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:

Vicki Panagotacos: Gaining Traction in the Second Year

The author of the book Gaining Traction, Dr. Vicki Panagotacos, spoke with Dr. Gloria Horsley during the 2015 Association for Death Education and Counseling conference. In addition to operating her own therapy practice, Dr. Panagotacos is a researcher and committed to sharing suggestions on coping with grief—particularly beyond that tough first year. Many times the second year “ended up being tougher than the first year,” she explains, which was discovered after working with several patients in grief. Oftentimes, the “goal” is to get to that first year mark, but then what? It can be challenging to look beyond. Things like […]

Ed Salisbury: Helping Men find Hope after Loss

“Brother Ed,” a Texas native, welcomed Dr. Gloria Horsley at the 2015 Association for Death Education and Counseling conference. When asked what advice he had for men who were in grief, Salisbury says, “First and foremost, schedule time to be still. Pause. Reboot. When I get into my car, every time I sit in my car, fasten my seatbelt, I close my eyes and I take three deep breaths.” Particularly in the US, it’s expected that people—and especially men—have to do it all. They’re constantly moving, and in that movement they try to forget the negative. However, it can fester. […]

Damita SunWolf LaRue: Enhancing Resiliency While Healing from Loss as a Native American

Dr. Gloria Horsley connects with Damita SunWolf LaRue, MA, LPA at the Association for Death Education and Counseling conference 2015. LaRue is a member of the Cherokee Nation and a doctoral student studying Clinical Psychology at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She’s also an Indian Health Services Scholar, specializing in serving culturally diverse communities with a focus on the Native American community. Historically, Native Americans have had a unique experience with grief and loss, particularly within a cultural lens due to losses of culture, religion, freedom, land, health and language. LaRue points out that even though many of these […]

Dr. Jon Reid: Chinese Culture and Grief

Dr. Jon Reid is a past president of the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), and he spoke with Dr. Gloria Horsley during the 2015 ADEC conference about Chinese culture and grief. “There’s a much greater reluctance to talk about death and dying in Chinese culture, mostly because it’s considered bad luck,” Dr. Reid shares. It’s also uncomfortable for American children (adult or otherwise) to talk to their parents about death planning, but it’s seen as inevitable. However, in the Chinese culture, doing so is thought to bring bad luck and it’s avoided entirely. Dr. Reid recalls once he […]

What Bereaved Families Can Expect – Interview with Harriet Sarnoff Schiff

HEALING THE GRIEVING HEART What Bereaved Families Can Expect As Time Goes On Host: Dr. Gloria Horsley With guest: Harriet Sarnoff Schiff June 16, 2005 Today I am much honored to have as my special guest international grief expert and author Harriet Sarnoff Schiff. Harriet Sarnoff Schiff is the author of two classic works on grieving, The Bereaved Parent and Living with Mourning. Her third book, How Did I Become my Parent’s Parent addresses the challenges of caring for elderly parents. Harriet is a licensed clinical social worker and former reporter for the Detroit News. She’s lectured throughout the United […]

Activities to help Children Process Grief: Interview with Dr. Natalie Carlos

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Dr. Natalie Carlos, who works in the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, about her work with children and grief. Natalie got into this field after being motivated and inspired by her own personal experience. Natalie’s mom died after a two-year battle with cancer when Natalie was just nine years old. After that, Natalie realized how long and difficult the process of grieving is. That motivated her to go into the field of psychology and work with others who are grieving or going through a traumatic event like […]

Bereavement and Adolescents: Interview with Dr. David E. Balk

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Dr. David E. Balk about grief and adolescents. David is the author of a book called Dealing With Dying, Death, and Grief During Adolescence. In the video below, David discusses social media and the internet and how it has changed the face of grief for adolescents. Here are some key takeaways from the video: So many adolescents and youth stay in touch through social media, and David says he’s not sure how many people have come to terms with the fact that this has entirely changed how adolescents […]

Grief from a Native American Perspective: Interview with Damita Sunwolf Larue

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Damita Sunwolf Larue about the Native American people and the loss and grief they have suffered throughout their history. Damita is a Cherokee from Oklahoma and her grandmother is a medicine woman. Damita says grief and loss have been a part of their history since Columbus came 522 years ago. She goes into more detail about this in the video below. Here are some key takeaways from the video: In the 522 years since Columbus came to America, there have been a number of instances of genocide […]

Re-embracing Halloween After a Loss

The candy you buy at the drugstore may now be just for you, the lights turned off for trick-or-treaters on Halloween. You may want to go through the neighborhood late at night and tear down all the ghastly tombstone decorations and leave notes reminding neighbors that death is not “fun.” The cheap hanging ghosts may feel like mockeries of your own constant search for signs of spirit in butterflies, rainbows, or in my case, pennies. And costume contests are probably way down on your list of priorities. After experiencing the death of a loved one, Halloween may feel too raw […]

Learning to Live Again After Loss: Interview with Alan Pederson

In a recent interview, Alan Pedersen opened up with Dr. Gloria Horsley about Learning to Live Again After Loss and the trials he faced after his great loss. Below is the interview: G: Hello. I’m Dr. Gloria Horsley with my co-host Dr. Heidi Horsley. Welcome to the show today. We’re so happy to have you on Healing the Grieving Heart. Heidi and I want this to be a show of hope, friendship and renewal for those who suffer the loss of a child. Well, Heid, I want to start out the show by reading an email we had. We get some […]

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.