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Seeing Death Clearly

Suicide, Grief and Depression with Rae Dumont

Mar 22, 2026 Episode 153

Jill McClennen

Host Jill McClennen, a death doula and funeral celebrant, speaks with Rae Dumont, a Belgian-born pediatrician turned family therapist, about caring for chronically ill children and why connection and honest, age-appropriate truth matter as much as clinical skill. Dumont discusses her novel, “In the Shadow of Silence,” about a father’s depression and suicide and the different ways children and a spouse who is also a psychiatrist process grief, shame, guilt, anger, and “what if” thinking, especially after sudden or violent loss. They contrast depression-related suicide with end-of-life choices in serious illness, and emphasize presence, compassion, and bearing witness when cure isn’t possible. The conversation also explores embracing mortality, how the mindset at death affects loved ones, preparing children for death through honesty, and the value of end-of-life planning and supportive conversations before a crisis.

01:31 Pediatrics to Family Therapy

03:11 Kids Need Honesty

03:45 Novel and Family Fallout

05:35 Why Fiction Not Memoir

07:22 Suicide Shame and Guilt

09:41 Violent Loss Trauma

11:40 Spouse as Psychiatrist

16:51 You Cant Save Everyone

18:26 Compassion Without Cure

20:48 Accepting Death Frees Life

22:40 End of Life vs Suicide

23:53 Talking Death With Kids