Southeast Regional Military Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp

Health Guidelines for the Seminar: To stay as safe as possible, TAPS has made the difficult decision to require all attendees ages 5 and above to show proof of full vaccination according to CDC guidelines. For those who are not vaccinated, we welcome you to join us for our online seminar.

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 Southeast Regional Military Good Grief Camp page for details.

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.

• Mobile App Login

SCHEDULE AND SESSIONS

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. - Hotel Check-In Begins

• 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. - Childcare (dinner served)

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

• 5:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. - Good Grief Camp Zone (Ages 5-18)

• 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 Groups for the following groups: Accident Loss Survivors, Combat Loss Survivors, Homicide 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: Share Group Guidelines for Participants

• 8:30 p.m. - Young Adults Meet-up (Adult children and siblings ages 18 to 30)

• 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. - Family Breakfast Buffet

• 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. - Childcare

• 7:30 a.m. - Family Check-In Continues

• 8:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. - Good Grief Camp

• 9:00 a.m. - Opening Session with Bonnie Carroll

• 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. - Workshops

  Coping when Memories Hurt  – Audri Beugelsdijk
  We don't ever want to forget our loved ones and memories can bring both joy and pain. Sometimes we push memories away because we can't experience them without an upwelling of emotion that is difficult to cope with. We will explore new coping techniques, including how linking positive memories with negative experiences can help us navigate our grief and remember even when it hurts. This session will be offered online.

  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 conversations about loss on social media and other large group settings. This session will be offered online.

  Goals, Grief and How Things Change (Young Adults ages 18-30) – 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. This session will not be live streamed.

• 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

  Lunch Buffet and Sharing Groups

  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

  Calming the Storm Coping with Anger – Audri Beugelsdijk
  Grief brings out a whole host of emotions. Sometimes they almost seem to be coming simultaneously, while other times they can feel so cyclical that it leaves us feeling exhausted. One of the most difficult emotions to cope with is anger. This session will be a safe space to explore the experience of anger in our grief while developing some specific tools we can use to reframe and manage this and other difficult emotions. This session will be offered online.

  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 offered online.

  Let’s Talk Grief (Young Adults ages 18-30) – 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. This session will not be live streamed.

• 3:15 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. - Workshops

  Finding Your Grief Rhythm: A Journey Towards Healing - Kim Burditt
  After the death of a loved one, it can seem as if time stands still and the pain of loss can feel endless. But time does not stand still, and as the days march on and we begin our grieving journey, a rhythm or pattern of emotions may emerge. Those emotions can twist and turn, wax and wane, and ebb and flow, as survivors seek to find ways to make it through each day in spite of the physical absence of their loved one. This session will discuss practical ideas to effectively cope with the rhythms of grief, how to regulate emotions in anticipation of significant dates or milestones, and how such concepts can help us to integrate loss in our lives as we navigate the healing process.  This session will be offered online.

  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.

  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 online.

  Managing Stress While Grieving (Young Adults ages 18-30) – Renee Monczynski
  What is unmentionable becomes unmanageable, so let's talk about the stress that comes with grief. We will discuss the different triggers of stress after loss, how we appraise stress, and introduce constructive coping skills to help guide you on this journey. This session will not be live streamed.

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

• 8:30 p.m. - Young Adult Social (Adult Child and Siblings ages 18-30)

• 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. - Family Breakfast Buffet

• 7:45 a.m. - Peer Mentor Training

• 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. - Childcare

• 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Good Grief Camp

• 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. - Workshops

  Growing through Loss: Honoring the Challenges – Andy McNeil
  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 online.

  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.

  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 be offered online.

  Build Your Ladder (Young Adults ages 18-30) – Renee Monczynski
  In this interactive session, we will discuss tangible tactics for you to utilize during those days that leave you feeling the world is dark and you are alone. We will discuss skills for you to build your own ladder, with each step being a skill in your self-care plan that allows you to handle the tough days and know you are not alone, brighter days are ahead. This session will not be live streamed.

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

  Spirituality & Grief: A Conversation about Faith and Belief after Loss – Andy McNeil
  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.

  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 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 online.

  What’s in the Box? (Young Adults ages 18-30) - Renee Monczynski
  This is an interactive session for open conversation about life, loss and all things in between. Through peer connection we will discuss anything and everything that is put in the "ask anything" box over the course of the seminar weekend. 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

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

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 Feburary 26, 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.