Gloria Horsley

Dr. Gloria Horsley is an internationally known grief expert, psychotherapist, and bereaved parent. She started "Open to Hope" to help the millions in the world with grief. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Clinical Nurse Specialist, and has worked in the field of family therapy for over 20 years. Dr. Horsley hosts the syndicated internet radio show, The Grief Blog which is one of the top ranked shows on Health Voice America. She serves the Compassionate Friends in a number of roles including as a Board of Directors, chapter leader, workshop facilitator, and frequently serves as media spokesperson. Dr. Horsley is often called on to present seminars throughout the country. She has made appearances on numerous television and radio programs including "The Today Show," "Montel Williams," and "Sallie Jessie Raphael." In addition, she has authored a number of articles and written several books including Teen Grief Relief with Dr. Heidi Horlsey, and The In-Law Survival Guide.

Articles:

Ron Ritter: Tips on Dealing with Grief and Loss

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 […]

Grief and Culture with Dr. Andy Ho

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 […]

Janet McCord: Helping Others After Loss

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 […]

Parent Loss with Barbara Scharf

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 […]

William Buckley: Doing the Next Loss Differently

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 […]

Hospice in the Latino Community with Deborah Gonzalez

Dr. Gloria Horsley connected with Deborah Gonzalez during the 2015 Association for Death Education and Counseling conference, where they discussed the relationship between hospice systems and the Latino community. What kind of cultural effect does hospice have on this demographic? Gonzalez notes that the Latino community is under-served in hospice care, and she works diligently to bridge that gap. “I think that culture has to do a lot with it, especially because when we talk about hospice it sounds like being doomed,” she says. Gonzalez believes that education and information are critical to helping the Latino community understand that a […]

Positive Psychology with Dr. Judith Stillion

At the 2015 Association for Death Education and Counseling conference, Dr. Gloria Horsley spoke with Dr. Judith Stillion about how to balance a positive life while in grief. It’s all about consciously choosing positive acts for yourself every day, with Dr. Stillion suggesting art or reading as a positive approach to healing. However, it may take some trial and error to find the positive approach that works best for you. Re-tapping into old, favorite hobbies as well as trying new ones can be a way to challenge yourself and re-direct your energy and thoughts into a more positive realm. “Positive […]

Dr. Andy Ho: Grief and Cultural Differences

At the 2015 Association of Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) conference, Dr. Gloria Horsley discusses cultural differences in grief with Dr. Andy Ho. He notes there are tremendous differences in grieving within the Chinese culture, with older generations in particular thinking many elements of death are bad luck. This has led to a communication meltdown between cultures, with younger generations unsure of how to proceed with death. Planning the logistics of death, sharing your wishes (organ donation? Cremation?) and other necessary conversations are often avoided in the Chinese culture. In the Mandarin language, the words “four” and “death” sound very […]

Hospice and Healing with Anne Baker

Dr. Gloria Horsley interviewed Anne Baker at the 2015 Association for Death Education and Counseling conference. Baker experienced two significant losses in her life, but moved forward and became a hospice volunteer. Now, she helps others on their death and grief journey. When she was seven, her mother died suddenly. Just three years later, her younger sister died. Baker recalls that at that time, there was no support for someone in her situation and she didn’t know how to look for or access resources. It was then, as a child, that she decided she wanted to dedicate her life to […]

Patti Anewalt: Hospice and the Latino Community

Patti Anewalt of Hospice and Community Care in Pennsylvania spoke with Dr. Gloria Horsley about hospices and Latino culture during the 2015 Association for Death Education and Counseling conference. “The most important way to reach out to other cultures is to hire staff from that culture,” Anewalt explains. Thanks to a grant, the organization was able to hire a Latino bereavement counselor, which has drastically helped with providing support and services to Latino grievers in the area. “She’s really the right person,” Anewalt says. This counselor serves as the bridge between the Latino community and the organization. Particularly in the […]

Open to Hope is an online community offering inspirational stories of loss, hope and recovery. We believe hope is the bridge between loss and recovery.