Ele’s Place is a non-profit, community based organization dedicated to creating awareness of and support for grieving children, teens and their families. We offer peer-to-peer support groups for children ages 3-18 years old along with a young adult group for 18-25 year olds, all at no cost to families.
One in 11 children in Michigan will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18, and this number doubles by the age of 25. This does not include grandparents, relatives, friends or other significant people. The impact is emotionally devastating and grieving children can feel isolated and keep their feelings to themselves, not wanting to burden their parents or share with friends who do not understand this grief. As a result, the child’s health, schoolwork and social adjustment often suffer as they attempt to cope with the death.
We provide a supportive, welcoming environment with age-appropriate discussions and activities including art, music, writing, storytelling and play to promote the expression of feelings, develop coping skills, and learn to Embrace Loss Effectively.