From the time that their sibling is diagnosed with a serious illness, the other children will need support. As the family dynamic shifts, new worries are present for both the sibling and the parent.
Dr. Plante will discuss common challenges experienced by siblings and provide guidance on helping siblings navigate the complications AND joys that show up as a result. This conversation will also highlight sibling strengths and resources that can help siblings feel seen and supported.
This event will take place on Thursday, January 23rd at 8:00 pm ET (7:00 pm CT, 6:00 pm MT, 5:00 pm PT).
Our Panel
Wendy Plante, PhD
For over twenty years, Dr. Plante has worked with siblings of children with illness and disability and their families and has been involved with research and training to address siblings’ needs. She facilitates sibling groups through the SibLink© program at Hasbro Children’s and Bradley Hospital. She also provides individual and family therapy and group experiences for siblings at the hospital where she works and in community settings, such as summer camps. She trains medical students and psychology and psychiatry trainees to be attuned to siblings’ needs and presents on sibling adjustment to parents, school personnel, and other professionals in the community. Most recently, she was proud to partner with SPARCC members in producing a video about sibling needs, assessment, and intervention and has presented on this topic at the Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers conference. She has received federal funding for her past research on siblings of children with diabetes and autism and has collaborated with Dr. Lobato on federally-funded research on Latinx siblings of children with intellectual disability. She is the Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Services and Pediatric Behavioral Health Integration at Hasbro Children’s and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown.
