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In this episode of The Broken Pack™: Stories of Sibling Loss, Dr. Dean talks with Dr. Christina Zampitella, a licensed psychologist, thanatologist, and founder of the Center for Grief and Trauma Therapy in Delaware. Dr. Z lost her brother Damien to a drug overdose on Christmas Day when he was just 22 years old. This episode explores the lifelong impact of sibling loss, the complicated grief that comes with loving someone through addiction, and what it truly means to carry your sibling with you. In this episode you will:

• Hear Dr. Z's story of how losing Damien became the foundation of her life's work.
• Learn what surviving siblings need to know about grief integration, STUGs, maintaining a continued bond, and why there is no "getting over it"
• Be inspired by Dr. Z's resilience through cumulative losses & her commitment to honoring those she has loved and lost.

Connect with Dr. Christina Zampitella:

• Website: https://www.centerforgrieftherapy.com/staff/dr-christina-zampitella-ft/
• Podcast: Phoenix Rising with Dr. Z — available on all platforms
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC-jU_InSFb-lXZhRkWaDDIw
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phoenixrisingwithdrz/
• All links: https://linktr.ee/phoenixrising_drz

Resources:

• In the US:
  • If you believe you are witnessing an overdose, call 911 or your country’s emergency number immediately even if you are administering Narcan.
  • Call SAMHSA’s National Helpline is 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or Text your 5-digit ZIP Code to 435748 (HELP4U) or call a warmline.
  • For more immediate crisis call 911, 988, or go to the nearest emergency room.
  • Peer support warmlines by state : https://warmline.org/warmdir.html
• International
  • In the UK, related resources:

Support the show

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.

Please like, subscribe, and share!

Please follow us on social media:
Facebook: @BrokenPack
Instagram: @thebrokenpack
TikTok: @the_broken_pack
YouTube: @thebrokenpack

Sign-up for Wild Grief™, our newsletter: https://thebrokenpack.substack.com/

Thank you!
Angela M. Dean, PsyD, FT

Credits:
The Broken Pack™ Podcast is produced by Not Done Here Media

"If Tomorrow Starts Without Me" © ℗ 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Performed by Fuji Sounds (feat. Joe Mylward)
Written by Joe Mylward and Brian Dean
Licensed for use to The Broken Pack™
Now available on all streaming platforms including Apple Music & Spotify: https://tiny...

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After more than 18 months of silence, The Broken Pack™ podcast is back, and Dr. Angela Dean is sharing everything.

In this return episode, Dr. Angela Dean, psychologist, thanatologist, bereaved sibling, and host of The Broken Pack™, opens up about why she went quiet, what grief looked and felt like from the inside, and what is coming next for this community of surviving siblings and sibling loss survivors.

Where Dr. Dean Has Been: After nearly five years since losing her brother Tony, something shifted in fall 2024. Despite consistently showing up, recording episodes, building community, and training with Dr. Robert Neimeyer at the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition, she found herself unable to continue at that pace. She reflects on the paradox of avoiding her own grief while pursuing advanced training in grief therapy, and why she needed to step away from narrating loss in order to actually live it.

The Personal Losses Behind the Silence: An adult child moving across the globe, shifts in family dynamics, estrangement, and the growing weight of being her parents' only living child, a reality her brother Tony is no longer here to share.

What Brought Her Back: A grief retreat through the Portland Institute reconnected her with her purpose. After recording an episode with Karin McLean, Dr. Dean began noticing signs from Tony, wolves, Pittsburgh references, and childhood memories only he would have known.

Big News for Surviving Siblings: The Broken Pack is expanding to welcome ALL sibling loss survivors, including those who lost siblings in childhood or before birth. The Wild Grief newsletter moves to Substack, and a sibling loss book club is launching.

Upcoming guests: Dr. Christina Zampitella, Nina Rodriguez, Dr. Heidi Horsley, Susan Kellum, Karin McClean, Anne Pinkerton, Earl Dawn Legault, and sibling loss survivor stories from Valerie, Amy, Paige, Amanda, Jayden, Deidra, and many more.

Support the show

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.

Please like, subscribe, and share!

Please follow us on social media:
Facebook: @BrokenPack
Instagram: @thebrokenpack
TikTok: @the_broken_pack
YouTube: @thebrokenpack

Sign-up for Wild Grief™, our newsletter: https://thebrokenpack.substack.com/

Thank you!
Angela M. Dean, PsyD, FT

Credits:
The Broken Pack™ Podcast is produced by Not Done Here Media

"If Tomorrow Starts Without Me" © ℗ 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Performed by Fuji Sounds (feat. Joe Mylward)
Written by Joe Mylward and Brian Dean
Licensed for use to The Broken Pack™
Now available on all streaming platforms including Apple Music & Spotify: https://tiny...

Send us a message!

In this episode of The Broken Pack™: Stories of Sibling Loss, Dr. Dean talks with Kate Chertik, a Pittsburgh woman navigating the devastating grief of losing her brother, Larry, to a fatal scooter accident caused by a city pothole. As a surviving sibling, Kate shares her raw emotions, the impact on her family, and how she turned her grief into advocacy for scooter safety. This episode explores the complexities of sibling loss, the importance of support systems for surviving siblings, and the power of turning tragedy into action.

In this episode you will:

• Hear Kate's powerful story of losing her best friend and brother in a tragic scooter accident has led to advocacy for scooter safety and creation of a support group for sibling loss survivors.
• Be inspired by Kate's resilience and unwavering commitment to honoring her brother's memory.

Support the show

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.

Please like, subscribe, and share!

Please follow us on social media:
Facebook: @BrokenPack
Instagram: @thebrokenpack
TikTok: @the_broken_pack
YouTube: @thebrokenpack

Sign-up for Wild Grief™, our newsletter: https://thebrokenpack.substack.com/

Thank you!
Angela M. Dean, PsyD, FT

Credits:
The Broken Pack™ Podcast is produced by Not Done Here Media

"If Tomorrow Starts Without Me" © ℗ 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Performed by Fuji Sounds (feat. Joe Mylward)
Written by Joe Mylward and Brian Dean
Licensed for use to The Broken Pack™
Now available on all streaming platforms including Apple Music & Spotify: https://tiny...