Southeast Regional Military Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp

Important Update: Due to increased COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the Jacksonville area, TAPS is scaling back its activities for the Southeast Regional Seminar and Good Grief Camp. Since many of the children who attend Good Grief Camp are under the age for vaccinations, we are closing that portion of the seminar. Programming for adult survivors who are fully vaccinated will continue, under strict safety protocols according to CDC guidelines, including spacing and masking. The health and safety of our TAPS family are our primary concerns.

Getting Connected to the Seminar

The TAPS Events app puts the program right in the palm of your hand. Leading up to the seminar weekend, you can connect with fellow survivors and TAPS staff, review the scheduled program, read about featured speakers, and access additional content that will support you wherever you are in your grief journey.

For those attending virtually, you will access the Zoom sessions by logging into the TAPS Events app on either your desktop computer or mobile device.

• Desktop Zoom Access
• App on iTunes
• App on Google Play

SCHEDULE AND SESSIONS

Times listed below are in the Eastern time zone.

• 7:00 p.m. — Pre-event What to Expect, Your Seminar Questions Answered
  Attending in person? Please join us for a pre-event Zoom meeting to talk about what to expect at a regional seminar. We will also review safety and health standards that will be in place for ourn Southeast Regional Seminar. We will discuss hotel check-in, registration, meals, mask requirements and many other details that have been taken care of for us to gather safely in-person. Access to the Zoom meeting will be through the TAPS App.

• 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - Family and Mentor Check-In

• 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - Hotel Check-In Assistance

• 5:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. - Family Dinner

• 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - First Time Attendee and Peer Mentor Gatherings

• 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

  Dessert Sharing Sessions for the following groups: Illness Loss Survivors, Suicide Loss Survivors, Accident Loss Survivors, Combat Loss Survivors, and Homicide Loss Survivors

  Share groups offer an opportunity to share your own story, experiences, and feelings while listening to others who have a similar story and relationship with their service member. They're structured by relationship, circumstance, or sometimes both. TAPS offers a wide range of groups with something for every survivor.

  Please review: Share Group Guidelines for Participants

• 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. - Sunrise Strides Walk/Run

• 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. - Family Breakfast

• 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. - Family Check-In

• 9:15 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. - Opening Session with Bonnie Carroll and Dr. Frank Campbell

• 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. - Workshops and Sessions

  Difficult Conversations After or About Your Loss  – Lisa Zucker
  What do I say? Have I said too much? In this workshop, we will explore conversations about loss, from sharing about the way our loved one died to knowing when it feels right to hold back. The goal is to learn more about setting your own boun

  Is My Loss Traumatic  – Dr. Frank Campbell
  Traumatic grief has characteristics different from the more traditional grief associated with death. Dr. Campbell will describe elements that stand out when experiencing traumatic grief that compromise the activities of daily living ach can result in a more difficult grief journey. Participants attending are encouraged to ask questions or share personal experiences they are coping with to gain insights and practical solutions that may help others cope more effectively. This session will not be live streamed.

  Rhythms of Grief  – Dr. Carla Stumpf-Patton
  After the death of a loved one, it can seem as if time stands still and the pain of loss will never end. In response to grief, survivors often feel unprepared by being left with the unfamiliar, and often fearful task of coping with loss. Grief can bring with it a rhythm or pattern of emotions which twist and turn, wax and wane, and ebb and flow, where the bereaved attempt to find ways to make it through each day in spite of the physical absence of their loved one. This session will discuss the rhythms associated with grieving, examples as how to regulate emotions and cope with significant dates or milestones, and how such concepts can help to integrate loss in our lives as we navigate the healing process. This session will be offered virtually*.nd impact sleep, physical health and overall well-being. When compared to the characteristics of "normal" grief, Traumatic Grief creates overwhelming challenges, whi

• daries so you can share in a way that is most comfortable to you. In addition to direct conversations with people, we will also discuss conversations about loss on social media and other large group settings. This session will be offered virtually*.

• 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

  Lunch and Sharing Sessions for the following groups: Surviving Spouses, Ex-Spouses, Fiances and Significant Others; Surviving Parents and Grandparents; Surviving Siblings and Adult Children; and Surviving Friends, Battle Buddies and Extended Family

  Share groups offer an opportunity to share your own story, experiences, and feelings while listening to others who have a similar story and relationship with their service member. They're structured by relationship, circumstance, or sometimes both. TAPS offers a wide range of groups with something for every survivor.

  Please review: Share Group Guidelines for Participants

• 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. - Workshops and Sessions

  Challenging Guilt and the Coulda, Woulda, Shouldas  – Lisa Zucker
  Guilt is one of the more challenging emotions in grief. Regrets and hindsight can create roadblocks in the grief process. Resolving guilt is a step towards finding peace within yourself. By acknowledging our past and seeking avenues for forgiveness of those moments, we learn that we can find forgiveness for ourselves even for things we are not ready to, or may never, forget.  This session will be offered virtually*.

  Yes, Men's Grief is Different - Dr. Frank Campbell
  This workshop is intended to be interactive with the participants while describing some of the more traditional ways that men reveal their unique grief. It is a workshop for sharing and caring for those who grieve differently with insight as our goal rather than changing the way others grieve. Discussion and understanding will be a focus and encouraged by those attending. This session will not be live streamed.

