If you're anything like me, on January 6th, 2021, you perhaps mindlessly checked the news, like you would on any other day… but you quickly learned that it wasn't just any other day. You marveled at the pictures… pictures of people scaling the Capitol building, pictures of men in tactical gear with fists full of zip-ties walking through the aisles of the Senate, pictures of confederate flags being held defiantly and proudly. I just sat there, mouth agape, completely stunned by what I was seeing.

It was surreal and terrifying.

As the dust settles in the Capitol, having welcomed a new administration only yesterday, I find myself asking, “Now what?”  I still don't completely understand all of the factors that got us here, now… where brazen symbols of White Supremacy are splashed across headlines, flagpoles, and bumpers.  Though I, like many, could make some solid guesses, it's not my area of expertise, and I have so many questions. How did we get here, and what the heck do we do about it now?

Well, you know me… I sought someone to answer those questions. Yesterday (yes, just yesterday!), I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Brian Van Brunt, a man who has dedicated much of his career to understanding extremist belief systems and the threats posed by these ideologies. 

This wasn't the intense, combative interview I feared it might be; I think we're all fatigued by the divisiveness.  Interviewing Brian was fascinating, powerful, and somehow calming… I felt like I had a little bit more clarity on all of it, and also a clearer direction about my part in it, as a human, an American, and a therapist.  Not to mention my part as a White person, as a member of multiple historically marginalized populations, and as a mother of children of Color.  

I know that this is a complicated and emotionally-laden topic, and that it's tempting to avoid talking about as a result… it feels too ‘political,’ with this urge to tiptoe around it.  Politics are part of our lives, and what's part of our lives is part of therapy.  If we have any hope of healing these divides, we need to start somewhere and begin to understand them.  There's much more to be said on this topic than we could cover in just an hour, however, it's a start… may the elements we did discuss pave the way for the other elements we will discuss. 

We decided to make this into a free CE course… it's too important.  As such, I present to you: White Supremacist Violence: Understanding the Resurgence and Stopping the Spread.  If you don't need CE credit, you can listen to the interview on our podcast page for free; the free podcast episode is also available on ApplePodcasts, GooglePlay, and many other podcast platforms.

Do me a favor, please?  Share this free CE with your network via email, and share it on social media.  I'm so appreciative of Brian's work and time, and hope his wisdom brings you solace and clarity during this bizarre and unsettling time. 

Take care, my dear colleagues. You are warriors, weary though you may be.

-Beth Irias, LMFT
Clearly Clinical President & Founder