Shattered Dreams: How to Support Those Experiencing Reproductive Loss

In this session, Tamara Thompson and Michele Thompson will present the findings from a recent survey of individuals who have experienced reproductive loss. The goal of this presentation is to increase awareness of those who have experienced pregnancy loss and infertility. Chaplains, ministry leaders and church members will learn how to respond appropriately and sensitively to those who are grieving. 

Special Guests: Michele Thompson and Tamara Thompson

MICHELE THOMPSON

Michele Thompson sensed the calling to ministry in her “second half of life.” After a 40-year career in the insurance industry, Michele “retired” and became a full-time student at the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest, graduating in 2019 with a Master of Arts in Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care. She previously volunteered with Hospice Austin, which is where her interest in pastoral care began. She has been a volunteer with Lifeline Chaplaincy since 2010, and assists with training the new volunteers. She recently completed a one-year chaplain residency with the Ascension Seton Hospital System during which she gained a variety of experiences while serving in a trauma hospital, a children’s hospital and a psychiatric hospital.

Michele and her husband Dale live in Austin, Texas. They are members of the Western Hills congregation where Michele was recently ordained and endorsed by the elders and congregation in the ministry of pastoral care. 

TAMARA THOMPSON

Tamara Thompson, an ACU graduate, has been involved in healthcare chaplaincy for nearly nine years, having served as a volunteer chaplain and executive board member for Lifeline Chaplaincy. In 2020 she received a master’s in chaplaincy and pastoral care from the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, and in 2022 was the first person to be endorsed for professional chaplaincy certification through the Siburt Institute. Tamara is currently a supplemental chaplain with the Memorial Hermann Hospital System in Houston, Texas, primarily serving Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.

Questions?

Contact Renee Paul with any questions about this event.