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

The Broken Pack: Stories of Sibling Loss

Chapters
0:00
Intro
1:43
About Kent
3:03
About JH
4:52
Growing Up
6:17
Losing JH
8:28
Boundaries in Kent's Grief
11:32
Saying Goodbye to JH
15:34
Coping Through Poetry
16:28
Death Parade
18:47
People Say Stupid Things
20:42
Grief is an Anvil
24:27
Remembering JH
27:28
Grief Waves and Bursts
29:58
Learning to Be Curious in His Grief
31:30
Asking for Help
35:53
Celebrating JH's Life in COVID Times
38:03
Complex Family Dynamics
42:16
Having Support
45:53
Learning to Receive Help as a Helper
48:18
Favorite Memories with JH
51:48
Outro
The Broken Pack: Stories of Sibling Loss
A Chaplain's Grief: Surviving Sibling Loss in a Pandemic
Mar 15, 2023 Episode 10
Dr. Angela Dean

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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