Walking Through Grief, Finding Hope in the Journey

Dr. Gloria Horsley – Ph.D., M.S. C.N.S., founder and president of the Open to Hope Foundation (www.opentohope.com),. She has been a therapist for more than 20 years, and is an internationally known grief expert; she speaks on the topic at conferences around the world. Dr. Gloria also co-hosts the syndicated internet radio show, “Open to Hope,” and has appeared on “The Today Show” and many other television and radio shows. Dr. Gloria is author of:

• Teen Grief Relief: Parenting with Understanding, Support and Guidance Real Men Do Cry: A Quarterback’s Inspiring Story of Tackling Depression and Surviving Suicide Loss
• In-Laws: A Guide to Extended Family Therapy
• The In-Law Survival Guide
• Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society: Bridging Research and Practice and
• Open to Hope: Inspirational Stories of Life, Loss and Love.

Dr. Gloria is the bereaved parent of Scott, 17.

Dr. Heidi Horsley – PsyD, LMSW, MS. She is a licensed psychologist and social worker. She is the co-founder and executive director of the Open to Hope Foundation (www.opentohope.com), and co-host of the Open to Hope radio show. Dr. Heidi is in private practice in Manhattan (www.DrHeidiHorsley.com). She is an adjunct professor at Columbia University, where she earned a master’s degree in social work. She earned her doctorate in psychology from the University of San Francisco. She lives in New York City with her husband, Markus Redding, and children Alexander and Samantha Dr. Heidi also:

• Presents regularly at conferences, including conferences of the Compassionate Friends and the Association of Death Education and Counseling.
• Consults with agencies such as the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), which works with military families.
• Appeared on ABC-TV’s “20/20”, and in articles in the Washington Post, Time magazine, and many other media.
• Consulted with the FDNY/Columbia University Family Guidance Program on a study of the families of firefighters killed in the World Trade Center on 9/11.
• Co-authored the books Real Men Do Cry: A Quarterback’s Inspiring Story of Tackling Depression and Surviving Suicide Loss; Teen Grief Relief: Parenting with Understanding Support and Guidance; Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society: Bridging Research and Practice; and Open to Hope: Inspirational Stories of Life, Loss and Love.

Dr. Heidi is the bereaved sister of Scott, 17

Nicole Alston – The Skye Foundation, advocate for complicated grief in persons of color, suicide in men of color, prenatal loss and a bereaved parent to Skye. The Skye Foundation was founded by Nicole and Paul Alston in memory of their newborn daughter Skye. Their vision is to raise awareness of the adverse outcomes of bleeding disorders related to pregnancy.  They envision The Skye Foundation to be a place where those who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth  or infant death, can receive comfort, knowing that they are not alone and realize the hope of restoration.  http://www.theskyefoundation.org/

Dr. Lyn Prashant – PhD, FT,  is a certified grief counselor (John F. Kennedy University’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology) with over 24 years’ experience in the field. Her training in bereavement counseling and her knowledge of somatic health care practices (she is a certified yoga instructor, massage therapist and physical education teacher) has led her to develop a unique and successful approach to grief counseling called “degriefing”. http://www.degriefing.com/index.html

Kris Munsch – The Birdhouse Project, speaker, writer/author – bereaved dad to Blake. Kris lost his sixteen-year-old son, Blake, in a tragic automobile accident on December 23, 2005. Overnight, Kris went from being a highly successful business owner to a reclusive basement-dweller. In 2009, he partnered with Jeff Fouquet to develop and write The Birdhouse Project: A Collaboration of The Heart, Mind and Hands. Currently, Kris is traveling the lower 48 states, living out of his vehicle, teaching the metaphor of the birdhouse and hoping this challenge will lead to new levels of self-discovery. To learn more about Kris’s journey. http://www.thebirdhouseproject.com/

Mitch Carmody – Artist, Author, Interpretive signing, keynote speaker. After suffering many familial losses from a young age and ultimately with the death of his nine year old son of cancer in 1987 Mitch has struggled with the grief journey and how grief is processed and perceived in this country.  He published a book in 2002 called “Letters To My Son, a journey through grief.  The book has now reached the bereaved in every state and 7 other countries.  From the book’s success he now travels locally and around the country lecturing on the grief process and/or conducting workshops on surviving the loss of a loved one. He has also conducted a variety of workshops with The Compassionate Friends, The Bobby Resciniti Healing Hearts Foundation and Bereaved Parents USA as well as a sought after speaker for many keynote presentations. http://www.heartlightstudios.net/home

Darcie Sims – PhD, CHT, CT, GMS, Darcie D. Sims, is a bereaved parent and child, a grief management specialist, a nationally certified thanatologist, a certified pastoral bereavement specialist and a licensed psychotherapist and hypnotherapist.  She is the author of Why Are the Casseroles Always Tuna, Footsteps Through the Valley, Touchstones and If I Could Just See Hope. She wrote and produced the videos Handling the Holidays and What Color is Dead: Death From A Child’s View as well as authored numerous chapters in professional books and textbooks.  Darcie is featured in the award-winning video series “Good Grief” produced by Iowa Public Television and has been featured in several other videos as well. http://www.griefinc.com/griefinc/

Once done, we will be given the series that will be used to help all parents and siblings that come to Bobby’s Place.