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:

When a Pregnant Woman Commits Suicide

Abel Keogh, author of Room for Two, was recently interviewed with Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Heidi Horsley about the Loss of his wife and child to suicide and premature birth. Below is the interview: G: Hello, I’m Dr. Gloria Horsley with my co-host H: Dr. Heidi Horsley. G: Each week Heidi and I welcome you to Healing the Grieving Heart, a show of hope and conversation with those who’ve suffered the loss of a loved one and for healthcare professionals who work in this most difficult field. As always the message is others have been there before you […]

My Brother, My Best Friend

Alison Smith, author of Name All the Animals: A Memoir, opens up about her brother and best friend today with Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Heidi Horsley. Enjoy the full interview: G: Hello. I’m Dr. Gloria Horsley with my co-host H: Dr. Heidi Horsley. G: Each week we welcome you to Healing the Grieving Heart, a show of hope and conversation with those who have suffered the loss of a loved one and for health care professionals who work in this difficult field. As always the message is others have been there before you and you can make it. You do […]

9/11 Post-Traumatic Stress: Four Things That Can Help

Where were you on September 11th, 2001? I was just getting ready to fly to Utah to speak at a hospice conference. I set out my breakfast and turned on the television news, as I did every morning, just as the first plane hit the World Trade Center. Like everyone, I was confused and in shock. Of course, plans were cancelled as we spent days at home glued to the television set. Like so many others, that event would change my life in unexpected ways. At the time, I was living in San Francisco only miles from our daughter, Heidi, […]

Joan Rivers and Life Support

Update: Joan Rivers passed away not 12 hours after we originally posted this article. The recent tragic news of Joan Rivers, legendary comedian, being placed on life support after going into cardiac and respiratory arrest on Thursday has made many of us think about end-of-life choices. Our thoughts and prayers are with Joan Rivers and her family at this difficult time, and we send them hope and strength. Life support involves many difficult emotions for the patient’s family. Anticipatory grief before the death of a loved one can be overwhelming. When someone no longer has any chance of recovery, or […]

Peanut Gallery, a Documentary: Interview with Molly Gandour

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling) conference, I spoke with Molly Gandour about her documentary ‘Peanut Gallery’. Her film explores the death of her sister and how she and her parents just recently learned to talk about it. Molly went home to Indiana a few years ago, where she grew up, to speak with her parents for the first time about the death of her sister. Molly was just 10 years old when her sister died, and she and her parents had never really spoken about it. Molly’s film is a story of her family learning […]

Is There a Right Way to Heal? An Interview with Dr. Phyllis Kosminsky

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling) conference, I spoke with Dr. Phyllis Kosminsky about healing after loss and what is the right way to heal. Phyllis has written a book called Getting Back To Life When Grief Won’t Heal. She wrote the book because a lot of people were asking her if they were grieving in the right way. There’s a lot of talk about moving through the stages of grief. This leads some people to question whether or not they’re doing something wrong, because they might have gone through the grieving process and ended up right […]

College Students and Bereavement: Interview With David Fajgenbaum

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling) conference, I spoke with David Fajgenbaum about college students and bereavement In the video below, David discusses how college student handle loss and deal with grief. Here are some key takeaways from the video: Losing someone at any age is never easy, but losing someone while you’re in college is particularly difficult for a few reasons. Losing someone while in college is difficult because it’s usually the first time a young adult is away from home for the first time and away from those supportive resources. College students are also […]

Personality Types and Grief: Interview with Dr. Lisa Prossor-Dodds

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling) conference, I spoke with Dr. Lisa Prossor-Dodds about Myers Briggs personality types and the different way people grieve. Lisa describes her research as being very exciting, because as she gets deeper into it, she’s starting to see patterns emerge from the data. She says it’s almost at a point where names can be assigned to the different grief types that are emerging. There are 4 grief types that have clearly emerged from the data. Lisa discusses these in more detail in the video below. Here are some key takeaways from […]

Adults Losing their Parents: Interview with Patricia Stauber, RN

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling) conference, I spoke with Patricia Stauber about the issues of losing a parent as an adult. This loss can be overlooked as it is expected that everyone’s parents will die eventually. Patricia has worked with adults who have lost a parent for many years. She’s now in private practice working with adults who have lost parents. In the video below, Patricia discusses the biggest issues facing adults who have lost parents and how to overcome them. Here are some key takeaways from the video: One of the biggest issues is […]

Adolescents and Grief: Interview with Dr. Ken Doka

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling) conference, I spoke with Dr. Ken Doka about adolescents and grief. Adolescents have different issues when it comes to grief. Ken discusses these in detail in the video below. Here are some key takeaways from the video: Adolescents are in transition, and because they’re in transition, sometimes their grief isn’t recognized or acknowledged by others around them. Adolescents will often keep their grief hidden because they don’t like to appear different or needy; they would rather project independence and strength. Adolescents often grieve while they’re isolated and alone. A younger […]

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.