Matthew L. Schwartz

MSW Student at the University of Buffalo School of Social Work and Community Care Coordinator: Health Home & Jewish Community Services at Jewish Family Service of Buffalo & Erie County

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Pre-Episode 1 (Welcome)

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Apples of Wrath?

Apples of Wrath?

According to author Hal Borland, there are people who would rather summer never end, and who would be much happier if we never made the transition into autumn at all. These same people often hope, unsuccessfully, that the world will do exactly what they want in other areas as well. Unfortunately, you and I (and usually these summer loving folks) usually know that this isn’t…

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Why I Don’t Answer The Phone: Lessons on Sacred Space, Self Care & Executive Functioning

Why I Don’t Answer The Phone: Lessons on Sacred Space, Self Care & Executive Functioning

If you try to call me at my office, you’ll immediately get a voicemail asking you to leave a message and telling you that I’ll call you back (and offering you hotline numbers to call if you’re in crisis). If you call me at home, you’ll soon find that, almost magically, my phone there also goes to voicemail. No call screening, no maybe I’ll pick up, just a very matter of fact this is what my…

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What's Missing From Our Conversation About Suicide and Mental Health

What’s Missing From Our Conversation About Suicide and Mental Health

The very short answer, on a larger scale, is intersectionality and Macro Social Work practice (and these of course include obtaining funds and access to Mental Health services, access to parity in Healthcare, a broad societal change, and more). The perhaps more honest answer, on a micro-level, is an understanding that most people (while meaning well) don’t know how to talk about suicide and…

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Mussar Musings: Trust & Faith

Mussar Musings: Trust & Faith

This past week’s Mussar practice was to work on developing the Middah of Trust. For those who use Every Day, Holy Day: 365 Days of Teachings and Practices from the Jewish Tradition of Mussar as their daily text, our phrase this past week has been “I rest in the hands of my Maker,” and our practice has been “When you feel worried, recite the phrase, ‘My life is in the hands of the One who made me.”

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Permission to Nuke The Whales

Permission to Nuke The Whales

One of the traps that I think some of my clients (and even myself, to be honest) can get caught up in is that generally we want to do the right thing, and that sometimes we want to do the right thing so much that it becomes deleterious to our overall well-being and daily functioning. I think this is especially true if one has a chronic disease, disability, condition, or illness.

For instance, if…

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Supervision

Every Wednesday my mentor and I have supervision at my field placement. This time is – and I hesitate to use this word, but it’s the best one I have – a sacred time, and I truly treasure it.

The notion of supervision in Social Work can be confusing to those outside of our profession: it doesn’t mean that my supervisor is in my session watching me interact with client (that’s observation). Rather,…

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Boundaries, Scope, Diagnosis & Diagnosis Dilution

Boundaries, Scope, Diagnosis & Diagnosis Dilution

“No doctor should assume responsibility for the health of one he loves or one he hates” – Dr. Michaels, And Be a Villain, A Nero Wolfe Mystery by Rex Stout

These words were written by one of my favorite authors in 1974, as Dr. Michaels was being interviewed by Nero Wolfe and his sidekick, Archie Goodwin, as they worked to take down the nefarious Arnold Zek.

Boundaries Boundaries are not only…

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Adults Have Kids (or The Wisdom of Not Always Being Placed Where We Want)

Adults Have Kids (or The Wisdom of Not Always Being Placed Where We Want)

I am not a kid person. I general I dislike having to deal with any children that are not my Godson, or any of my adopted nieces and nephews. In fact, when I adopted my cat they said “you need to be warned, she doesn’t like loud noises or children” and my response was “perfect, we’ll get along just fine!”

Entering the MSW program in my 30’s I had a relatively good idea of where and what I wanted…

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On Goal Setting & Advice Giving

On Goal Setting & Advice Giving

I believe that one of the mistakes that those in the various and affiliated helping professions can find themselves making is falling into is the trap of giving advice (speaking of, this post isn’t advice to anyone: it’s just my beliefs. Take it, leave it, modify it…the choice is entirely yours).

