Elijah's Place, Beaumont, Texas

Most single moms have experienced a loss of some sort, if not death of a spouse, divorce, or even the loss of a dream family. In southeast Texas there is a place you can go for healing. The healing may be for you or for your children or both. What is Elijah’s Place?

Strategy:
Elijah’s Place is a program to provide ongoing grief support services to children, ages 5 to 18, who have either experienced the death of a parent or sibling or been affected by separation or divorce. Both elements of the program address the support needs of their families as well. Children grieve differently from adults; for that reason, it is important to allow them to communicate their feelings with other children who can understand.

Elijah’s Place provides a setting for age specific group support sessions for the children (ages 5-6, 7-10, 11-13, and 14-18) and a support session for parents.  Parents and children will come to Elijah’s Place two evenings each month.  Participation in the program can last 12 to 18 months, or until the family decides they no longer require the service. All support sessions are led by trained staff or volunteer facilitators who are supervised by a licensed professional counselor.

How We Help:
A family may make a self-referral to Elijah’s Place at any time they feel they are ready to begin the support group process.  The family calls Elijah’s Place to schedule an intake interview.  The family will be asked to complete an intake form prior to the interview.  Elijah’s Place recognizes that all families, and each individual family member, grieve differently and therefore must be involved in the decision of when to start the support groups.

The intake interview is conducted in a face-to-face meeting with the Group Coordinator, and consists of reviewing the intake form with the family and speaking with the family members who will participate in Elijah’s Place groups.  After a family completes the intake process, a commitment to regular attendance is expected. Regular attendance is necessary to build peer support in the groups, thus providing a trusting environment for grief work.  The Group Coordinator will place the family in the appropriate support group night when there is an opening.

Contact:
Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas
2780 Eastex Freeway
Beaumont, TX 77703
(409) 924-4419

Website :
www.catholiccharitiesbmt.org