TAPS Professionals Help Survivors In Darkest Moments

TAPS has been the front-line resource for families of America's Fallen Heroes for over 22 years. We continue to meet that high standard because we bring together professional staff and grief experts who understand the complex grief our families face. Providing hope and healing to our families is a great honor. Whether our staff and professional partners are assigned that duty, chose it as their profession or share the grief experience, they are willing to walk through the darkest moments with our surviving families.

That is why the TAPS Professional Education program took the lead in hosting more than 10 professional development webinars this year, many in community partnership with the Hospice Foundation of America. Among the highlights: TAPS program director Zaneta M. Gileno presented with world-renowned grief expert Dr. Ken Doka on "Grief Surges." In addition, Kim Ruocco shared her expertise on Traumatic and Sudden Loss and launched our suicide prevention PSA in an effort to help those struggling with thoughts of suicide to seek help. We were also honored to partner with The Wendt Center for Loss and Healing to provide the seasonal webinar, "New Traditions and Tips for the Holidays." And for school-based programs, Jonathan Kirkendall presented "Grief Support for Military Children: A Guide for School Personnel."

The team also spent part of 2016 traveling and training our military, corporate and community partners, sharing best practices and effective tools in working with bereaved military families.  We held training with places like USAA's Survivor Relations Teams, Air Force and Coast Guard casualty officers, and USO volunteers in North Carolina.

TAPS understands that our survivors may seek the opportunity to learn new coping skills and ways to find healing in the comfort of their own homes. Our recent webinar, "New Traditions and Tips for the Holidays," was an excellent chance for survivors to focus on specific tips and insights to navigating the emotional holiday season. One survivor who attended the webinar said, "I cannot thank you and the rest of TAPS for doing what you do and for understanding and helping people like me get through this time in our lives. Looking forward to future webinars like those that I have been able to attend to get some help in my journey."

Both survivors and professionals can look forward to many new offerings in 2017 as part of our commitment to sharing our model of care and empowering surviving loved ones with the tools they need to find hope and healing.