Suffering always hurts. For me, suffering makes me feel like the ground has fallen out beneath me… nothing makes sense when I'm sitting in suffering, and, when I breathe, it feels like I'm never actually taking in a full breath. Many of you know this pain, and it's a kind of distress that the pandemic has also inspired, over and over again.

The pandemic has brought each of us our own unique brand of grief, distress, and suffering.

So here we are, about a year after the lockdowns rocked us. None of us knew just how dark these days would get, and how long this would last. Here we are. Here we STILL are. How in the world do we make sense of it?

I had the great honor of interviewing Dr. Daryl Van Tongeren and Sara Showalter Van Tongeren, LCSW, on this very topic, a grounded power couple who authored the book The Courage To Suffer and have dedicated their lives to researching, understanding, and supporting people in suffering and moving forward.

Some conversations soothe my rowdy, restless heart… this was one of them. When the interview ended, I said to them, “Whelp, I'm going to go have a good cry and a walk around the block,” and they both nodded and smiled that warm, knowing smile (you know the kind of smile I'm talking about).

Interview Guests Sara Showalter Van Tongeren, LCSW, and Dr. Daryl Van Tongeren

We've each stored so much pain in the last year due to the pandemic, not to mention the other parts of our lives that have continued on in the background, the other losses we've accumulated. And, goodness knows, you've each been like shepherds to your flock of clients, holding space for their grief while also holding your own.

This free CE course is our weird little anniversary gift to you. It's a small way we can acknowledge what you've done in the last year, you healers and holders of hope. We invite you to enroll in The Science of Suffering and Moving Forward- The Pandemic and Beyond, eligible for 1 free CE credit hour with the APA, NBCC, ASWB, CAMFT, NAADAC, and CCAPP. Please visit the course landing page for additional information about the course, including description, learning objectives, presenter bios, etc.

Please spread the word about this free CE with your network. I'm so appreciative of the Van Tongerenses for their work and time, and we hope this interview brings you not only some clinical clarity, but a little bit of personal healing and a much-needed emotional release, too.

Take care, my dear colleagues. Your work is invaluable.

-Elizabeth ‘Beth’ Irias, LMFT