About JOY CAROL  

"Joy and her friend Ginny Flack"

Joy Carol is an author, conference speaker, spiritual director, workshop and retreat leader at seminaries, churches, medical schools, retreat centers, schools, and other locations. She lectures and speaks on such topics as spirituality, healing, friendship, care-giving, burnout, dealing with loneliness, aging, healing for dying and living. Her recent books include Towers of Hope: Stories to Help Us Heal (published by Forest of Peace Publishing, U.S. in 2002), Finding Courage: Stories of Spiritual, Emotional, Social and Political Healing (published by Veritas Publications in Europe, 2002),  Journeys of Courage (published in Europe in 2003 and in the United States by Sorin Books/Ave Maria Press  in 2004. Her newest book The Fabric of Friendship: Celebrating the Joys, Mending the Tears in Women's Relationships was published in October, 2006 by Sorin Books/Ave Maria Press.

 
Over the last 25 years, Joy has also been an educator (the Outstanding Young Educator of the USA), counselor, women in development specialist, and manager of international development programs. She has lived and worked in the developing world for organizations such as the Ford Foundation, the United Nations Development Programme, Save the Children, and the Christian Children's Fund.

Joy holds an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from Nebraska Wesleyan University, master's degrees in Spiritual Direction from the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church and in counseling psychology from the University of Maryland. She has also done graduate studies in Asian Affairs, women and development, and management at Scarritt College, New York University, and Harvard University. Eleven years ago Joy had three close encounters with death and has since dedicated her life to spirituality and healing. She is a volunteer for the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and the Central Park Conservancy. She has been trained and is experienced in trauma counseling, grief and bereavement counseling, death and dying, hospice work, healing techniques, Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, imagery, and meditation.