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:

How to Turn Grief into Positive Action

Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley with the Open to Hope Foundation discuss continuing bonds and closure after loss. At 17 years old, Heidi’s brother Scott was killed in a car accident. Everyone told her and her mother that they would “get over it” eventually and find closure. Know that closure isn’t for love accounts—it’s for bank accounts. You can and should get over the suffering, but getting over the loss can feel like erasing someone from your life. Instead, you can transform your grief into actions that can positively change the world. The mother-daughter team created the Open to Hope […]

Coping With Pregnancy Loss

Dr. Heidi Horsley has experienced miscarriages in her life, making this episode of The Grief Relief Show particularly close to her heart. Along with her mother and co-host, Dr. Gloria Horsley, they talk with Chandrama Anderson, MFT, and author of No U-Turn at Mercy Street: A Memoir and Resource Guide for Grieving Parents. Dr. David Adamson, MD, the Director of Fertility Physicians of Northern California and clinical professor at Stanford University’s School of Medicine also joins the show along with LCSW, Beth Jaeger-Skigen. A miscarriage loss is often disenfranchised, and that’s especially true in regards to the father as well […]

Valentines Day After the Loss of a Child

How can you heal after the loss of a child? This is the hot topic on a special webinar of the Open to Hope Foundation, featuring Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley interviewing Dr. Bob Baugher. He teaches grief and loss at Highline Community College, is an author at Open to Hope, and has also authored a number of books on grief, loss, and particularly child loss. Healing can be especially troubling on holidays, including Valentine’s Day. Deconstructing “behind the scenes” can help immensely. For example, Valentine’s Day is always associated with hearts, so asking yourself “Who do I hold in […]

Grief of Pregnancy Loss Often Dismissed

Pregnancy loss and infertility are the topics on this episode of The Grief Relief Show. It’s a loss that can be disenfranchising—especially when a miscarriage happens early in a pregnancy. Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley interview Chandrama Anderson, MFT, author of No U-Turn at Mercy Street: A Memoir and Resource Guide for Grieving Parents. Dr. Heidi Horsley has had two miscarriages and knows how difficult it can be to grieve. Many people don’t even know you’ve had a miscarriage, and Dr. Horsley points out that you’re not just losing the pregnancy, but you’re losing the future. Others such as fathers […]

Healing Through Creativity

Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley interview Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma, in episode 47 of The Open to Hope Foundation series. Additionally, they speak with Sharon Strouse, a bereaved parent who’s the author of Artful Grief: A Diary of Healing and a board certified art therapist. People can get stuck in grief, says Dr. van der Kolk, and not because people want to get stuck. Things can get in the way, people feel helpless, secrets can get involved and unresolved issues can bog down the […]

Teaching Children about Loss

David Meagher is a professor emeritus at The City University of New York. He spoke with Dr. Gloria Horsley of the Open to Hope Foundation about the unique ways children handle loss, and the hurdles they face. He wrote Zach and His Dog, a tool to help adults talk with children about loss. “When is it appropriate to teach a child how to swim—when the child is drowning?” he asks. Children have been learning about death almost since birth, but not in obvious ways. Take a look at many children’s nursery rhymes for example. Still, every child is different and […]

Families For Safe Streets: Preventing the Death of a Child

The Families for Safe Streets was founded by a group of bereaved parents committed to increasing their children’s safety. Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley interview Amy Cohen—Sammy’s mother—who works closely with this organization. She’s a founding member, along with Dana Lerner (mother of Cooper) who’s a psychotherapist. Sammy was killed while crossing the street in front of his house. Lerner works in private practice, and was influential in passing Cooper’s Law after he was killed when a cab ran over him in Manhattan. She also serves on the board of Cab Riders United. The death of a child is always […]

Annette Childs: Journey from Loss to Healing

Psychologist Dr. Annette Childs, author of Will You Dance?, talks with the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), and shares tips for journeying from grief to healing. Grief and loss are short words that have the power to bring even the strongest people to their knees. Dr. Childs began to see grief as faceless visitors with intense strength. Today, she helps hundreds of families each year who are suffering from a loss. Watching this unfold for so many is what inspired Dr. Childs to write her book, which is a companion to grievers around the world. It tells the […]

Grieving Children: How We Can Help Them

The Executive Director of the National Alliance for Grieving Children, Andy McNiel, joins Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley to talk about the organization and how to help bereaved children. Understanding that grief is an integral, personal and transitional part of life is critical. McNiel says understanding how grief impacts kids is key. There used to be a belief that children didn’t grieve because 1) they weren’t old enough and 2) many children hide their grief in order to protect their parents. In the past few decades, it’s been “discovered” that kids are capable of grief. Alan Pedersen, the Executive Director […]

Mothers and Daughters Working Together in the Healing World

Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley interview a fellow mother-daughter team, Susan Rice and Jodi Wass, at the National Alliance for Grieving Children conference. Working as mother and daughter presents some unique scenarios. It’s an exceptional feeling and an honor according to Rice. As an RN who’s worked in the field her entire life, Rice never expected her daughter (counselor and therapist) to also join a grief support network. It wasn’t planned, but the two went through grief training close to the same time. Working together has been a “fabulous experience.” For the Horsleys, it also wasn’t planned. Dr. Heidi Horsley […]

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