Seminar Sessions
Seminar Sessions
While we are all facing these unexpected adjustments to our daily lives, one constant remains — the love and support of your TAPS family. That is why we’re bringing our national seminar right to you. We have a variety of dynamic sessions available online throughout the week at no cost, with all of the resources, care and love we can offer, coming to you in the comfort of your home.
Our session presenters are leading experts in the field of grief and loss, and you will have the opportunity to gain tools and resources for your grief journey. We will have an exciting program of virtual workshops, care groups, family programming, opportunities to memorialize our loved ones, and special celebrity appearances.
Make sure to download the TAPS Events app. This mobile app puts advance details about the seminar right in the palm of your hand. You’ll be able to review the schedule, read about the presenters and featured speakers, and learn more about TAPS staff who are here to support you wherever you are in your grief journey.
Getting Connected to the Virtual Seminar
We will email the seminar access link closer to the event date. Please be sure to check your email. If you are registering the week of the event and have not received your access link after registering, please email us at seminarregistrations@taps.org.
Session Descriptions and Schedules
- Tuesday, May 19 - Evening Schedule
- Wednesday, May 20 - Evening Schedule
- Thursday, May 21 - Evening Schedule
- Friday, May 22 - Evening Schedule
- Saturday, May 23 - National Military Survivor Seminar Schedule
- Sunday, May 24 - Family Program Schedule
- Monday, May 25 - Arlingtion National Cemetery Wreath Laying
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Tuesday Recorded Session
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5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Eastern
Rooted in Hope; Connected in Love – Tina Barrett | Erin Jacobson
As we open this week of healing, connection and honor, we begin by exploring ways to remain grounded on our journeys. Join us as we share tools, ways and ideas to be rooted in hope, connected in love and to grow with strength. We encourage you to bring your creative side as we will announce an interactive art project for our TAPS family to participate in. We would love to see you and your creations posted on our Facebook link during the week. -
6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. Eastern
Goals, Grief & How Things Change - Renee Monczynski
Often we find ourselves setting big goals that match our beautiful, broad, imaginative dreams. In this session, we will learn how to set realistic goals, to give ourselves credit for the small wins, to reset after lessons learned, and to achieve those wonderful dreams in realistic expectations. -
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Eastern
Care Groups: Separate sessions for Siblings, Parents, and Spouses / Ex-Spouses / Significant Others and Fiances - Without Children
Care 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.
All sessions other than care groups will be recorded, so if you cannot attend a session, rest assured it will be available at taps.org for you to experience at a later time.
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Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Wednesday Recorded Session
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5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Eastern
The Uniqueness of Your Grief - Dr. Kenneth Doka
Every individual responds to loss in his or her unique way. This session explores the grief process, emphasizing and validating the many possible responses, which may include a range of physical, cognitive, and spiritual reactions. We’ll also review self-help strategies to help you cope with grief more effectively. This session is especially helpful for individuals beginning their grief journey. -
6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. Eastern
Integration and Inspiration: Women's Empowerment Program – Erin Jacobson | Emily Muñoz
In this session, program co-directors will share tools that have resonated most with Women's Empowerment participants with the aim to educate, inspire, strengthen (and entertain). They believe that healing can be found in unexpected places; that we are in this together, and that, no matter how hurt we are, we can become stronger every day. This workshop is suitable for anyone who is looking for creative ways to cope with stress, identify emotions, and feel better about the way they’re grieving - and living. -
7:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. Eastern
TAPS Tribe for Good Grief Camp Military Mentors
This is an opportunity to connect with other TAPS Military Mentors, to share about relationships formed with mentees, challenges you have had to overcome, your own personal grief stories and for those who have never been a Good Grief Camp Mentor to learn about what that entails. Please come join us, share or just listen. -
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Eastern
Care Groups: Separate sessions for Spouses / Ex-Spouses / Significant Others and Fiances - With Children, and Adult Children
Care 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. -
8:00 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. Eastern
I Served, Too – Renee Monczynski
For those survivors who are also military veterans, this group session is where we can come together and feel the camaraderie among other veterans. This group offers an opportunity to share your own story, experiences, and feelings while listening to others who have a similar story. It is a place to recognize the grief that accompanies being a veteran. We served, too.
