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By viewing sibling loss as its own category of grief, we allow for a better understanding of its complexity.

Many survivors of sibling loss experience a loss of identity and role within their family.

Differentiating between types of losses can help name and describe unique grieving experiences.

Despite having personally experienced “sibling loss” twice, as well as supporting others who have gone through it in my role as a psychotherapist, I was not aware that there was specific terminology for the loss of a brother or sister until recently. But learning that this type of loss has a name has been helpful to me in my continued processing of the loss of my younger brothers, as I imagine it may be for many others who have lost siblings. Understanding sibling loss as a unique type of loss that elicits a unique type of grief can be helpful in supporting those who have lost siblings and in broadening our vocabulary around grief and loss.

Broadening the Categorization

Any loss is difficult and worthy of empathy and understanding, but certain types of losses are more easily and readily categorized than others. For instance, we can all feel for a person whose parent, grandparent, child, or spouse has died. But how often do we truly recognize the depth of pain for those who have lost best friends, colleagues, mentors, pets, and other important beings in their lives? This is certainly not to suggest that certain losses are more significant than others, nor to turn grief........

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