Yesterday a friend asked me about my social work. What follows is a glimpse of how I see the world and how that comes through in my life, including in my social work.

My social work comes from my heart and much more. It comes from all my identities, experiences, and perspectives at that moment in time. Experiences since early childhood, where my most loving and extensive experiences were with Mom, my brothers, and my maternal grandparents. “Professional” experiences that began with volunteering during high school and continues across decades in “crisis center” and “suicide prevention” and “mental health social work” with continuing learning through paying attention in real life as well as more formal opportunities.

Sharing Hope:
“The only thing they have to look forward to is hope. And you have to give them hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow, hope for a better place to come to if the pressures at home are too great. Hope that all will be all right. Without hope, not only gays, but the blacks, the seniors, the handicapped, the us’es, the us’es will give up.”
from:
The Hope Speech in 1978
by Harvey Milk
PS Understand that Harvey Milk was talking about real hope, not false positivity. Real hope that comes from action and accomplishment, not just words. (Being understood is very important to me.)
~ https://terpconnect.umd.edu/~jklumpp/ARD/MilkSpeech.pdf

Caring Collaboration with People Who Trust Me To Be Part Of Their Support:
“Imagine a psychiatrist sitting down with a broken human being saying, I am here for you, I am committed to your care, I want to make you feel better, want to return your joy to you, I don’t know how I will do it but I will find out and then I will apply one hundred percent of my abilities, my training, my compassion, and my curiosity to your health – to your well-being, to your joy.  I am here for you and I will work very hard to help you.  I promise.  If I fail it will be my failure, not yours. I am the professional.  I am the expert.  You are experiencing great pain right now and it is my job and my mission to cure you from your pain.  I am absolutely committed to your care.  I know you are suffering.  I know you are afraid.  I love you.  I want to cure you and I won’t stop trying to help you..  You are my patient.  I am your doctor.  You are my patient.  Imagine a doctor phoning you at all hours of the day and night to tell you that he or she had been reading some new stuff on the subject of whatever and was really excited about how it might help you.  Imagine a doctor calling you in an important meeting and saying listen, I’m so sorry to bother you but I’ve been thinking really hard about your problems and I’d like to try something completely new.  I need to see you immediately!  I’m absolutely committed to your care!  I think this might help you.  I won’t give up on you.”
from:
All My Puny Sorrows, novel based on the author’s experiences
by Miriam Toews
Pages 177-178

From Active Support to In My Thoughts and Heart:
“There is something you should understand about the way I work. When you need me but do not want me, then I must stay. When you want me but no longer need me, then I have to go. It’s rater sad, really, but there it is.”
from:
Nanny McPhee, the film
screenplay by Emma Thompson
based on Nurse Matilda
by Christianna Brand

Thanks for “listening,”
Marcia Epstein, LMSW
she/her/hers
Survivor of suicide losses
Specialist in life changes, grief,
reducing suicide risk, and suicide bereavement
M.Epstein.LMSW@gmail.com
https://MarciaEpstein.biz
Lawrence, Kansas, USA