I am of the very strong belief that the only ones who should ever be giving out advice professionally…

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36 Steps in in 12 Hours: Meeting Our Clients Where They Are

36 Steps in in 12 Hours: Meeting Our Clients Where They Are

While I am working to complete my Master’s of Social Work (MSW) I am also completing my CASAC (Credentialed Alcohol & Substance Abuse Counselor) credential alongside it as well.

For one of my classes, The Nature and Treatment of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems, we are required to go to three 12-step meetings. This is not the first time I’ve been required to go to 12-step meetings, and I always…

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Conserving Spoons

A little bit of using self in Social Work.

Two weeks ago I fell at my Field Placement. I was walking down the hall (using my cane, not my rollator – my first mistake!) and all of a sudden my muscles decided that it was time to take a lunch break without me. I fell backwards, scared all of the staff who were around me and came rushing to my aid, and I required four people to help lift me off the…

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Blessing For The Open of a Refugee Sanctuary

Blessing For The Open of a Refugee Sanctuary

Blessed are You oh God! God of our fathers and mothers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, God of Sarah, God of Rebecca, God of Rachel, and God of Leah!

God who wrestled with Jacob and was overcome by him, and so had it proclaimed “Jacob your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans, and you have overcome!”

You, God, who in Your…

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Center for the Spirit (Part I) #TraumaInformedCare #TIC #TraumaInformedDesign #TID #InclusiveDesign #InclusiveByDesign #MedicalDesign #Design #Medical #MedicalSocialWork #SocialWork #RoadToMSW #Research #UseOfSelfInResearch #Mayo #MayoClinic #Rochester #MN #RochesterMN Center for the Spirit (Part I) #TraumaInformedCare #TIC #TraumaInformedDesign #TID #InclusiveDesign #InclusiveByDesign #MedicalDesign #Design #Medical #MedicalSocialWork #SocialWork #RoadToMSW #Research #UseOfSelfInResearch #Mayo #MayoClinic #Rochester #MN #RochesterMN

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Center for the Spirit (Part II) #TraumaInformedCare #TIC #TraumaInformedDesign #TID #InclusiveDesign #InclusiveByDesign #MedicalDesign #Design #Medical #MedicalSocialWork #SocialWork #RoadToMSW #Research #UseOfSelfInResearch #Mayo #MayoClinic #Rochester #MN #RochesterMN Center for the Spirit (Part II) #TraumaInformedCare #TIC #TraumaInformedDesign #TID #InclusiveDesign #InclusiveByDesign #MedicalDesign #Design #Medical #MedicalSocialWork #SocialWork #RoadToMSW #Research #UseOfSelfInResearch #Mayo #MayoClinic #Rochester #MN #RochesterMN

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Say hello to Zappy The Walker! #mobility #ForWhenYouGottaMakeItAcrossCampusButDontKnowIfYoullHaveEnoughSpoons #ItHasADrinkHolder #PimpMyWalker #NextOnMTV Say hello to Zappy The Walker! #mobility #ForWhenYouGottaMakeItAcrossCampusButDontKnowIfYoullHaveEnoughSpoons #ItHasADrinkHolder #PimpMyWalker #NextOnMTV

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Our Interventions professor gave us these beautiful plants as an end of year present. Looking forward to raising this ivy in my home office 😀🎍#GradSchool #UB #SocialWork #SchoolOfSocialwork #MSWStudent #Training #RoadToMSW #SchoolSocialWork #Portfolio #FieldPlacement #Plants #Gardening #OfficeGardening #OfficeFarming #Botany #ShadesOfGreen @UBSSW Our Interventions professor gave us these beautiful plants as an end of year present. Looking forward to raising this ivy in my home office 😀🎍#GradSchool #UB #SocialWork #SchoolOfSocialwork #MSWStudent #Training #RoadToMSW #SchoolSocialWork #Portfolio #FieldPlacement #Plants #Gardening #OfficeGardening #OfficeFarming #Botany #ShadesOfGreen @UBSSW