Peanut Gallery, a Documentary: Interview with Molly Gandour

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling) conference, I spoke with Molly Gandour about her documentary ‘Peanut Gallery’. Her film explores the death of her sister and how she and her parents just recently learned to talk about it.

Molly went home to Indiana a few years ago, where she grew up, to speak with her parents for the first time about the death of her sister.

Molly was just 10 years old when her sister died, and she and her parents had never really spoken about it. Molly’s film is a story of her family learning how to speak to each other.

In the video below, Molly shares some advice for parents about how to help their kids through a sibling loss.

Here are some key takeaways from the video:

Being willing to listen is Molly’s key piece of advice. When a family is all dealing with their own grief, it’s difficult to listen to someone else talk about how they feel.
Molly suggests that parents make the effort to talk to their kids about how they feel after a sibling loss.
Molly was able to find hope again after her sibling died through making her film. Making the film helped her re-engage with the rest of her life. Reinvesting in the relationship with her parents help Molly reinvest in the other relationships in her life.
Molly’s film should be finished at the end of the summer, and a trailer for it will be out soon. For more information, visit peanutgallerydoc.com .

For more video interviews, please see the Open To Hope YouTube channel.

Gloria Horsley

Dr. Gloria Horsley is an internationally known grief expert, psychotherapist, and bereaved parent. She started "Open to Hope" to help the millions in the world with grief. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Clinical Nurse Specialist, and has worked in the field of family therapy for over 20 years. Dr. Horsley hosts the syndicated internet radio show, The Grief Blog which is one of the top ranked shows on Health Voice America. She serves the Compassionate Friends in a number of roles including as a Board of Directors, chapter leader, workshop facilitator, and frequently serves as media spokesperson. Dr. Horsley is often called on to present seminars throughout the country. She has made appearances on numerous television and radio programs including "The Today Show," "Montel Williams," and "Sallie Jessie Raphael." In addition, she has authored a number of articles and written several books including Teen Grief Relief with Dr. Heidi Horlsey, and The In-Law Survival Guide.