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What Prison Inmates Taught Me about Drug Addicts

Posted on August 27, 2015 - by Shannon Harris

Normally when I write, I write from the standpoint of someone who has lost a child to cancer. But tonight I am compelled to write from a different perspective for parents who have lost a child to drug addiction. Allow me to explain. Prior to my Anthony’s death, I had always been a work-a-holic, single mom who did anything to make ends meet and provide for my children. His death created a paradigm shift in how I viewed work. I always thought it didn’t matter where I was employed or what the job description was, I would do it. If […]

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Ron Ritter: Tips on Dealing with Grief and Loss

Posted on August 26, 2015 - by Gloria Horsley

Currently serving as an associate pastor at a Lutheran church in Hemet, California, Reverend Ron Ritter connected with Dr. Gloria Horsley at the 2015 Association for Death Education and Counseling conference to discuss his tips on handling grief. His first major loss was that of his brother when Ritter was only a child. Years later, after a very successful military career, he lost his son in a car accident. Throughout these losses and other hurdles in life, Reverend Ritter has always leaned heavily on his faith and family. He was a US Navy chaplain for several years, and says he […]

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Grief and Culture with Dr. Andy Ho

Posted on August 15, 2015 - by Gloria Horsley

Dr. Gloria Horsley talks with Dr. Andy Ho at the 2015 Association for Death Education and Counseling conference. As a researcher in Hong Kong, Dr. Ho notes that there are still a lot of superstitions in the Chinese culture. This means that some generations, especially the middle aged, avoid talking about death altogether. However, older generations are becoming eager to discuss their wishes and plans—but are met with deaf ears. “You’ll never see a Chinese family buy a house right next to a cemetery,” says Dr. Ho. The roots of superstition are deep. This also means that younger generations aren’t […]

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How Grief Groups Can Help

Posted on August 15, 2015 - by Alan Pedersen

Alan Pederson, the Executive Director of The Compassionate Friends, spoke with Dr. David Fajgenbaum about his work with college students and how they handle grief. The two connected at the 2015 Association for Death Education and Counseling conference, which Dr. Fajgenbaum was attending in order to share his research and findings. Losing a loved one at any age is difficult, but having that happen in your college years is especially difficult. Many students are away from home for the first time and many of their current relationships are too new to rely on for support. You’re also supposed to be […]

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Adult Sibling Loss with Dr. Brenda Marshall

Posted on August 15, 2015 - by Brenda Marshall

Dr. Brenda Marshall talks about adult sibling loss with Dr. Heidi Horsley at the 2015 Association for Death Education and Counseling conference. Dr. Marshall entered the field when her younger brother, Brent, died suddenly eight years ago. She found little support for adult siblings, which led her on a path to figuring out why this was and what she could do about it. “A lot of people take their sibling for granted and assume they’re always going to be there,” she says. Especially when siblings are close in age, many people think death won’t touch them. Not only does the […]

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Continuing Bonds with Brittany Trauthwein

Posted on August 14, 2015 - by Heidi Horsley

A doctoral student at the Chicago Professional School of Psychology, Brittany Trauthwein, spoke with Dr. Heidi Horsley at the 2015 Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) conference about continuing bonds after a loss. Her dissertation is specifically on continuing those bonds after the death of a parent. Trauthwein began her research after connecting with ADEC one year after losing her father. She heard stories of people continuing bonds and relationships with their parents and loved ones, which piqued her interest. “I just immediately loved it and knew it was how I was going to go through my grief journey,” […]

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Janet McCord: Helping Others After Loss

Posted on August 14, 2015 - by Gloria Horsley

Dr. Janet McCord spoke with Dr. Gloria Horsley at the 2015 Association for Death Education and Counseling conference about the many programs at Marian University that help train professionals in grief and loss counseling.  “We offer a Master of Science degree in Thanatology, it’s the study of death, dying, loss and bereavement,” she says. Technically, this field doesn’t include non-death loss, but at Marian it does. There are many organizations where bereavement services are mandated and required, but nobody ever knows who to hire. “We created this practical degree in order to help people be trained” and be ready to […]

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Sue Gammill: Family and Staff Support in Critical Care

Posted on August 13, 2015 - by Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley

“I have always believed that how we handle death in healthcare is important to the survivors,” says Sue Gammill. She serves as a liaison between patients and medical staff, acting as a buffer and “translator.” Gammill works in the pediatric intensive care unit of a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. This type of environment, especially working with children in potentially life-threatening situations, is rife with misunderstandings, anger and frustration at times. She drafted a proposal, “My Dream Job,” and remembers that everyone thought it was crazy at the time. Four years after her proposal, her department had to work with organ […]

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Parent Loss with Barbara Scharf

Posted on August 13, 2015 - by Gloria Horsley

At the 2015 Association for Death Education and Counseling Conference, Dr. Gloria Horsley interviewed Dr. Barbara Scharf about losing a parent as an adult, which is often a minimized loss—and a very difficult one. Your parents are your parents, no matter what your age. Unfortunately, those around you (including those you thought would be part of your support network) might not respond with the empathy, listening skills and compassion you need when you lose a parent later in life. Today, Dr. Scharf’s mother is almost 90 years old and credited with teaching her children to always be optimistic and see […]

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William Buckley: Doing the Next Loss Differently

Posted on August 13, 2015 - by Gloria Horsley

If you feel you didn’t deal with a previous loss in your best way, don’t despair. Dr. William Buckley explains to Dr. Gloria Horsley that you can take steps to handle loss and grief differently next time. They spoke at the 2015 Association for Death Education and Counseling conference, where Dr. Buckley provided tips and insights on managing grief. He points out that many families have experienced a loss before, and it’s no surprise that they have a range of “bad feelings” around that loss and ideas on how they could have handled it better. Those past losses give people […]

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