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Spousal Loss: What Legacy of Loss Are You Passing on to Others?

Posted on March 28, 2016 - by Vicki Panagotacos, PhD FT

The loss of your life partner is especially complex to manage because the two of you functioned as a couple for so long. As a result, you are not only dealing with the loss of your partner, but also the loss of your sense of self that was constructed through your interactions. The question becomes: if you are no longer someone’s spouse or partner, then who are you? Psychotherapist Michael Miller refers to the process of relocating your single identity as intimate terrorism. Your relationship has been blown apart, and you are left to sift through the debris and extract […]

Easter After Our Daughter’s Death

Posted on March 27, 2016 - by Lo Anne Mayer

“Come home, Mom,” my daughter screamed over the transatlantic phone. “Cyndi is dead, and we’ve been trying to reach you.” All the money I had placed into the red lobster phone in Glastonbury, England, suddenly was swallowed up. The phone went dead. I looked at the woman behind me, waiting for her turn to make a call, and whispered, “She said that our daughter is dead. That’s impossible. I must have heard it wrong.” Jane and I had only met in the writing retreat three days earlier, but the force of my words pierced her heart. She poured all her […]

Ron Villano: Finding ‘Zing’ in Your Life After the Loss of a Child

Posted on March 24, 2016 - by Ron Villano

Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley welcome Ron Villano to a webinar about finding your “zing” after you’ve lost a child. Villano is a licensed psychotherapist, bereavement coach, national speaker, and author. Villano lost his son, Michael, and knows exactly how it feels to lose a child. His first tip is to give yourself permission to do something new, even if it’s “just for now.” Remember that when you choose to change your thoughts, you’re also choosing to change your life and that’s immensely powerful. All of the power is within you. “An avalanche of change begins with just one drop […]

Webinar: How to Manage the Easter Holiday

Posted on March 23, 2016 - by Gloria Horsley

Holidays can be a challenging time for those who have lost a loved one, and with Easter right around the corner, Dr. Gloria Horsley with the Open to Hope Foundation and Alan Pederson with Compassionate Friends have released a special webinar on handling this particular event. This webinar will also feature guest Kay Warren, founder of the Saddleback Church and an expert in grief and loss. Warren is a bible teacher, bestselling author, and a tireless advocate for those living with mental illnesses and/or HIV/AIDS, as well as vulnerable children. Warren is a mother to three children, one of whom, […]

Amy Florian: Finding Hope After the Loss of a Spouse

Posted on March 23, 2016 - by Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley

The founder and CEO of Corgenius, Amy Florian, shares her thoughts on losing a spouse and finding hope in the aftermath. As a bereavement consultant, she pursued her career based on her own experience. Her husband, John, was killed in an accident when they were in their 20s. She was shocked that the world kept moving forward when she had her world torn apart. “I felt that John deserved five minutes of silence,” she recalls. There needed to be more recognition beyond family and friends. She took it upon herself to memorialize John. “I was determined to remember,” she says. […]

Aileac Deegan: Children’s Grief Support

Posted on March 22, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

The Executive Director of Ryan’s Place, Aileac Deegan, speaks with Dr. Gloria Horsley at the National Alliance for Grieving Children conference about grief support for children and how service can be a great tool. Located in Indiana, the organization helps children who’ve suffered a loss by providing support and a listening ear. There’s no need to overdo anything or force children to talk. Making things available, offering suggestions, and being present are often what children need most. It doesn’t matter what you say to children for the most part, you must simply let them know they’re safe and loved. It’s […]

Blueprint for a Difficult Conversation: How to Stand Up for What You Need

Posted on March 21, 2016 - by Michelle Jarvie

In my last published article for OpenToHope, I shared the letter I wish I could’ve received after my husband was killed. It focused on validation and simplifying expectations for the truly important things to do in those initial months. It also held hope: for various coping mechanisms, helping others through grief, and in someday being a mother. Today I want to share another letter with you, one that helped save a relationship when I was intensely grieving and beyond angry with the world. Written seven years earlier, it concentrates on what is helpful and unhelpful while processing loss. For me, […]

It’s Never Too Late to Grieve

Posted on March 19, 2016 - by Judy Lipson

How do I make peace and forgiveness with myself for not grieving and mourning my sisters Margie and Jane for 30 years? It is more the regrets, of years lost, of memories forgotten, of a soul missing, of dreams shattered, of a hole in my heart. Was the the pain too hard? I got used to being so alone and having no one to share my grief or my sisters with. I had no one to walk with me on a path so complex and confusing I did not know how to navigate. I also lacked understanding of being my […]

Jon Reid: Depression or Grief

Posted on March 18, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

Dr. Jon Reid, a Professor of Psychology and Counseling at Southeastern Oklahoma State, talks about depression following grief with Dr. Heidi Horsley at the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) conference. He’s a certified fellow in thanatology from ADEC. “How do I know if I’m depressed or just grieving?” That’s a common question from those who have experienced a loss. If someone thinks they’re depressed, they might wonder if medication is part of the answer. Medication isn’t necessary for grief, explains Dr. Reid. Grief is a natural response to a loss, but it can be hard to tell if/when […]

Continuing Connections to a Deceased Loved One

Posted on March 16, 2016 - by Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley

The founders of the Open to Hope Foundation, Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley, share how they got into the grief and loss field—it’s often a story with terrible beginnings. For this mother-daughter duo, it was the death of Scott at 17 years old that catapulted both of them onto their own unique journey. He was Gloria’s son and Heidi’s brother. Gloria was already in the field of counseling, but losing her son inspired her to specialize in grief and loss. For Heidi, who was in college at the time, she quickly changed her career path to also focus on the […]