All sessions other than care groups will be recorded, so if you cannot attend a session, rest assured it will be available at taps.org for you to experience at a later time.
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Thursday, May 21, 2020
Thursday Recorded Session
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5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Eastern
Grief after a Death from Illness - Dr. Bill Hoy
When your loved one is dying from an unforeseen illness, you may find yourself shocked and unprepared as you are thrown into the life of a caregiver. What happens, however, when this battle is over? In this session, we will look at different ways your body responds to the stressors of caregiving and the grief that happens before and after a death. We will also explore how one’s identity may shift as roles change from caregiver to bereaved. -
6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. Eastern
Managing Day-to-Day Finances During the Coronavirus Crisis - Joseph Silva
Joseph Silva, a Marine veteran and financial professional with The Prudential Insurance Company of America, will provide you with the information you need to navigate the financial implications of the Coronavirus and put you at ease during this time of uncertainty. He'll provide strategies to cut expenses and stay on top of bills. -
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Eastern
Care Groups: Separate sessions for All Loved Ones, Suicide Loss, and Illness Loss
Care 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.
All sessions other than care groups will be recorded, so if you cannot attend a session, rest assured it will be available at taps.org for you to experience at a later time.
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Friday, May 22, 2020
Friday Recorded Session
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5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Eastern
Moving Forward with a Broken Heart - Dr. Eileen O’Grady
Explore the five elements of positive psychology and what we know leads to a great life despite getting our hearts broken. It will emphasize strategies to pursue high-level wellness, boundary setting and how self-care is not selfish. This session is designed for survivors and those caring for them who feel ready to begin rebuilding their lives after a loss. -
6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. Eastern
When To Lead and How To Follow in Your Grief Journey – Gabriel Rao | Rachel Hunsell
Discover the mile markers in this unfamiliar landscape that can help you know when to lead and when to follow. Nothing is familiar, your family, your work, even your own thoughts. Which direction should I go? In this often disorienting space called grief, how am I supposed to lead? In this workshop, we will explore what it looks like to lead in the unfamiliar spaces, follow in the familiar, and simply how to be present in the valleys. Come join us as we navigate the unfamiliar and find the new tools to forge a path ahead. -
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Eastern
Care Groups: Separate Sessions for Combat Loss, Accident Loss, and Homicide Loss
Care 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. -
8:30 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. Eastern
Virtual Family Campfire, S’mores, and Stories - Kerry Garland | Tony Paz
Join us from the comfort and warmth of your own campsite! We'll go over some of our favorite s'mores recipes, tell a couple stories, sing some songs, and hear from you while we share our favorite camp-time activities. Campfire Instructions (PDF)
All sessions other than care groups will be recorded, so if you cannot attend a session, rest assured it will be available at taps.org for you to experience at a later time.
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Saturday, May 23, 2020
National Military Survivor Seminar Schedule
Host - Kyra Phillips is an Investigative Correspondent for ABC News. She joined the network in April, 2018. An award-winning journalist, Phillips joined CNN in 1999 anchoring Live From, CNN Newsroom, American Morning, and moved to HLN in 2012 to anchor Raising America with Kyra Phillips, a daily interactive, investigative program that focused on news impacting the modern American family. She also led the network’s 2012 election coverage. Throughout her career, Phillips has garnered exclusive interviews with some of the world's most public figures. Phillips has won two Peabody awards, six Emmy awards, and two Edward R. Murrow awards for investigative reporting. Additionally, she has won numerous Golden Microphones and other honors including the Bill Stout Memorial Award for enterprise reporting. Kyra Phillips has been a supporter of TAPS for many years most notably the co-host of TAPS Honor Guard Gala.
