I have a custom bitly domain (www.iam.ms). Awhile back the custom plugin stopped working. I’m hopeful that this new plugin will once again restore Bit.ly integration into my site, as well as my custom bit.ly domain.
Let’s give it a test!
Watch on #Periscope: Discussing my PCN Development/Ideating
https://www.pscp.tv/w/cpbAmTFQWEVkQmJ6WmJyS2V8MWdxR3ZvbWVCUHFKQmZicP4rE2LD27Cg1iqyP29wUqQJknZp0jVl3Z5oMy5w
Episode 9: Solution Focused Brief Therapy Everything & Everywhere
Welcome everyone! I hope that everyone’s had a restful week wherever you’re listening from. Two weekends ago the Solution Focused Brief Therapy Association, of which I am a member (and sit on their Diversity and Programming Committees) pulled off an amazing feat: the SFBTA managed to put together an online Solution Focused Conference with 240 participants, from 22 countries, over 5 continents. Wow!
There was an incredible amount of diversity in the programming – which follows, since this year’s theme was “putting differences to work!”
It got me thinking, especially as my favorite Kiwi called me from New Zealand this morning to talk rugby (I’ve been an All Blacks fan since I had hair, so it was nice to talk to someone who had a similar love of my favorite team). During our conversation he asked me if I’d be interested in talking to some of his fellow coaches in his municipality, and he asked if SFBT had anything to offer Rugby. I said of course it did! When we’re not using Solution Focused Brief Therapy we’re using it for coaching (and as Insoo Kim Berg once said, the difference between SFBT and SFBC is that you’ll get paid more if you call it coaching)!
SFBT, when you become a practitioner, it becomes a part of you – and all that you do. You can be a Solution Focused doctor, lawyer, teacher, nurse, parent, nutritionist, artist, dancer, circus entertainer, and yes, a Solution Focused rugby player, coach, or referee. What was so nice is that our latest conference exhibited so much of that. Yes, we use it as a therapy, but as much as it is a therapy…it is a philosophy, and a way of living our live that can bring balance, and contentment, and empowerment, and answers – SOLUTIONS – to our hardest decisions.
When I was first studying SFBT work, I was studying under my professor, Denise Krause, at the University at Buffalo, in my interventions course. I was also studying under two social workers and one psychologist in my initial field placement. Bob, the psychologist always gave a baseball example if he could (he didn’t watch rugby, no one’s perfect).
I’m going to paraphrase because I have an inkling that maybe the insert ever changing sports team here didn’t really have this happen, but it’s a good metaphor: picture a clutch hitter, the baseball player who’s supposed to bring everyone in when all bases are loaded…the player who’s supposed to hit a home run, or just knock it out of the park. Suddenly, the clutch hitter isn’t doing well. So the clutch hitter starts watching tape after tape of all of his misses trying to spot the problem. Week after week. His batting isn’t getting any better. All he can think about and tall he can talk about is what’s not working, how he’s “messing up.” Now…they bring in a Solution Focused Coach…what do you think that coach does? That coach has him stop watching all of the videos of his errors and misses, and start watching videos of every time he was getting it right. When was it working out? When was the problem not a problem? How can we make that happen again? If you had to scale yourself right now, where would you be? And if you were 10% better, how would you know it? What would we need to do to get there?
Solution Focused Brief Therapy (and Self SFBT work) also got me through some of the most physically difficult moments of my life, when my body was failing all around me. It is powerful, and a gift, from Insoo Kim Berg and Steve DeShazer, and it is as applicable in a therapists office as it is on the rugby pitch.
Which is good news, because as my first semester of my doctoral in social work program winds down, I find myself preparing to move out of a direct mental health therapy role in the next year, into one as a Solution Focused Financial Social Worker, combining both my Master of Business Administration and my Social Work and Counseling Background to help folks understand their relationship to money, and their behavioral health…and if I can’t do it as a Solution Focused Brief Therapist, then I don’t want to do it all.
Fortunately for me, you can SFBT all the things!
Thank you for listening. Please tune in again next Sunday (and every time in-between), as we continue forward together down our solutions focused path. Comments, constructive criticism, feedback, and questions can be sent to [email protected]. Yes I’m on Social Media at @TheMattSchwartz on all of the platforms you’d think to look at. I’m Matt Schwartz, and it’s a pleasure to be your host.
The music you’re listening to in the background today is Boston Landing on “Blue Dot Sessions” generously shared through a creative commons license. Please find more of their music at www.sessions.blue, that’s w-w-w- dot s-e-s-s-i-o-n-s- dot b-l-u-e. I’ll see you next Sunday with more; until then, make good choices.
