The death of a sibling is a great loss.
Love them, fight with them, hate them, be soul mates with them… regardless, our siblings are connected to us through blood or adoption. Their death can shake our world, and the path of grief that opens before us can be difficult to understand. If you are on this page because of such a loss you have our deepest compassion. Below are resources created by caring people who understand the loss by death of a sibling. We hope that you find support for your grief journey here.
Web Resources:
General Grief Support:
Canadian Virtual Hospice
http://www.mygrief.ca/
What’s Your Grief
https://whatsyourgrief.com/
Center For Loss & Life Transition
https://www.centerforloss.com/grief/
Heal Grief
https://healgrief.org/grieving-the-death-of-a-spouse/
PsychCentral - The Ball in the Box
https://psychcentral.com/blog/coping-with-grief-the-ball-the-box#1
Wise Old Sayings
http://www.wiseoldsayings.com/grieving-support-guide/
Sibling-Specific:
Cancer.Net
http://www.cancer.net/coping-with-cancer/managing-emotions/grief-and-loss/grieving-loss-sibling
Grief Speaks
http://www.griefspeaks.com/id46.html
The Coping Center
http://www.copingcentre.com/sibling-grief
The Centre for the Grief Journey
http://www.griefjourney.com/wp/adams/for-grieving-people/loss-of-a-sibling/
Web Resources:
General Grief Support:
Canadian Virtual Hospice
http://www.mygrief.ca/
What’s Your Grief
https://whatsyourgrief.com/
Center For Loss & Life Transition
https://www.centerforloss.com/grief/
Heal Grief
https://healgrief.org/grieving-the-death-of-a-spouse/
PsychCentral - The Ball in the Box
https://psychcentral.com/blog/coping-with-grief-the-ball-the-box#1
Wise Old Sayings
http://www.wiseoldsayings.com/grieving-support-guide/
Sibling-Specific:
Cancer.Net
http://www.cancer.net/coping-with-cancer/managing-emotions/grief-and-loss/grieving-loss-sibling
Grief Speaks
http://www.griefspeaks.com/id46.html
The Coping Center
http://www.copingcentre.com/sibling-grief
The Centre for the Grief Journey
http://www.griefjourney.com/wp/adams/for-grieving-people/loss-of-a-sibling/
Articles
Helping Yourself Heal When an Adult Sibling Dies by Alan Wolfelt, Ph.D.
http://griefwords.com/index.cgi?action=page&page=articles%2Fadult_sibling.html&site_id=2
When a Child’s Sibling Dies by Tamekia Reece, Parents Magazine
http://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/advice/what-to-do-when-a-sibling-dies/
http://griefwords.com/index.cgi?action=page&page=articles%2Fadult_sibling.html&site_id=2
When a Child’s Sibling Dies by Tamekia Reece, Parents Magazine
http://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/advice/what-to-do-when-a-sibling-dies/
Books
Surviving the Death of Sibling: Living Through Grief
T.J. Wray, ISBN-13: 978-0609809808
Healing the Adult Sibling’s Grieving Heart: 100 Practical Ideas After Your Brother or Sister Dies
Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D., ASIN: B00DEK8IX4
Sibling Grief: Healing After the Death of a Sister or Brother
Pleasant White, ASIN: B01MU60HBD
For Children:
Where’s Jess: For Children Who Have a Brother or Sister Die
Marvin Johnson, ASIN: B004J8HS7W
The Empty Place: A Child’s Guide Through Grief
Roberta Temes, Ph.D., ASIN: B01FIWU4FK
The Invisible String: A Child’s Guide Through Grief
Patricia Karst, ASIN: B004ZIUCF6
T.J. Wray, ISBN-13: 978-0609809808
Healing the Adult Sibling’s Grieving Heart: 100 Practical Ideas After Your Brother or Sister Dies
Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D., ASIN: B00DEK8IX4
Sibling Grief: Healing After the Death of a Sister or Brother
Pleasant White, ASIN: B01MU60HBD
For Children:
Where’s Jess: For Children Who Have a Brother or Sister Die
Marvin Johnson, ASIN: B004J8HS7W
The Empty Place: A Child’s Guide Through Grief
Roberta Temes, Ph.D., ASIN: B01FIWU4FK
The Invisible String: A Child’s Guide Through Grief
Patricia Karst, ASIN: B004ZIUCF6
Videos
Jamie Heywood: The big idea my brother inspired
When Jamie Heywood's brother was diagnosed with ALS, he devoted his life to fighting the disease as well. The Heywood brothers built an ingenious website where people share and track data on their illnesses - and they discovered that the collective data had enormous power to comfort, explain and predict.
Dr. Robert Neimeyer: The Three R's of Processing Grief
Dr. Robert Neimeyer talks about Retelling, Rebuilding, and Reinventing after grief at the Association for Death Education and Counseling annual conference.
Walking with Grief: Mindy Cassel at TEDxCoconutGrove
Mindy Cassel speaking at TEDxCoconutGrove at Ransom Everglades School in Miami, Florida about her observations that the loss of a loved one is not something we should get over or move past, but instead something we must integrate into our lives. Mindy is a licensed psychologist and thanatologist and the co-founder and CEO of the Children's Bereavement Center (CBC). The CBC provides free peer support to children, teens, and adults (18 years and older), and their families after the loss of a loved one. Mindy came to this work after 25 years of studying and working with individuals and families who experienced traumatic illness, accidents and major life transitions. Her doctoral dissertation was in the study of attachment and loss, which gave her the theoretical underpinnings to do her current work.
The Moment My Sibling Passed Away
“That number doesn’t work anymore…”
A Family Disrupted: Dealing with the Death of a Sibling
This video is helpful for bereaved adult siblings. You will hear how three adult siblings have experienced their grief, what has helped them and ways they honor and keep connections to the memories of their siblings.