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11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Eastern
Opening Recorded Session
Join us for the opening session with TAPS President and Founder Bonnie Carroll, Dr. Alan Wolfelt, General (Ret.) Dempsey and Voices of Service. Including inspirational remarks by Secretary Robert Wilkie and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley and his lovely wife Mrs. Hollyanne Milley. -
12:15 p.m. - 1: 00 p.m. Eastern
Out from the Shadows, My Healing Journey — Bob Delaney
At the height of the "Godfather" era, Delaney wore a wire and infiltrated the Mob. His undercover work was a success, but he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and traces of Stockholm syndrome after getting too close to those he investigated. Therapy helped him come to terms with what he'd endured, and he later became well-known and respected as an NBA referee. Delaney hopes his presentation will exemplify the Dali Lama's words, "There is a growing appreciation of understanding one's emotions, how they operate, and how to manage them." Please note this session may cause triggers to your own experiences that may cause reactions for some attendees. Bob is a member of the TAPS Board of Advisors. His firsthand experiences coupled with a passion to better understand Mind Health makes him an expert on the subject. His efforts to educate and bring attention to the topic of post-traumatic stress have entailed visits to military troops around the world, including multiple trips to Afghanistan and Iraq. Described by General Robert Brown, U.S. Army Four Star Commander of the Pacific (retired), as the "person who related to soldiers better than any visitor I have seen in my 36 years in the military,". He has been the subject of numerous media articles and shows including Dr. Sanjay Gupta CNN. -
1:15 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Traumatic Loss: Understanding and Healing — Kim Ruocco | Dr. Carla Stumpf-Patton
This session will focus on various strategies that can be helpful in understanding traumatic loss such as finding an effective grief rhythm that creates a pathway for the grieving process to occur. The presentation will compare the differences between trauma and grief, review various options for treatment and trauma-informed care, and explore the hopeful concept referred to as "Posttraumatic Growth" for healing after a traumatic loss. -
2:00 p.m. -2:45 p.m. Eastern
A Trauma Healing Diet — Dr. James Gordon
Psychological trauma disturbs every aspect of our physiology as well as our psychology. Emotional distress compounds the disturbance to our GI tract and to every aspect of digestion. This session provides an overview of the damage trauma does to our brain and our gut and offers practical, evidence-based ways to use food, supplements, and herbs to repair the GI tract and restore resiliency to our brains. -
2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Special Guest Chef Robert Irvine
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3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. Eastern
Love After Loss — Dr. Justin Yopp | Dr. Denise Rollins
Dr. Yopp and Dr. Rollins will discuss how surviving spouses can find ways to honor their spouse or partner who has died while also choosing to love again. -
4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. Eastern
Finding the Meaning in Your Grief — Dr. Robert Neimeyer | Audri Beugelsdijk
This session talks about hoping to find meaning in the wake of loss and striving to reconstruct a continuing bond with our loved one who is physically absent but psychologically present. Dr. Neimeyer and Audri will discuss how to help us understand how growth can come from grief, despite the emotional challenges that mourning brings. Loss and bereavement are universal, but the way we each respond to the life transitions that grief brings is varied. Some of us may adapt to the loss surprisingly well, others may struggle for a long time or feel unable to return to a normal level of functioning. Dr. Neimeyer will help survivors reconstruct rather than relinquish their relationship with the deceased. -
5:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. Eastern
Mental Resilience and the Courage to Be where You Are — William Wagasy
Real-world examples, taken from history and from William Wagasy's experiences in training and combat as a Navy SEAL, form the basis of this interactive, introspective workshop. Participants will discover new perspectives, hidden strengths, and the power to reframe each day's "mission" as part of a larger purpose. -
5:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Eastern
Wrap Up - Bonnie Carroll | Dr. Frank Campbell
Musical Performance by Voices of Service
All sessions on Saturday will be recorded, so if you cannot attend a session, rest assured it will be available at taps.org for you to experience at a later time.
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Sunday, May 24, 2020
Family Program Schedule
11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Eastern
All Age-Level Virtual Gatherings for TAPS Kids
As we host our Virtual National Military Survivor Seminar this year, we are happy to provide a welcoming place for TAPS kids! In our virtual gatherings for our TAPS children and teens, we will meet our TAPS community, will have fun while interacting through games and icebreakers, and will explore what virtual Good Grief Camp activities look like during this time. These sessions are designated by age so the children and teens will be sharing among their peer groups and each session is hosted by trained Group Leaders, Mentors and Staff. For our groups ages four to nine, we welcome guardians to join.
