ABSTRACT
The notion that suffering can be transformative is not new. It is thousands of years old and reflected in the ideas and writings of the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and early Christians as well as in Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic belief systems (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1995; Tedeschi, Park, & Calhoun, 1998). Friedrich Nietzsche, a late-1800s philosopher and writer, famously stated “to live is to suffer; to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering” and “that which does not kill us makes us stronger.” Though mental health professionals have tended to focus on the negative consequences of stress and trauma, this way of thinking has been more recently applied in the counseling world and has significance for working with individuals impacted by parental suicide.
