HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — Children grieve differently than adults — a fact a West Michigan organization knows well.
Dealing with death is life-altering for children and how they experience this grief journey can have big effects on their life as they grow up.
Since 2013,Ele's Place West Michiganhas been offering up a place for grieving children to work through their loss.
"Really what we're doing is helping those kids remove those barriers for themselves. We're not doing it for them. We're just giving them the tools," said Jaime Counterman, director ofEle's Place West Michigan.
Counterman says Ele's Place helps 100 families a week at its Grand Rapids location.Beginning in 2015, the organization has gone into the schools to work with groups of students dealing with loss.
"We're giving them the language. We're giving them the time and the permission to be real about what they're feelings are and to tell them it's OK to have those feelings," Counterman said.
The group includes 8 to 12 students, a counselor or social worker from their school and an Ele's Place representative. They meet for an hour a week for two months.
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