❤ Paula Crosby-Flake – ADULT CLINICIAN ❤

“I have been a Spouse and Partner Loss facilitator (Adult Clinician) since the fall of 2013. During my Ele’s Place Ann Arbor training I learned about the adult groups that were offered to parents and caregivers. I knew then that being an adult facilitator would be the best spot for me. Not only did I identify with this group, experiencing my own adult grief journey after losing a young son and my husband, but I also appreciate the opportunity to offer this peer grief support that would have been so welcomed years ago.

“Grief support groups for the parents or guardians of Ele’s Place Ann Arbor children and teens are available and facilitated by Licensed Clinicians. Ele’s Place believes its’s important to be able to support adults in their grief, so the family can continue on their healing journey together.

“Watching group members connect during such challenging times is really a gift for me to see. I marvel at the resiliency and resourcefulness of my group members, and lend support and experience when warranted. The peer-to-peer support is heartwarming to watch unfold during our group, and I often witness lifelong friendships being made. This is what makes Ele’s Place Ann Arbor so unique and special in what they offer to families who are grieving.” ❤

Paula Crosby-Flake, thank YOU for sharing your heart stories throughout the month of May! We are grateful for YOU – YOU fill the HEART of Ele’s Place Ann Arbor. Congratulations on your retirement…YOU will be missed at EPA2 on a weekly basis, but we know you are a forever friend!! ❤

❤ Paula Crosby-Flake – ADULT CLINICIAN ❤

“When a new member joins my adult grief support group at Ele’s Place Ann Arbor, I give a brief history of my own connection to loss, and grief. I always include that while my family received grief support from a local Ann Arbor agency, it was not comparable to the peer support offered at Ele’s Place.

“My grief story began in the fall of 2001 when my 8 year old son died of cancer. It was such a sad time for our family with John leaving behind his dad, his older and younger brothers, and me. Losing our “middle” was life altering in many ways. Fast forward to February 2005, my husband Walt, and my children’s dad, died of cancer. This added another layer of grief to our already broken hearts. We were starting over on the waves of grief, again.

“While we had a support system of friends and family, no one we knew had such complicated grief. The individual peer groups that Ele’s Place Ann Arbor offers would have helped my children feel not so alone, and allowed them to feel connected to others with such great loss. Being connected to other young widows such as myself at the time would have given me the “me too” validation, and the ability to share the trials of being an “only parent.” ❤