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11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Eastern
4-6 Year Olds
Virtual Access Link will be emailed separately to registered age group survivors.Work Ahead Activities for Sharing:
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11:30 a.m. - 12:15 Eastern
7-9 Year Olds
Virtual Access Link will be emailed separately to registered age group survivors.Work Ahead Activities for Sharing:
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12:30 p.m. – 1:15 Eastern
Parenting Panel — Dr. Frank Campbell | Dr. Judy Mathewson | Susan Carron
This session will provide an opportunity for parents and guardians of grieving children to find answers to their questions on parenting a child through the grief journey, the importance of parental self-care, and how Youth Programs promotes healing. During this panel we will share practical ideas for enriching your time together with your child. This session is adult-only, please.Reading Materials on Child's Concept of Death:
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1:30 p.m. – 2:15 Eastern
10-12 Year Olds
Virtual Access Link will be emailed separately to registered age group survivors.Work Ahead Activities for Sharing:
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2:30 p.m. - 2:40 p.m. Eastern
The Golden Sweater Book Reading - Bonnie Carroll | presented by New York Life Foundation
In connection with the documentary and as a separate initiative, the New York Life Foundation is proud to announce the launch of a new children’s book series, Kai’s Journey. The first book, The Golden Sweater, tells the story of a young boy named Kai who loses his dad and begins his grief journey. -
2:45 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Eastern
Family Project - The Legacy of Us – Kimberly Taylor | Renee Monczynski
In this interactive session, we invite you to gather with your family to create a symbolic project that encapsulates our loved one’s legacy of service, our strengths as a family, and our hopes for the future. Together as a family we will be building a family shield, creating a family time capsule, and sharing hopes for the family in the coming year.Work Ahead Activity for Sharing: The Legacy of Us
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3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Eastern
13-15 Year Olds
Virtual Access Link will be emailed separately to registered age group survivors.Work Ahead Activities for Sharing:
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4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Eastern
16-18 Year Olds
Virtual Access Link will be emailed separately to registered age group survivors.Work Ahead Activities for Sharing:
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5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Eastern
Virtual Roundtable: Creating A Game Plan - We're All In This Together! — Cody Zeller | Taylor Jenkins
Join our partners and good friends from the NBA, Cody Zeller of the Charlotte Hornets and Head Coach Taylor Jenkins of the Memphis Grizzlies, for an informal discussion about TAPS, community and social engagement during the time of the coronavirus pandemic. Coach Jenkins and Cody will speak on their involvement in TAPS, the importance of family and community ties during this time and building resilience to overcome future challenges. TAPS Families will also learn about some of the educational, health and wellness and youth basketball virtual activities and resources, via NBACares, NBAjrAtHome and #NBATogether. Attendees should also be prepared for some light basketball activities during the session!
Watch Agility Drills with the Zellers! -
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Eastern
Care Group for Parents and Guardians of Grieving Children
Care 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. -
8:00 p.m. Eastern
Please enjoy the Memorial Day Concert on PBS.
All sessions other than care groups and age specific children’s groups will be recorded, so if you cannot attend a session, rest assured it will be available at taps.org for you to experience at a later time.
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Monday, May 25, 2020
Arlington National Cemetery Wreath Laying
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11 a.m. Eastern
Watch the Virtual "Parade of Heroes; Hosted by Kathie Lee Gifford with Performance by Tori Kelly; presented via Watch Party on Ancestry.com Facebook page.
This Memorial Day virtual parade, which also helps commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, will bring to life stories of strength and hope through exclusive veteran interviews and special tributes. HISTORY®, Wounded Warrior Project, The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation, Heroes of the Second World War and TAPS all teamed up with Ancestry to produce the joint tribute to those who sacrificed their lives to secure our freedom.
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2:00 p.m. Eastern
Please enjoy the Memorial Day Parade online; hosted by the American Veterans Center.
The Memorial Amphitheater Online Exhibit
Arlington National Cemetery commemorates the Memorial Amphitheater's centennial anniversary with its first online exhibit beginning on May 13, 2020. While the cemetery remains closed to visitors, the online exhibit allows the public a chance to visit virtually.
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