Image from [zotpressInText item=”{6833765:QNB8VQ2C}”]
David Goldberg and I had an incredibly productive discussion on Thursday. It lasted an hour and ten minutes. It was filled with nothing but mutual respect and listening. I shared with David that I would prefer to work transparently than to address the board privately. David shared that he could respect that, hence this open letter to the Board (of a very different kind).
I want to make it clear before I continue that one can be upset with someone, angry with someone, believe that something wrong happened, and still love and respect that person (or institution) at the same time. It’s called a Dialectic – when two opposing things are true at once (it’s the opposite of cognitive dissonance).
I also want to share that I do not believe that there are sides here. There are people which make up a community, which makes up our congregation. Many with different opinions, all hurting. This is not a binary, either/or situation.
One of the criticisms of my first Open letter was that some felt that it contained ultimatums. It did not. When utilizing Robert’s Rules of Order, and following our By-Laws, there is no room to simply call a “town hall.” A special meeting has to have very specific items to discuss, and then to vote on, up or down.
David asked what a Town Hall could look like. One that was filled with respect, and love, and mutual understanding, and shared goals, and a path forward toward healing. David asked me to present my ideas for what that might look like, and how it could be held in a manner that would ensure respect, and to reduce further hurt, instead of causing more harm.
I told him that a model for this very type of situation that we find ourselves in now exists. It is called Restorative Justice. It is used both when there have been serious crimes…but also when communities have felt hurt. It is a way of bringing everyone together, with an outside facilitator or facilitators, so that all (even those accused of wrongdoing or mistakes) can hear and be heard, and then heal [zotpressInText item=”{6833765:QNB8VQ2C}”].
The general principles of Restorative Justice are that:
These are all Jewish values. If you would like to read the book on Restorative Justice, you can do so for free here as a PDF.
These meetings are not “free for alls.” They are not a place where fingers are pointed. They must be entered into as a Holy Act (and we are a holy congregation and community). These are a place where both those who have offended, and those who have been hurt (and sometimes those who have been hurt and who have also offended) come together for healing.
I am not putting myself forward as a facilitator. I am not trained in Restorative Justice practices (it is on my long term bucket list, but it’ll be another few years until I get there). There are however many Restorative Justice practitioners and trainers here in Buffalo (through the University at Buffalo School of Social Work, and other institutions and agencies) who could facilitate a Restorative Justice Circle for our congregation.
The goal of this meeting is to have restorative healing.
To be sure it is going to be uncomfortable. Whenever we take a Chesbon Nefesh (an “accounting of our souls”) we have to hear difficult truths. We have to also share difficult truths with others that we love. Just because we have to share difficult truths does not mean that we do not love them. It is because we love one another that this kind of meeting can, and should take place.
My recommendation then would be for the Board to consider a Restorative Justice Circle, with an impartial outside facilitator. After this, we can look at bylaw changes that may or may not be needed. First, though, healing.
References:
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To The Board,
I am struggling right now, and I feel that I must share that struggle with the Board, and I ask that the Board respectfully share in that struggle with me by not skimming this email but finding the time to read it in its entirety. Please know this is written M’kol Ha’lev (from my whole heart). That said, right now I am struggling. Right now, I am questioning my faith. Right now, I am hurting.
The last many months have been hard, to be sure. I am sure they have been hard for the Board as well.
Two months ago, at our congregational meeting, I spoke up. And I am ashamed of my behavior. In New York I worked in Business, in Buffalo I work in Social Work. I am familiar with how boards and organizations work. During our congregational meeting I called for a middle of the road approach when I spoke up. I asked fellow congregants to trust the Board, and to trust the Rabbi that the separation was the best option during our congregational meeting. I shared that we don’t always need to know everything that occurs at the board level. I was wrong. I will have to do T’shuva for that mistake, now and on this coming Yom Kippur which feels like an eternity from now.
I am even more saddened, because while I am obviously embarrassed at my own misplaced trust and my faith in our leadership (and perhaps feelings of my own naivety), my feelings and hurt pale in comparison to the havoc this תוֹקפָּן (aggressor) was able to wreak on our congregation: turning us against one another, leading to the use of misogynistic language (by himself, and the Board) to describe our Cantor, who is a victim of his manipulation, lies, and malfeasance. The loss of Rabbi Scheldt (and with him the Jewish Spirituality Center of Western New York) due to the same. The loss of Tina, a ray of sunshine and a hard worker. The loss of good will on our financial statements. The loss of moral standing in our community. The level of toxic culture that has been created where there is now a feeling that we must keep things בפנים הקהילה (within the community) as a form of ‘damage control’ instead of talking about them openly and in the light where they belong. How much time was spent protecting an aggressor instead of consoling and working to heal and make right a victim? What happened to “Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof!”? (“justice, justice you shall pursue!”)?
