Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley

Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Heidi Horsley are a mother/daughter team and internationally recognized grief experts. They are the founders of The Open to Hope Foundation and the hosts of The Open to Hope Show. In addition, Dr. Gloria is a board member for The Compassionate Friends and Dr. Heidi is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and has a private practice in manhattan. Their message is that others have made it through the grief journey and so can you, if you do not yet have hope lean on theirs.

Articles:

Jim Stewart: Katy’s Kids at CCMe

Dr. Gloria Horsley talks with Jim Stewart from Katy’s Kids. A bereaved parent himself, Stewart founded Katy’s Kids after his daughter Katy died at ten years old. The Children’s Museum of the East End was born via Katy’s courage, and today Stewart and his wife are constantly looking for ways to give back. They also have a son, who was six when Katy died. They wanted to teach him how to grieve, that it was normal, and to surround him with peers who understand what he’s going through. The Stewarts serve the bereaved around the country, and were inspired by […]

Pregnancy Loss and Still Birth

The CEO of First Candle, Chris Blake, joins Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley on this episode of the Open to Hope show. This organization saves lives and provides support to parents facing pregnancy loss and still births. Dr. Heidi Horsley has had some miscarriages in her life, and relates closely to the non-profit’s work. Brooke Smith of Knot My Baby also joins the show, sharing her story about the death of her full-term baby. She used First Candle’s services, and it inspired her to begin her own organization. Kennedy Smith, Brooke’s daughter, is the inspiration for all her work. Blake […]

Men and Depression

Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley of the Open to Hope Foundation tackle the topic of men and depression in this episode of the Open to Hope show. Depression is a serious medical condition, and grief can exacerbate it. If you’re a man who’s depressed, or someone who loves a man who’s depressed, action needs to be taken. Eric Hipple, NFL quarterback and author of the book Real Men Do Cry, joins Drs. Horsley to share his experience about grief and depression. He was going full steam ahead in his career, until his 15 year old son died. Eric spiraled into […]

Family Dynamics When Dealing With Loss

Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley interview the Ferber family about handling loss as a family unit. Dorothy (mom), David (dad), and Jordan (the couple’s son) discuss the death of Russell—Jordan’s brother. The family found The Compassionate Friends, which was pivotal in helping them celebrate the life of Russell. They created the Russell Ferber Foundation, dedicated to Russell who died in a car accident in his early 20s. Dorothy is a travel writer and became a chapter leader of The Compassionate Friends immediately after losing her son. David is an attorney and facilitates men’s groups in The Compassionate Friends. Jordan is […]

Katie and Marc Markell: Using Fiction to Help Grieving Children

The authors of The Children Who Lived, Katie and Marc Markell, join the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) to talk about grieving children and how adults can help. As siblings, their father died in 1963. Their mother raised a total of five children alone, and at the time there was little support for grieving adults (not to mention grieving children). In their town, they were known as the children whose father died. Both Katie and Marc became psychologists. Later, they also both became fans of J.K. Rowling. Using fictional characters like Harry Potter, the Markells help children […]

Phyllis Silverman: Raising Grieving Children

The Open to Hope show features Dr. Phyllis Silverman, a bereavement expert who specializes in working with grieving children. While speaking at the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) organization, Dr. Silverman shares nine lessons she’s learned over several years of working in the industry. Currently associated with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Silverman has been an expert in the grief field for over 40 years. Currently, she’s studying what happens in families with dependent children when a sibling dies. First, know that death is a part of life—your own and others. Years ago, Dr. Silverman […]

John Fox: Poetry as Grief Therapy

Poetry is a fantastic avenue for art therapy. Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley welcome John Fox, a poet and certified poetry therapist. He’s the author of Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-making and Finding What You Didn’t Lose. He’s also the president of The Institute for Poetic Medicine, a non-profit which was created in 2005 to offer poetry/healing projects around the country to the bereaved. “Some people have already been drawn to poetry and write it, while others feel they’re not capable of it or it’s not really something that appeals to them,” he says. His goal? Meet with […]

Apl.de.ap: Death by Suicide

Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley interview The Black Eyed Peas’ Apl.de.ap, who shares his song “I Cry” on the Open to Hope radio show. The story behind this song is one that few people know—the suicide of his brother and how it impacted his entire family. He’s an original member of The Black Eyed Peas, growing with the group as they moved from a small hip hop community to a global phenomenon. Selling 7.5 million albums worldwide, the winner of three Grammy’s and nominated for four more, he says he’s fortunate to be able to write and share music that’s […]

Mary Rockefeller Morgan: Grieving the Loss of a Twin

Losing a twin is a very unique grief, and one that Mary Rockefeller famously experienced in the 1960s. The disappearance of her brother at sea, with his body never being recovered, was one that made media headlines for weeks. On this episode, Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley interview Mary Morgan, a licensed psychotherapist who specializes in twin loss and sibling loss. Most recently, she’s focused on twins who lost a sibling in the 9/11 World Trade Center tragedy. Dr. Gloria Horsley lived in New York City in the 60s, and at the time Dr. Morgan (then Rockefeller) had a family […]

Traumatic Loss: Dr Dale Larson

Dr. Dale Larson joins Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley to talk about the shocking loss of a child, particularly in an environment that’s supposed to be “safe” such as school or during an extracurricular activity. He specializes in traumatic loss and teaches at Santa Clara University. He was particularly in the headlines after the Newtown tragedy, and says that many bereaved people can just tell when someone will listen. Dr. Gloria Horsley has experienced that, having worked as a therapist for several years and having many people approach her simply because they want to share. Comments can seem like “uncaring […]

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