Going Solo Support Group

A weekly therapist-facilitated support group for women experiencing a long-term separation or divorce.

Find healing and move forward.

Going Solo is a women-only group in which you can feel safe to laugh, cry, and share.

Are you feeling alone at a time when you most need love and understanding? Wishing that someone knew exactly what you are going through? Our Going Solo support group is an ongoing support group for women experiencing the end of a long-term relationship—whether legally divorcing or not. You may be actively engaged in that process or experiencing lingering challenges.

No matter what your story is or how difficult, you are not alone.

Thursdays, 6:00-7:30pm
on Zoom

Registration

Call us at 734.973.6779. If you are intimidated by the phone, you can also contact us through email at info@womenscentersemi.org.

We will call to tell you more about how the group works, and sign you up for our mailing list. You can use the Zoom link when the time is right for you.

Cost

Going Solo is free of charge. Donations are appreciated and help other women receive the same services. Donations to Going Solo are tax-deductible.

The group is topical from week-to-week, focusing on moving forward. We welcome you to drop in — everyone is new at some time, so we understand what it feels like to show up for the first time.

We will give everyone time to share stories and individual concerns — and what can also be an exhilarating opportunity to begin anew.

Some likely discussions are:

  • Accepting the death of a dream

  • Naming our strengths

  • Self-nurturing and re-discovery

  • Developing rites of passage

  • Forgiving ourselves and our former partner

  • Looking ahead — older and wiser

  • Having a good good-bye

  • Dreaming of the future

What will we talk about?

Participants gain strength and encouragement from hearing one another’s stories. Though your experience is unique, there are common themes in the ending of a relationship.

Women often experience a sense of isolation: participating in a group provides connection as well as the opportunity for growth and healing.

What participants are saying about Going Solo

“Participating in the group made me realize that I was not alone.”

“The group helped me realize that I had a future.”

“Seeing the progress of other women over the course of the group made me realize that I was moving forward as well.”

“Participating helped me clarify my long-term goals and to focus on what’s best for myself and my children.”

“The laughter was healing.”

“Sharing my story was healing – I felt less shame about failing in my relationship.”

About your facilitator

Paula Johnson Michalak, MA, LPC
Going Solo Facilitator, Licensed Professional Counselor

Our Going Solo facilitator is Paula Johnson Michalak, MA, LPC.

Paula has years of experience in facilitating divorce groups for both women and men. She understands divorce from both a professional and personal perspective. After her own 25-year marriage ended in divorce, Paula found “much-needed healing and strength from participating (twice!) in a Divorce Recovery Program.”

She has a B.A. in Communication and a Masters in Community Counseling from Eastern Michigan University.

Our Divorce Education & Support Services

  • A women-only group that offers a friendly and supportive atmosphere and the tools to deal with separation or divorce. Learn more here.

  • A 2-part presentation on the legal and financial aspects of ending long-term relationships. Learn more here.

  • Typical questions about the end of a long-term relationship. Go to the Divorce Q&A section.

  • Therapy provides the opportunity to discuss relationships of all kinds, including not-so-happy endings.

    Learn more about your options.

  • A list of general and divorce-specific legal support available in the area, here.

  • A list of ways to pay for your divorce process, at varying levels of combined income. Read more here.

We move in and out of relationships. Some relationships are definitely worth keeping. Others are not. A relationship may feel like the real deal, until, suddenly, it doesn’t. A connection that you thought was mutual can end abruptly, without a good goodbye. Or it can drag on well past its expiration date.

Take a deep breath. You can do this. You’ll come out on the other side of this experience with skills and strengths you never knew you had.