Mountain Regional Military Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp
July 8 - 10, 2022
Health Guidelines for the Seminar: In accordance with the most current information available, as of May 1, 2022, TAPS is lifting the requirement to provide proof of full vaccination to attend in-person events. We will continue to monitor COVID variants and we may adjust protocols to ensure safe and healthy gatherings. These adjustments could once again include requiring proof of full vaccination and/or a negative COVID test.
For Adults: TAPS Seminars
TAPS Seminars are created with your needs in mind. Our comprehensive model of care brings together adult survivors of all ages for a weekend of hope and healing. Whether you recently lost your hero, have lived many years without them or are somewhere in between, this TAPS Seminar is designed to meet you where you are in your grief journey.
By bringing together peer professionals, subject matter experts, mental health clinicians and TAPS Peer Mentors and volunteers, we will come alongside you to walk the journey together.
Our TAPS Seminar faculty members are leaders in the field of grief and loss, suicide, traumatic loss and bereavement and will facilitate a rich learning environment to help you gain coping skills and tools to continue your loved one’s legacy. The seminar sessions and programming follow a dynamic curriculum based on the needs of mourning set forth in academia.
For Youth: TAPS Good Grief Camp
The TAPS Good Grief Camp is a program for children who have lost a loved one who served in the Armed Forces (see attendance eligibility criteria). Good Grief Camp provides a safe space for military children to explore grief and embrace healing.
TAPS Good Grief Camp is led by experts in the fields of child development, mental health and education. Programming throughout the weekend mirrors the adult curriculum and provides families with a common language crucial to strengthening family bonds. Children and teens will honor their loved one, connect with their peers, and learn coping skills through games, crafts and other age-appropriate activities in a fun and supportive environment.
Children and teens will find comfort in knowing there are other kids their age who understand their loss and develop coping skills they can use once they leave Good Grief Camp.
CHILD CARE
Children under the age of five-years old will be cared for and loved throughout the seminar by trained professional, licensed and insured caregivers. A designated suite will be assigned and set up with age-appropriate toys, games and arts and crafts. Infants, toddlers and preschoolers will have lunch on Saturday inside their room, along with healthy snacks all weekend. Individual schedules will be honored for each child, including nursing infants.
If you need further information, please email childcare@taps.org.
VOLUNTEER AS A LEGACY OR MILITARY MENTOR
TAPS invites those active duty military, veterans, and military survivors who have graduated from Good Grief Camp (Legacy mentors) to register as a volunteer mentor for the Good Grief Camp. Visit the Legacy or Military Mentor Volunteer at the Mountain Regional Military Good Grief Camp page for details.
Become a Peer Mentor
During the seminar, TAPS will be conducting a Peer Mentor training session for adult military survivors who are at least 18 months beyond their own loss and are ready to be there for other adult survivors to offer support. As a Peer Mentor, you will have a wide variety of opportunities to choose from to support your peers through activities such as seminars, retreats, TAPS Togethers, hosting a Care Group, supporting the Online Community, and providing one-to-one mentoring. You will learn more about grief and trauma, learn to identify risks and warning signs for suicide, gain basic helping skills, and become part of our nationwide TAPS Peer Mentor Team.
If you're interested in attending the in-person Peer Mentor training at the seminar, you can sign-up as part of the seminar registration.
For more information, email peermentors@taps.org.
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 online, you will access the Zoom sessions by logging into the TAPS Events app on either your desktop computer or mobile device.
SCHEDULE AND SESSIONS
All times listed below are in the Mountain Daylight Savings time zone.
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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 the 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.
FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2022
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3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - Family and Military Mentor Check-In
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5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. - Family Dinner
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5:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. - Good Grief Camp Zone (Ages 5-18)
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6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - First Time Attendee Gathering with Bonnie Carroll
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6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - Peer Mentor Gathering
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7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Dessert Sharing Sessions for the following groups: Accident Loss Survivors, Combat Loss Survivors, Illness Loss Survivors, and Suicide 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: Sharing Group Guidelines for Participants
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8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Young Adults & Legacy Mentors Social Gathering (Adult Children and Siblings ages 18 - 30)
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2022
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6:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. - Legacy and Military Mentor Training
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7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. - Family Breakfast
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7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. - Family Check-In
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8:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. - Good Grief Camp
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9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. - Opening Session with Bonnie Carroll and Dr. Frank Campbell
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10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. - Workshops and Sessions
Personal Possessions: Sorting and Sharing your Loved One's Belongings – Rachel Kodanaz
Personal possessions tell a beautiful story of a person's life. This workshop offers a practical approach to sorting, thinning, and repurposing our loved one's belongings. Whether you have no idea where to begin or you are pondering a few items, this workshop is for you. Join us to learn the Ten Essentials and the power of The Magic of Six Piles of caring and sharing of your loved one's private and personal belongings, including clothes, workrooms, digital material, collections, and more. Our loved one's possessions embody memories that should be saved, shared, and treasured in the hands of those who want to forever be connected. **This session will be live streamed via the Mobile App.**Is My Loss Traumatic? – Dr. Frank Campbell
Traumatic grief has characteristics different from the more traditional grief associated with death. Dr. Frank Campbell will describe elements that stand out when experiencing traumatic grief that compromise the activities of daily living and impact sleep, physical health and overall well-being. When assumed to be characteristics of "normal" grief many find processing their loss overwhelming resulting 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 have helped others cope more effectively. This session will not be live streamed.Difficult Conversations: Who, What, How Much, What do I Say? – Lisa Zucker
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 boundaries so you can share in a way that is most comfortable to you. In addition to direct conversations with people, we will also discuss having conversations about loss on social media and in other large group settings. **This session will be live streamed via the Mobile App.** -
11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Lunch and Sharing Sessions for the following groups: Surviving Spouses, Fiances and Significant Others; Surviving Parents and Grandparents; Surviving Siblings and Adult Children; and Surviving Friends, Battle Buddies and Extended Family
Sharing Groups are small conversation gatherings that provide an opportunity to connect with others who have experienced a similar loss of a loved one. Participants will be able to share their experiences and emotions in this mutually supportive environment, growing relationships with others who are part of their extended support network.
Please review: Sharing Group Guidelines for Participants
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1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. - Workshops and Sessions
Living with Loss, One Day at a Time – Rachel Kodanaz
After loss, finding the strength to face each day can feel insurmountable. In this workshop, Rachel will give you practical and realistic advice that helps you find the encouragement you need to navigate loss one day at a time. As a survivor of sudden loss herself, Rachel shares her insights, experience, and what she has learned about living with grief. She'll provide tools and suggestions that offer hope, optimism, introspection, and self-discovery that can lead you to embrace the happy days of life and move more gently through your grief. **This session will be live streamed via the Mobile App.**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 not be live streamed.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 live streamed via the Mobile App.** -
3:15 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. - Workshops and Sessions
Open Sharing Group – Audri Beugelsdijk
Sharing Groups are small conversation gatherings that provide an opportunity to connect with others who have experienced a similar loss of a loved one. Participants will be able to share their experiences and emotions in this mutually supportive environment, growing relationships with others who are part of their extended support network. Sharing Group Guidelines for ParticipantsMetaphors 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. This session will not be live streamed.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 live streamed via the Mobile App.** -
5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. - Family Dinner
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7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Young Adults & Legacy Mentors Social (Adult Children and Siblings ages 18-30)
SUNDAY, JULY 10, 2022
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7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. - Family Breakfast
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7:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. - Peer Mentor Training
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8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Good Grief Camp
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9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. - Workshops and Sessions
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.Grief Can Do THAT? – Dr. Frank Campbell
This workshop is designed to describe many of the confusing ways grief will impact individuals and families. Our time together will also include opportunities to ask questions or present concerns from those attending. Descriptions of how Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are impacted and how vital self-care is for management of grief. This session will not be live streamed.Spirituality & Grief: A Conversation about Faith and Belief after Loss – Andy McNiel
Faith, belief, and spirituality play a vital role in the lives of many of us after someone in our life dies. Many of us find strength through our faith as we journey through grief while others of us may find faith to be difficult in the aftermath of loss. Spirituality can have complicated ebbs and flows as we navigate the many challenges that grief brings to our lives. Join us for this interactive session on spirituality and grief. We will discuss how our faith has brought us strength, how our faith may have been challenged by loss, and ways our grief may have impacted deeply held beliefs. This session will not be live streamed. -
10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. - Workshops and Sessions
Now What? Sharing Group
Sharing Groups are small conversation gatherings that provide an opportunity to connect with others who have experienced a similar loss of a loved one. Participants will be able to share their experiences and emotions in this mutually supportive environment, growing relationships with others who are part of their extended support network. Sharing Group Guidelines for ParticipantsGod 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.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 not be live streamed. -
12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Closing Session with Bonnie Carroll and Dr. Frank Campbell
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12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. - Family Lunch
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 Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver Conference Center 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 Online Registrations are open until July 9, 2022 (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 seminarregistrations@taps.org if you do not receive a confirmation email after registering.