takes a cremation-first approach to study what arrangers do every day, touching on each task, breaking down the steps to complete it, and summarizing the knowledge and skills leading to success. 

The CANA-Certified Cremation Specialist (CCS) training empowers arrangers to connect with the families they’re serving, leading to meaningful conversations. This well-rounded program presents an overview of FTC compliance, methods for engaging phone shoppers, and discussion of embalming preferences, and then digs into topics such as grief expressions, communication skills, and ethical dilemmas to help forge that connection with families. When they know they’re serving families well, employees feel more motivated, contract revenue grows, and they know they’ve made a real difference for those families. 

The remarkably flexible and affordable program, conducted entirely online, is comprised of eight courses: seven on-demand and one that is live and instructor-led. Participants work at their own speed, receiving their certification in as little as three months. They can choose to graduate on July 15 or October 15.  

Each class in the program is easy to navigate and offers engaging and thought-provoking content, with fill-in-the-box reflections and active guidance from CANA staff. Participants can pause and resume the training to accommodate their busy schedules. 

Participants gain practical skills they can apply immediately to grow business and advance their careers. A favorite course among past participants is on talking to phone shoppers and finding connection: 

“We had folks that were handling mainly phone calls that were able to convert phone shoppers to customers because they were able to make that connection right away with the caller over the phone,” explains Martha Thayer of Mortuary Training, who contributed to the program. “That’s part of what training is training is: Giving people those words to use. Everyone’s going to come up with their own way to make a presentation or their own way to say something, but if we can have that starting point help for someone we can change narrative to bring people in.” 

To date, this new credential has 112 graduates, representing practitioners from all stages of their careers, who have gained confidence to go further with the families they serve.  

“Because the CANA-Certified Cremation Specialist program took such a deep look at all aspects of serving our cremation families, it allowed me to grow a deeper appreciation for the evolution of the profession as a whole,” reflected Allyse Worland, Vice President and Funeral Director of Lauck & Veldhof Funeral & Cremation Services and a CANA-Certified Cremation Specialist. “It was evident that doing things the way ‘we have always done it’ is not going to work in the future. Our cremation families are just as precious as our traditional families. Each and every moment we spend with them is an opportunity to memorialize and celebrate a life beautifully lived.” 

Registration is accepted on a rolling basis for the 2025 program from April 1 through July 31. Space is limited so funeral professionals should act soon to join. Registration is $615, discounted to $465 for CANA Members. Learn more about becoming a CANA-Certified Cremation Specialist at cremationassociation.org/CCS 

About CANA 

Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,700 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization. 

Our friends at the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) recently announced that registration is now open for the 2024 educational classes for their “Certified Cremation Specialist” designation.

According to CANA, “What sets a CANA-Certified Cremation Specialist apart is the training they receive to ensure everyone is treated with the same level of care, service, and compassion. Through exposure to a curriculum based on years of research and experience, CANA-Certified Cremation Specialists learn best practices in ethical conduct, verbal and non-verbal delivery, personalizing services and body preparation styles to grow their abilities”. 

All courses are online with the ability to  pause and resume to fit your schedule with basic program requirements that everyone must complete, including participating in a live, instructor-led course via Zoom.

To learn more about becoming a Certified Cremation Specialist and/or to register click here.

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CANA-Certified Cremation Specialist Training Program Registration Deadline July 31, 2024

WHEELING, IL— Registration is now open for the Cremation Specialist training program offered exclusively by the Cremation Association of North America (CANA). This unique program is designed to help funeral professionals discover opportunities to create memorialization and ceremony and master the necessary skills and knowledge to take their service to the next level.

The CANA-Certified Cremation Specialist (CCS) training covers a range of topics that impact today’s business and grieving families. In addition to FTC compliance, engaging phone shoppers, and discussion of embalming preferences, other topics such as grief expressions, communication skills, and ethical dilemmas are all included in the curriculum. Participants can earn up to 11 hours of continuing education (CE) credits across a variety of required categories.

The remarkably flexible program, conducted entirely online, is comprised of eight courses: seven on-demand and one that is live and instructor-led. Participants can work at their own speed, receiving their certification in as little as three months and can choose to graduate on July 15 or October 15.

Each class in the program is easy to navigate and offers engaging and thought-provoking content, with fill-in-the-box reflections and active guidance from CANA staff. Participants can pause and resume the training to accommodate their busy schedules.

CANA encourages funeral professionals who are looking to advance their careers to enroll in the program and enhance their skills.

“You can become the most amazing rock star arranger ever, but it just takes a little bit of training and a little bit of knowledge of how to be still and how not to slap down the first contract and say, ‘Here you go,’” explains Glenda Stansbury of InSight Books, who contributed to the program. “That’s probably the true benefit of all of this work: to have a full-fledged curriculum that is cremation-based to help that cremation professional.”

To date, this new credential has 87 graduates, representing practitioners from all stages of their careers, who have gained confidence to go further with the families they serve. “This program was a highly valuable and meaningful way to level-up my personalized service to families. I highly recommend CCS certification to other funeral professionals,” shared Tee Rogers, a CANA-Certified Cremation Specialist. “It was insightful, inspiring, and informative. The content and leaders were highly respectful of diverse identities and perspectives, a normalization of inclusion that was encouraging to experience as I continue efforts to increase awareness of challenges faced in the funeral industry by our LGBTQIA+, minority religious, and secular clients and employees.”

Registration is accepted on a rolling basis for the 2024 program from April 1 through July 31. Space is limited so funeral professionals should act soon to join. Registration is $615, discounted to $465 for CANA Members. Learn more about becoming a CANA-Certified Cremation Specialist at cremationassociation.org/CCS

About CANA

Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,700 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization.