Support Group Facilitators

Grief Support Groups - Lansing and Ann Arbor

One of the primary services provided by Ele’s Place is our peer support group program for children and their families who are grieving the death of a family member or close friend. The men and women who volunteer as facilitators with this program work in teams with one of the children’s bereavement support groups. These groups are organized according to the child’s school and/or developmental level, and serve children ages 3 - 18.

All Ele’s Place support group facilitators are required to complete our 23-hour training program, which provides a framework for grief and loss, reviews the developmental stages of children, stresses the importance of empathic listening, and provides instruction regarding how to be an effective facilitator. This training program is generally offered twice each year; information about the next training program will be provided to candidates who submit a volunteer application and indicate that they are interested in becoming a facilitator.

To help our Facilitators enhance their skills, Ele’s Place provides continuing education for these volunteers throughout the year. Facilitators are also expected to attend additional in-services as presented.

TLC - Together Learning to Cope - Lansing only

Ele’s Place in Lansing also provides support groups for children and families coping with the life-threatening illness of a family member through our Together Learning to Cope (TLC) program. At this time, TLC is offered in Lansing only.

Generally, volunteers who want to serve as support group Facilitators should be at least 19 years old, and should be able to make a commitment to volunteer one evening (4 hours) per week with their assigned groups for a minimum of one year.