TAP's Road Ahead

In a move away from our usual approach to a TAP blog which regularly discusses subjects related to our work as therapists, our offering this month is rather existential in it’s style and will discuss TAP’s place in our member’s world once the Covid-19 situation eases. We will cast out some thoughts and then look forward to receiving any feedback and responses.

Because of the Covid-19 situation, it’s been well over a year now since TAP was able to provide a Talk for it’s members and guests and it’s beginning to feel like an age since we enjoyed the networking and sociability elements of those occasions.  Since then we have seen and felt all our lives turned upside down and uncertainty has become the new norm.

The TAP committee would love to hear how you, our members see Talks happening in the future and in what circumstances would you feel happy about attending.  For example, is the venue still suitable, how do you see the seating being arranged, should numbers be limited, would pre-booking your ticket be a good idea. Also ,would you still stay and enjoy the hot beverages and biscuits afterwards at the `Après Talk` and even, weather permitting could we move outdoors?   

Historically TAP’s Annual Conference has been very successful, with it’s blend of prominent      speakers, networking opportunities and tasty lunches, brought together in an excellent venue set in the beautiful Somerset countryside. But how do we see Conferences in the future?  In these uncertain times it’s probably difficult to visualise it but once again how many delegates should attend? How many tables should we have? How many people should sit at each one and how do we picture coffee and lunch times.

As you may know, the revenue from the Annual Conference is crucial in helping to finance the Talks that we enjoy throughout the year.  Of course the Conference itself is costly to put on and so we rely on good attendance to make it viable. To this end, the subject matter is central to delegates wanting to attend.  Therefore the committee would really appreciate any ideas about what subjects, attendees would like see presented. What would fire up your enthusiasm?

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) has always been an important facet of TAP. The committee has prided itself through the years with providing the opportunity for good quality CPD at reasonable cost to it’s members and guests. With the current Covid situation it’s likely that most of us have had to look beyond our usual sources for CPD and so we would like to hear about what you are thinking about your own CPD. How you are filling the void left by the absence of TAP Talks at the moment, what excites you, what you need, what would help you develop and blossom?

It’s possible of course that members might consider that the prospect of Talks and Conferences as we know them to be out of the question altogether for the foreseeable future.  If this is the case, could we adapt to virtual events via the likes of Zoom, Skype or some other application? How would you feel about this type of presentation?

We would value your thoughts about how we promote TAP and could we do it better? Does TAP come up in conversation your colleagues? Do you hear it mentioned in your work and do you visit and like the website? We are not thinking of advertising on the side of a bus but hearing of your ideas around the material we might use would be useful.

It’s probably a bit cliché to talk of TAP as a family, however the committee are members and members often join the committee so there’s a real closeness in the mix.  Many of us have become firm friends and in times past it was always good to see the hugs and handshakes of attendees on arrival at the Friends Meeting House. Having members on board has always been important to the committee and we suppose never more so than now. So, when you can, let your creative juices flow and please tell us how you see TAP in times ahead and how we might handle the future.

You can message us through our Facebook page or direct  taplimited@hotmail.co.uk

Many Thanks

The TAP Committee

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