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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 […]

Jill Cliffer Beratta: Healing Through Art

Posted on March 15, 2016 - by Gloria Horsley

A teacher of enrichment art, Jill Cliffer Baratta has an MFA and talked with Dr. Gloria Horsley about how art can help in the healing process. Baratta lost her father, and immediately turned to her love of the arts to guide her own healing process. Her father died 45 years ago, right before her twelfth birthday. Even then, Baratta knew that art was her own best healing tool. It inspired her to keep up with her work, and it kick-started her brain to keep creating. As an adult, Baratta was committed to taking photographs of her loved ones, especially with […]

Sharon Taylor: Father Loss

Posted on March 13, 2016 - by Gloria Horsley

A professor of psychology and the chair of the Women’s Studies department at St. Martin University, Dr. Sharon Taylor, talks with Dr. Gloria Horsley about father loss. Dr. Taylor’s father died at war when she was just a few months old. This was in 1945, right at the end of the war, and during this time nobody dealt with the issue of war. As a result, Dr. Taylor was raised by a grieving mother who never had a chance to mourn. She tried to move on, and everyone in the family was sad about Taylor’s father. His body was never […]

Chris Chaplin: Supporting Bereaved Children in the Schools

Posted on March 12, 2016 - by Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley

Kids and grief are a challenge at times. Chris Chaplin is a child and family therapist that works in a Portland, Oregon school. He talks to Dr. Gloria Horsley about kids needing support and acceptance above all when experiencing a loss. A lot of understanding is required to process the loss, and there are a myriad of ways they may need to express this. Many times, kids don’t know the best way. Our roles as an adult is helping children grieve, and identifying the challenges kids face. Specifically, Chaplin recommends for young children to find their own ways to heal. […]