A Chaplain's Grief: Surviving Sibling Loss in a Pandemic

Sibling Loss, Death Rituals, and Grieving Publicly

On this episode of the podcast, The Broken Pack: Stories of Sibling Loss, Dr. Dean talks with surviving sibling,  pastor and chaplain Kent Chevalier about his grief experience of sibling loss: losing his brother, JH, to COVID-19. Kent is on staff with Athletes in Action serving as the Chaplain of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

• Kent describes the difficulty of grieving  his brother in the midst of a pandemic.
• He describes how setting boundaries in his mourning period and learning to ask for help were difficult and necessary given his public roles.
• In processing his sibling loss related grief, Kent shares how many grief rituals kept him and others from truly processing grief and how he believes they can reinforce unhealthy beliefs about death.

Additional key points:

• Kent describes how processing grief through written expression and through an intensive grief therapy helped him learn to efficiently experience grief bursts.
• Together, Dr. Dean and Kent explore the pressure for  helpers and leaders to be the ones helping others, making it difficult for them to accept assistance. 

To learn more about Kent and his work including his podcast, please go to his website: https://www.teamchevalier.com/home

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If you would like more information or to share your own sibling loss story, please contact Dr. Angela Dean at contact@thebrokenpack.com or go to our website, thebrokenpack.com.

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Thank you!
Angela M. Dean, PsyD, FT, GTMR

Credits:
The Broken Pack: Stories of Sibling Loss  is produced by Not Done Here Media

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