Support Group Facilitator
Serving as a Volunteer Facilitator in the Family Program is one way of sharing yourself with children and families who have experienced a family death. As a Volunteer Facilitator at Hope & Healing Place you will share your experience with 20 other volunteers over a 4 month period with 16 families. The families and our Volunteer Facilitators will meet every other Thursday night.
Volunteers receive 20 hours of training prior to being assigned to the beginning of a family program cycle. The training curriculum covers general information about grief and grieving, support group leadership, information on specific death situations (i.e. suicide, medical, infant loss, sibling death, and more). Training is conducted over two Saturday’s in the summer and also in the fall. Additional training is ongoing through articles, small groups, and electronic information.
There are two Family Program cycles annually. One cycle begins in mid August and ends in early December and the second begins in mid January and ends in early May. A typical family night entails the following:
| 5:15-5:30 p.m. | Volunteers arrive |
| 5:30-6:00 p.m. | Volunteers meet with your peer group leader and plan activities and supplies for the evening support group |
| 6:00-6:30 p.m. | A common meal is served to children, parents, and volunteers |
| 6:30-7:45 p.m. | Everyone goes to their age appropriate support group (Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, and 3 different parent groups). Our Program Directors have prepared specific activities for each age group and for each family night session. |
| 7:45-8:00 p.m. | Say goodbye for the evening to our children, teens, and families |
| 8:00-8:30 p.m. | Volunteer Facilitators debrief the evening |
As a trained facilitator, our volunteers may continue to register for each family program cycle as well as other volunteer opportunities within Hope & Healing Place. At the Hope & Healing Place there are opportunities for you to learn, serve, and grow. We hope you will consider joining the volunteer team at the Hope & Healing Place.