  Why People Die by Suicide – Dr. Carla Stumpf-Patton
  When someone we love and care for dies by suicide, it can be overwhelming and call forth many emotions and questions. While we may never fully understand the exact thoughts in the mind of our loved ones at the time they died, specialists in the field do know a great deal about the suicidal mind. Understanding more about this subject can often help survivors in the grieving process as they struggle with the self-directed questions of blame, guilt, doubt, and regret. This session will address some of the prominent theories about why people die by suicide. It will also explore some of the contributing factors and risk factors that can come together in forming the “perfect storm” that leads to suicide and how survivors of loss can continue to heal with this knowledge. This session will be offered virtually*.

• 3:15 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. - Workshops and Sessions

  Healing the Physical Effects of Trauma, Loss, and Grief - Lisa Zucker
  That feeling in the body that starts during a loss and has moments of stronger intensity throughout grief...... it's not all in your head. Trauma and grief have a real, strong effect on our bodies that can, at times, interfere with our ability to function and live comfortably. In this workshop, we will discuss what is taking place within the body and the brain during trauma, loss, and grief and the steps that can be taken to heal those effects and restore balance. This session will be offered virtually*.

  How to Grieve Like a Man (Men Only)  – Dr. Frank Campbell
  In this interactive workshop, we will discuss the ways men may reveal their grief and share our experiences. Our goal will be understanding and insight, not changing the way others grieve. This is an ideal workshop for men in attendance who may be dating a survivor, as well as for men who are actively grieving the loss of a loved one. This session will be offered virtually*.

  REAL: Resetting Expectations After Loss  – Andy McNiel
  In grief, many things change including what we thought we could expect of others and ourselves. In this interactive session, we will learn how to reset expectations after loss. We will build new skills that allow for healthy expectations of ourselves and of others during our grief journey. This session will be offered virtually*.

• 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. - Family Dinner

• 7:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. - Young Adult Social Hour

• 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. - Sunrise Strides Walk/Run

• 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. - Family Breakfast

• 7:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. - Peer Mentor Training

• 8:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. - Workshops and Sessions

  More than the Way They Died – Lisa Zucker
  Their legacy is in their stories - that's how we keep them here with us. Through memories and moments, we get to know who your loved one really was, because their life is not defined solely by how they died. We invite you to bring a story, picture, or anecdote about your loved one that you would like to share. Please keep in mind that while we have a constraint on time during the workshop and would like to hold space for all who wish to speak to do so, we hope this inspires stories to be shared throughout the remainder of the day. This session will be offered virtually*.

  God Winks  – Bonnie Carroll
  Some people call them “God Winks,” some call them signs, messages or after-death communication. No matter what we call them, signs from our loved ones can be very present in our lives. Stories and experiences of the presence of our loved ones will be discussed in this open-minded and intimate sharing session. This session will not be live streamed.

  Metaphors for Healing – Dr. Frank Campbell
  This workshop will focus on the benefits of developing accurate metaphors to describe your feelings of loss. This approach to communication when grieving has proven helpful for getting support that is helpful from those who want to be able to provide support and have not had a loss comparable to your loss. This approach allows a different response to "how are you?" than the assumed "I am fine" phrase many see as an expectation by society. This session will not be live streamed.

• 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. - Workshops and Sessions

  Grief and the Preservation of Self – Lisa Zucker
  "Self preservation is an instinct to keep ourselves from harm, or to survive. In grief, there are times where life only feels like survival. But the preservation of the self extends further as we navigate grief and understand the new world in which we find ourselves. During this workshop we will explore survival and self preservation as well as talk about what self care, mindfulness, and post-traumatic growth are and how you can practically apply them in your life. " This session will be offered virtually*.

  God Winks  – Bonnie Carroll
  Some people call them “God Winks,” some call them signs, messages or after-death communication. No matter what we call them, signs from our loved ones can be very present in our lives. Stories and experiences of the presence of our loved ones will be discussed in this open-minded and intimate sharing session. This session will not be live streamed.

  Growing through Loss: Honoring the Challenges & Milestones of Your Grief Journey  - Andy McNiel
  Grief can be a long hard road to walk. It is a journey with many ebbs and flows where challenges are met along the way and milestones achieved. Each of us has a unique story of what that journey has been for us, how we have been changed, and who we are now because of our grief. This session will explore the many challenges and milestones we experience in our grief. We will discuss some of the ways we have grown through grief and pain and consider milestones that mark the path we have walked. Sometimes it is helpful to look back on where we have been, what we have learned, how we have grown, and how this offers insight and hope for our future and where life will take us from here. This session will be offered virtually*.

   

• 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Closing Session with Bonnie Carroll and Dr. Frank Campbell

• 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. - Family Lunch

*All sessions offered virtually will be live in Eastern Time Zone and will not be recorded. 

SEMINAR FEES

There are no registration fees for our regional seminars. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, TAPS provides lodging, all meals, materials, activities and T-shirts at no cost to you.

LODGING AND TRANSPORTATION

Lodging is provided at the Jacksonville Hyatt Regency for those traveling more than 30 minutes to the event. Please request your lodging in your registration form and specify how many nights you’ll be staying. TAPS covers the cost of the lodging for Friday and Saturday nights and will book your hotel room for you.

You'll need to cover the cost of your transportation to and from the seminar. 

If you have questions about lodging, please email lodging@taps.org or call 800-959-TAPS (8277).

REGISTRATION DETAILS

In-Person and Virtual Registrations are open until August 14, 2021 (look for the blue button at the top of the page). You'll receive a confirmation email once you have submitted your registration. Please email support@taps.org if you do not receive a confirmation email after registering.

VOLUNTEER

To support this event as a volunteer or discover other ways to help, please visit the Volunteer with TAPS page.