Why do your patients and clients suffer?

Albert Einstein once said, “If I am given 60 minutes to solve a problem, I will use 55 minutes to understand it and 5 minutes to solve it.”

As clinicians, we entered this field to help cease suffering. How we do this may vary, but doing it is absolutely our common goal. Because it is a common goal, regardless of how much we may differ in achieving this goal, applying the problem-solving process that Einstein alluded to is both a logical and a responsible way to start.

In other words, what causes suffering? Why do our patients and clients suffer?

SWEET Institute’s ultimate vision is to help cease suffering for at least 25% of our world population-that is about 2 billion individuals. Our strategy is to raise awareness through education, which consists of unlearning and re-learning, which is a transformative education.

We do not have a lack of information in the world but rather a lack of true understanding. In other words, knowledge is not power, rather, potential power, which can be harnessed only after a true understanding leading to full implementation.

For this type of education to take place, a different model is needed. Instead of simply teaching or lecturing, the SWEET Institute, drawing from the latest adult learning theories, uses the SWEET Model, which consists of the SWEET Paradigm, the SWEET Framework, and the SWEET Formula.

The SWEET Paradigm consists of five elements:

1. The Socratic Method

2. The Desired Method

3. The Collective Learning

4. Critical Thinking

5. Mastery

The SWEET Framework consists of the following five components:

1. The Principles

2. The Techniques

3. The Steps

4. The Do’s

5. The Don’ts

 The SWEET Formula consists of 5 steps:

1. The Why

2. The What

3. The How

4. The What Then

5. The Then What

In a nutshell, the above is the SWEET Model, which we will elaborate on in subsequent articles. For now, let us go back to suffering. If we are to cease suffering by raising awareness, which takes place through transformative education, we, clinicians, are the pioneers.  This means we, clinicians, are to go through this transformative education first, to raise our own awareness to help our patients and clients do the same.

“We cannot give what we don’t have,” like many clichés, this quote is often misunderstood, leading us to neglect its significance. However, it is no small piece of wisdom, its implications are much farther reaching than we may imagine, and we will get to appreciate them as we go through our own transformation and raise our own awareness.

The first level or state of awareness is that of suffering. Unfortunately, this is where almost all of us start due to our process of socialization, and statistically, we are more likely to stay there until something takes place. Like Einstein says, “Nothing happens unless something moves,” and this is exactly what needs to happen if anyone of us is to leave behind our own suffering state to then help our patients and clients cease their own.

You may be thinking that you are not suffering, but we are going to tell you how to know whether you are or not:

In your life, in your relationships, in your interactions, is any of the following happening more often than not?

1. Shame or embarrassment

2. Guilt

3. Grief

4. Fear

5. Anger

6. False and anxious pride?

If you say yes in reference to at least one of the above, then we have bad news for you, you are suffering, just like our patients and clients are.

On January 22, 2021, we will be starting a monthly one-year certificate course where we will be going over each of the above sublevels of suffering, also known as Sublevels of Awareness. We will also go through the levels of awareness that are higher than these, help you reach them, leave behind your sublevels of suffering, and help your patients and clients do the same.

In the meantime, we have, at any given moment, 5 certificate courses going on, in addition to our daily 12pm EST webinars.

We are all in this field to help cease suffering. We are doing our part by providing the space for all of us clinicians, and now, you can do your part by making use of these available services.

Are you ready to play your part? If so, register for at least one of them, and we look forward to working together and cease suffering for all of us, our loved ones, and our patients and clients.

To repeat Einstein, “If I am given 60 minutes to solve a problem, I will use 55 minutes to understand it and 5 minutes to solve it.” These 55 minutes to understand suffering start here at SWEET, and we look forward to welcoming you.

Welcome to saying goodbye to suffering and to helping your loved ones and patients and clients do the same.

See you soon,
Karen and Mardoche

About the Authors:

Karen Dubin-McKnight, PhD, LCSW, is a Columbia-trained Social Worker with wide clinical, teaching, and supervision experience. She also has a background in management, mentorship, and leadership that spans almost 20 years. Her added passion is in advocacy, coaching, public relations, and mediation. Her goal is to ensure that social workers and women feel empowered and have a voice “at the table.” She has previously held Executive level positions, and two other directorships in different organizations. She is currently Adjunct Faculty at Columbia University School of Social Work and Adelphi University School of Social Work. She also maintains a private practice, working with individuals who have experienced loss and trauma, and also provides clinical and management supervision.

Mardoche Sidor, MD is a Harvard-trained Quadruple Board Certified Psychiatrist, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University, School of Physicians and Surgeons. He is trained in and taught all the major psychotherapeutic modalities, including and not limiting to CBT, DBT, Family Systems,  and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. He is also the author of 3 books including Journey to Empowerment; Discovering Your Worth; and The Power of Faith. Dr. Sidor has worked both as a primary care physician and as Medical director in three different settings, including as Chief Medical Officer of Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES). He is the Founder and CEO of the SWEET Institute.