Military Survivor New to Grief Seminar
September 3 - 24, 2020
This seminar is open to all military survivor adults. Whether you have recently experienced a loss or it has been years since your loss, but you are just now really learning more tools to cope with it, this event is for you.
Grief is hard, especially when you try to carry the burden all alone. We are meant to be in community, sharing the impact of our grief with others who understand the difficulties we are going through. The TAPS family is ready to come alongside you. We too have experienced the roller coaster that is loss and grief and are ready to listen, offer helpful tools, and give encouragement when you need it.
Please join us for the New to Grief seminar. Together we will work toward two primary goals. First, we will grow deeper understandings as we deconstruct myths about grief, explore the cognitive and physical impacts of grief, and seek to establish a helpful language around our own experiences. Second, we will establish community among our peers so that we have others who have a strong desire to accompany us as we continue navigating the ups and downs of our loss and grief.
What's Included
The New to Grief Seminar will run for 4 consecutive weeks and includes:
- Pre-Seminar Individual Connection: A survivor staff member will connect with you in the weeks leading up to the event to answer any questions and get you oriented to the event.
- Pre-Seminar Group Meet: On Thursday, September 3, 2020, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Eastern, you will meet for the first time with a group of others who share the loss of a relationship similar to yours. We will become acquainted with one another and begin building connections which will carry us through this event and beyond.
- Seminar Workshops: On September 5, 2020, we will host three workshop sessions all geared toward getting oriented around and normalizing our grief, while gaining tools to help the road ahead be a little less rocky and helping us establish more firm footing.
- Group Zoom Sessions: We will meet for group zoom sessions on the three Thursdays following our initial session: September 10, 17, and 24. This will allow us to check-in with the groups we established in the beginning of the seminar and continue growing in community with one another. These one hour facilitated sessions will cover expanded topics on grief and provide opportunities for further exploration and engagement.
Saturday, September 5 Sessions
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2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Opening Session – Bonnie Carroll | Dr. Frank Campbell
Please join TAPS President and Founder Bonnie Carroll and Dr. Frank Campbell as they welcome you to a special seminar prepared just for those who are new to loss and grief or for those searching for foundational tools as they face their grief for the first time. -
3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Eastern
Dispelling the Myths of Grief – Audri Beugelsdijk | Grace Seamon-Lahiff
When we experience losses in our lives, we lean on what we know to be true, often defaulting to understandings of grief which are myths passed down through our culture or families. These myths can set us up with unhealthy expectations of what it means to grieve, leading to additional burdens which make the weight of our grief experience heavier. In this session, we will dispel common myths of grief and provide tools to help orient you as you navigate this new landscape in your life. -
4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Eastern
Your Mind and Body on Grief – Emily Muñoz
Remember the old commercial, “This is your brain on drugs?” This workshop is an overview of your brain and body “on grief” – explanations of how and why your grief manifests in your body, how it stores emotional stress, and ways that you can use the interplay between mental and physical health to help make even your worst grief day just a little bit better. -
5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Eastern
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 a "I am fine" phrase many see as an expectation by society. -
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Eastern
Finding a Next Good Step in Your Grief Journey - Bonnie Carroll | Dr. Frank Campbell | Emily Muñoz | Audri Beugelsdijk | Grace Seamon-Lahiff
You are invited to join our seminar presenters following the seminar sessions. In this open forum session, you will have an opportunity to ask questions, share insights, and learn more about what is available to help you as you take a next good step toward connection and healing with your TAPS family.
Fees
No Cost, Great Benefit: Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, who stand with us even in the midst of COVID-19, we are able to offer this experience to you at no cost.
How to Join
To participate, we ask you to fill out a registration form before September 5, 2020 (look for the blue button at the top of this page at that time). Once registered, a survivor staff member will connect with you to answer any questions and get you oriented to the event.
Share with Us
Welcome to TAPS, we are so glad you are here. In order for us to get to know you better, discover the ways you have been coping with your grief, or ways you would like to learn to cope with your grief experience, please take this questionnaire.