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Finding Stillness in Grief: Fire Chaplain Lee Atherton on End-of-Life Support, Resilience, and Healing
Description
Angela interviews Lee Atherton, a fire chaplain and end-of-life grief and resilience coach with over 15 years of experience, about helping people navigate dying, grief, and the unique challenges faced by first responders who regularly witness death. Lee shares how she moved from aspiring parish ministry into hospice chaplaincy and then fire chaplaincy, focusing on tools and resources that help people process emotions rather than suppress them, reducing fear and accumulated stress that can end careers. They discuss how grief differs across losses, how support should resonate with the individual, and how telling one’s story can aid healing without “getting over” grief. Lee also describes Shadow, her former service dog turned crisis response dog, including a story from the Florida condo collapse where Shadow helped a survivor finally share her experience.
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