(Lansing
and Ann Arbor
locations)
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 20-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; more 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 with the bereavement support group
program.
To help our support group
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.
Note: Ele’s Place
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. Volunteers for the
TLC program are generally recruited from experienced bereavement support group
facilitators (Lansing
location only). However, some volunteers
who complete the training to become a support group facilitator may be assigned
to the TLC program, if they are interested.
Generally, volunteers
who want to serve as support group Facilitators should be at least 18
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.
The next Volunteer Facilitator Training program for prospective
Lansing-area volunteers begins in late January. People interested in
attending this 20-hour training program should submit their volunteer
application by January 5. Call our Lansing
office at 517-482-1315 to request a volunteer information packet, or
follow this link to our online volunteer application.