David J. Roberts, LMSW, became a parent who experienced the death of a child when his daughter Jeannine died of cancer on 3/1/03 at the age of 18. He is a retired addiction professional and an adjunct professor in the psychology and psychology child-life departments at Utica College in Utica, New York.
Dave has been a past HuffPost contributor and has also published articles with the Open to Hope Foundation, Recovering the Self Journal, Mindfulness and Grief, Medium and Thrive Global. He has also co-authored a book with Reverend Patty Furino titled: When the Psychology Professor Met The Minister which was published in March of 2021.
Dave has also been a past national workshop facilitator for The Compassionate Friends and a past national workshop facilitator and keynote speaker for The Bereaved Parents of the USA. Dave also co-presented a workshop titled “Helping Faculty After Traumatic Loss” for the Parkland, Florida community in May of 2018, in the aftermath of the mass shootings at Stoneman Douglas High School. Dave was also a keynote speaker at The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Remembrance Weekend in June of 2019 in Ponte Verda, Florida. Dave has also done numerous workshops at the local and regional levels related to the transformation from grief and loss.
He has appeared on numerous radio and internet broadcasts and Open to Hope Television. Dave was also part of a panel in 2016 for the BBC Podcast, World Have Your Say, with other grief experts, discussing the death of Carrie Fisher.
Rev. Patty Furino chooses to walk a sacred path obtaining wisdom from a variety of spiritual practices and philosophies.
After completing a two-year program at the New Seminary in New York City she was ordained an Interfaith Minister in June 1998, at St. John the Divine Cathedral. She was inspired to embrace other spiritual paths "never instead of, always in addition to" by the founder, Rabbi Joseph Gelberman. She made a vow to learn to walk through life like the Masters helping people through challenging times offering hope, following the motto of St. Francis, "Make me an Instrument of Peace."
The goal of her ministry work is to empower others to discover and develop their own unique life paths. Her hope is to inspire a peaceful perspective for people during their challenging times. She feels sometimes people just need someone to bear witness to their stories and offer hope. Spending time with her, most people feel they have found a lifelong friend. She has found great satisfaction in inspiring others during their challenging times. She believes she is brought into people's lives through Divine Intervention and views her life as a Sacred Journey.
Website: https://psychologyprofessorandminister.com
Book: When The Psychology Professor Met The Minister
Referenced in this episode:
Poem: When Tomorrow Starts Without Me, by David M. Romano
Book: Sacred Path Cards, by Jamie Sams
