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Lynne Ann DeSpelder: The Last Dance

Posted on August 13, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

The Director of the Open to Hope Foundation, Dr. Heidi Horsley, interviews author Lynne Anne DeSpelder. A counselor and psychology professor, DeSpelder wrote The Last Dance: Encountering Death and Dying after years of studying the bereavement field. The book is now in its eighth edition. “The Last Dance” came from the idea that the warrior goes to the mountain to dance his last dance before death. At the core of the book, DeSpelder explores attitudes surrounding death, including language. How do children process death, and how do adults handle it? The book also tackles terminal illnesses and survivors. The experience […]

Finding Hope Among the Global Losses

Posted on August 11, 2016 - by Marguerite OConnor

We have navigated many public losses, from Paris to Orlando to Nice. Some people are very empathetic and feel these losses deeply. Even though they may not have personally known those who died or were injured, they feel the Oneness that we are all connected, that individual choices and experiences affect all of us. For many, it is easier to feel solidarity with the victims, not the perpetrators or their families, but loss is loss and we are, generally speaking, fairly compassionate, as well as resilient. Some people note these tragedies and continue on, thinking they are relatively unchanged or […]

Stacey Smyczynski: Children and Grief Groups

Posted on August 10, 2016 - by Gloria Horsley

Stacey Smyczynski of the Children’s Grief Center of the Great Lakes Bay Region talks with Dr. Gloria Horsley about using peer to peer support. Kids ages 5-18 help one another at this center. The adults also have their own support groups to attend when the children meet. There are opening and closing circles where talking and sharing take place, but a lot of the grief work happens in play. There are plays, art, dress up, and more ways children can express themselves. Especially with younger kids, talking isn’t always the best way to heal. Play is a child’s work, and […]

Brooke Griese: Judi’s House

Posted on August 9, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

During the National Alliance for Grieving Children conference, Dr. Heidi Horsley talks with Brooke Griese of Judi’s House. As the Executive Director, she works with grieving children and families in Colorado. She co-founded the organization with her husband in 2002 in memory of his mother, Judi, who died of breast cancer when he was young. Children heal differently from adults, and don’t always have the best support systems. They need to connect with other kids, while having caring adults available on the sidelines. Integrating loss into your life in a meaningful way is a challenge no matter what your age. […]

Revolutionary Act: Choosing Love When Death is All Around

Posted on August 8, 2016 - by Cheryl Espinosa-Jones

The past few months, I’ve been struck dumb, collapsed by the weight of what Francis Weller calls the “sorrows of the world.” The best I could do most of the time was share stories other people were writing. I managed a brief comment on Good Grief, my radio show, after 49 people were killed at the Pulse club in Orlando and then silence captured me. What could I say to the unfolding of too many events to absorb, all of them pointing to the tremendous capacity of human beings to go cold and violent? After the Pulse massacre, I flashed […]

Tom Demaria: Grief in the Classroom

Posted on August 5, 2016 - by Gloria Horsley

How can teachers and staff help children in school who are grieving? That’s the question Dr. Gloria Horsley has for Dr. Tom Demaria. The work of grief begins in schools and should always start in the classroom. He began working with superintendents, school boards, and school psychologists to come up with principles everyone can follow in the classroom. If you wait until a child gets symptoms of trauma, it can be too late. A lot of teachers don’t know what to say or how to say it. Talking about death isn’t easy for anyone, and many teachers aren’t prepared. Teachers […]

Annette Childs: Journey from Loss to Healing

Posted on August 1, 2016 - by Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley

Psychologist Dr. Annette Childs, author of Will You Dance?, talks with the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), and shares tips for journeying from grief to healing. Grief and loss are short words that have the power to bring even the strongest people to their knees. Dr. Childs began to see grief as faceless visitors with intense strength. Today, she helps hundreds of families each year who are suffering from a loss. Watching this unfold for so many is what inspired Dr. Childs to write her book, which is a companion to grievers around the world. It tells the […]

Joe Primo: Supporting Grieving Kids

Posted on July 29, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

You can help kids who are bereaved. Dr. Gloria Horsley talks with Joe Primo of Good Grief. He provides programs to kids, teens, and young adults who’ve lost a parent or sibling. There are also groups for parents who have undergone a child loss. They work with 150 communities throughout New Jersey and raise awareness while advocating for the whole child. There are thousands of bereaved children in the northeast, and they need facts, honesty, and support after a loss. Caring adults who support them and talk openly is critical. Kids need to be able to express themselves freely without […]

Grace Christ: Comparing Sudden and Anticipated Loss

Posted on July 28, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

Dr. Heidi Horsley interviews Dr. Grace Christ about sudden loss vs. anticipated loss for the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Both professors at the Columbia University School of Social Work, the two Drs. know each other—and their work—quite well. Dr. Christ also works with the New York Fire Department and is the director of the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network. She’s the author of two books about grief and counseling. As Dr. Horsley’s mentor, they’ve worked together since the 9/11 tragedy. Working with families who experience anticipated loss is very different than working with sudden loss. An […]

The Shocking Truth About Elisabeth-Kubler Ross’s 5 Stages of Grief

Posted on July 27, 2016 - by Gemini Adams

We are universally connected in our grief and suffering regarding the end of life. There’s no escaping the fact that 56.5 million people die each year — 2.5 million in the USA alone — that’s 6,500 individuals departing daily. Yet, as founders of The Grief Recovery Institute, John James and Russell Friedman note, “We are ill-prepared to deal with death. We receive more education about simple first aid than we do about loss, death, divorce and emotional loss.” And sometimes the education we do receive is rather confusing. Typically, when it comes to understanding this painful aspect of the human […]