Webinar: The Value of Funerals and Therapeutic Rituals
February 7, 2023, 12:00 PM-1:30 PM Eastern
This webinar explores how clinicians can utilize funerals and other rituals in supporting individuals who are grieving a loss. These rituals may include funerals, therapeutic group rituals, and individual rituals. The program will discuss delineating the therapeutic value of ritual and then examine which rituals may be the appropriate interventive strategy, especially in situations where the grieving process is especially challenging. The program will also include a focused discussion on ways to incorporate ritual into the funeral process for military families to help facilitate bereavement.
This webinar is presented by the TAPS Institute for Hope and Healing®.
Presenters
Ken Doka, PhD, MDiv
Dr. Doka is a Senior Vice President of Grief Programs at Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) and recipient of the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC). He serves as editor of HFA's Living with Grief® book series and its Journeys bereavement newsletter and numerous other books and publications. He is a prolific author, editor, and lecturer; a retired graduate school professor at The College of New Rochelle; past president of ADEC; a member and past chair of the International Work Group on Death, Dying, and Bereavement (IWG); and a member of the TAPS Advisory Board. In 2018, the IWG presented Doka with the Herman Feifel Award for outstanding achievement in thanatology. He received an award for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of Death Education from ADEC in 1998. Doka is an ordained Lutheran minister and a licensed mental health counselor in the state of New York.
Crystal Mai Purdy
Crystal Mai Purdy has worked in the funeral service industry for over 17 years and is currently the location manager of Lincoln Memorial Park & Funeral Home. Crystal is an avid public speaker and has a personal passion to educate the veteran community on funeral benefits; what they are, and mainly, what they are not. She also provides heart-felt, motivational messages about the beauty, significance, and privilege of working in the funeral industry. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing community and agency support during law enforcement line-of-duty deaths. She is a former Board member of Military Honors by the Pipes, Consano, and served in leadership positions for veteran non-profit organizations, Team Red, White, and Blue, and Operation Enduring Warrior. Crystal enjoys coordinating meaningful and resourceful events that help connect veterans to their community and develop powerful relationships with each other, and passionate veteran supporters. She also enjoys participating in physical activities that challenge endurance to raise awareness for veteran organizations.
About the TAPS Institute for Hope and Healing®
The TAPS Institute for Hope and Healing® is positioned to be the national and worldwide leader in training and education for bereavement professionals, bereaved individuals, and grieving military, veteran and civilian families. The Institute serves as a resource and training center, providing a hub for high-quality collaboration among professionals working in the field of grief and loss.
The Institute is where practical information on coping with loss are accessible for all who seek current strategies, the most effective tools, and best practices for supporting those who are grieving and those who serve the grieving.
The Institute provides workshops, seminars, panel discussions, and more to educate caregivers, mental health professionals, clergy, funeral directors, casualty officers, the bereaved themselves, and so many others on the best ways to travel the grief journey.
TAPS Institute for Hope and Healing® is located at TAPS Headquarters, 3033 Wilson Blvd., Third Floor, Arlington, VA 22201
Email us at Institute@taps.org or give us a call at 800-959-8277 (TAPS) with any questions.