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:

Hospice and Healing: Interview with Anne Baker

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Anne Baker about healing and helping through hospice. Anne’s losses started early, when she was just 7 years old her mother died suddenly. Just three years later, Anne’s little sister died. At that point in Anne’s life, there was no outlet for her to share her loss with others who have gone through the same thing. After two significant losses in her life, Anne went on to become a volunteer for Hospice Caring, which is a non-medical, volunteer-based hospice in Montgomery, Maryland. Anne is now one of […]

Critical Care Family and Staff Support: Interview with Sue Gammill

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Sue Gammill about her work with families of patients being a liaison between physicians and families. Sue has always believed that how we handle death in health care is important to the survivors. Sue works in the pediatric intensive care unit in Atlanta, Georgia and she believe they could be doing a better job. So what Sue did was write a proposal that she called “My Dream Job”. Sue explains more about the role she created for herself in the video below. Here are some key takeaways […]

Spirituality After a Loss: Interview with Reverend Michael Jemmott

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Reverend Michael Jemmott about faith and spirituality after loss. Reverend Michael works with bereaved people in Baltimore and runs an organization called Roberta’s House, which is a family grief support center. When it comes to dealing with grief, where is God in all of this? Reverend Michael gives his take in the video below. Here are some key takeaways from the video: One of the things Reverend Michael found out over time is that God is always present, but usually ignored. The only way that you can […]

Death by Hospital Error: What are your rights?

Reading several articles in the Wall Street Journal Health and Wellness section recently sent a chill through me as my husband of 57 years, Phil, is recovering from cervical surgery and recently survived some of the life threating health care facility acquired diseases mentioned in the article; all in the course of four weeks. He acquired pneumonia in the ICU, the flu in a rehabilitation center and a staff infection in a skilled nursing facility. In the February 17, 2018 article Hospitals Pneumonia Is a Lethal Enemy there were two quotes I found highly disturbing. One from Marin Kollef, Director […]

Valentine’s Day Killings at Parkland MSD High School: Grief and Trauma Support for Parkland

My daughter Heidi and I and our foundation, Open to Hope, have been invited to be a part of a grief support group responding to the deadly Valentine’s Day killings at Parkland MSD High School, Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed, many others were wounded or injured and over 3000 students and teachers were traumatized, leaving the community in shock, despair and anger. Mitch Carmody and Bob Resciniti, a long-time resident of the community, are organizing and sponsoring the event. Bob is no stranger to loss as his son, Bobby, was killed in an automobile accident when he was […]

How Near-Death Experiences Change Our Thoughts About Death

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Roberta Moore about her near death experience and how these experiences affect people’s thoughts and insights on death. When Roberta was 13 years old, she had a spontaneous out of body experience. When she was in her early 30’s she had a near death experience, which she describes as “overwhelming and wonderful.” Roberta discusses near death experiences, and how they affect people, in the video below: Here are some key takeaways from the video: Roberta believes it’s very comforting for people to know that when someone has […]

Coping With the Loss of a Teen by Suicide

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Carolyn Zahnow about The Shore Grief Center and tips she has to find healing after suicide loss. Carolyn lost her son, Cameron, in 2005 when he was 18 years old. In the video below, Carolyn shares advice on how to cope with this experience if you’re grieving after having lost your teenage child to suicide. Here are some key takeaways from the video: The first year is awful, Carolyn says, and describes it as being in a fog. Carolyn first recommends going to a grief support group. […]

Facing Mortality: Interview with Isabel Stenzel Byrnes

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Isabel Stenzel Byrnes about living with an illness and learning how to find hope and find a balance. Isabel was born with cystic fibrosis, and she says that her friends with the illness gave her the support and skills needed to live with her disease. However, that support came at a cost for Isabel, as almost every year she lost at least one or two friends to cystic fibrosis. She explains that she got to witness how she would eventually die from her disease, but also become […]

Supporting Families Through Grief Beyond the Hospital

A labor and delivery registered nurse (RN), Chamel Thompson also works with Emerging Beyond, an organization that supports people after they’ve lost a loved one. Thompson recently spoke with Dr. Gloria Horsley at the Association of Death Education and Counseling conference in San Antonio, Texas about her work and what Emerging Beyond offers to those in grief. Generally, Thompson has found that being there and supporting those during their bereavement period is critical, but it’s often impossible to stay with them as long as necessary. What we need is “continuity of care,” explains Thompson, and that’s exactly what organizations like […]

How Spouses Can Talk About Grief After a Child Dies

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with An Hooghe about loss and the relationship with spouses after a child dies. An is a clinical psychologist who does research on bereaved parents who have lost a child. This research includes how the parents cope and how they talk to each other afterwards. An is particularly focused on better understanding why parents don’t talk to each other about their grief, which is something An believes needs to be explored more. In the video below, An explains why some parents don’t want to talk about their grief, […]

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.