Speaking of keeping things “in the community,” I am also dismayed that in our closed Temple Beth Zion Facebook Group discussion on this matter seems to be regularly shutdown or stifled. A transparent public forum is precisely the place where this conversation needs to happen. The Board has been allowed to operate in secret with our trust. That did not work. Now we have to move this discussion to the open until a just resolution is found beyond seeing the back of Rabbi Freirich when he leaves in December (when, honestly, it should have been the moment his behavior was brought to light, and the allegations confirmed, which they have been by the CCAR).
If Cantor Meyers were to sue the synagogue, as both a (former) human resource professional and as a current social worker, I would support her in that action. As a congregant, doubly so. The Board was derelict in its duty to protect its most valuable resource: its staff.
After reading the report from the CCAR, I am horrified that the CCAR considers this egregious behavior by Rabbi Freirich to merit only an “unpublished” censure, rather than expulsion from the rabbinate. It has me physically ill when I think about it because I can only begin to imagine what it would take for a full expulsion if this isn’t it. What more would one have to do to demonstrate that they aren’t fit to be a member of the cloth?
I am having a crisis of faith – this is not something that should have ever happened, ever been allowed to continue happening, and is not something that should have ever been allowed to be kept from the congregation. The recent letter sent to congregants was also woefully lacking in introspection, responsibility, or insight. That there has been no further communication, no congregational meeting, and generally radio silence is even more disheartening.
I am calling on the Board to either a) publicly commit to a period of meaningful T’shuva, as determined by an outside facilitator, who will evaluate both length and type of T’shuva appropriate to each board member’s action or lack therefore, to earn back the trust of the congregation, or b) if the Board is unwilling to do so, to resign forthwith so we can hold elections and begin to make changes, and move on in the light of transparency (a motion of which I will be putting forward in the coming days, to be included in our bylaws).
I also take this time to remind the Board that I am one of this congregations’ youngest members, if not the youngest member (and that’s at 36, closer to my 40s than my 30s). If this congregation is going to survive, it is going to have to do some serious soul searching and move away from its current culture that puts on pedestals family legacies of connection to this synagogue, donor culture, and protectionism, and recognize actions not words.
Given that conversation on this is being stifled online (multiple posts have now been deleted in our closed group) I am sharing this letter on my blog, with comments open for discussion, as well as my Facebook. This is 2020, organizations no longer get to “control” the message, especially if it is one rightfully critical of them. While these are my perceptions, you are welcome to share your own…just not under the cover of privacy. That was a privilege which we, as congregants, afforded you, and one that will have to be earned back.
B’Tikvah,
Matthew L. Schwartz (a/k/a/ Matan Ar’ye Schwartz)
I am a certified ESL teacher. I set up the IDF Ground Forces Command’s first-ever English as a Second Language instruction and evaluation program (which I ran until I left the Foreign Relations Branch for my final position in the Foreign Training Division). Within that position, I finished as a commander, and as the Instruction NCO for the Foreign Training Division’s Battalion Commanders Course. I have also taught Hebrew as a Second Language (here in the United States), and I have had the honor of being a Visiting Scholar at New York University where I put my MBA and my brain together with other thinkers and creatives to support a common mission.
I am also the sum of my experiences (as are we all). Growing up with learning disabilities, neurological disabilities, mental health conditions, and eventually physical disabilities as I entered adulthood, I am no stranger to the Special Education system. I remember school before the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and I remember school right after it passed. I also remember school many years after it passed (for what little changes there were). I spent the majority of my academic career in Special Education 6:1:1 classes (six students, one teaching assistant, one teacher). Therefore, it should come as no surprise, that this experience has had an impact on my thoughts, feelings, and beliefs when it comes to what constitutes ethical and appropriate course design (though I very much feel that I can support these thoughts, feelings, and beliefs with evidence).
My pedagogy is, largely, based on Universal Design, which is a belief that I hold dear, and a belief that I bring with me into my Social Work practice (and other areas of my life). While Universal Design comes to us (initially) from the field of Architecture (I grew up in a construction family), its tenets are applicable in education and elsewhere [zotpressInText item=”8BT8KDNS” format=("%a%, %d%)"]. Indeed, Universal Design has been enshrined in Federal Law for Special Education over the past two decades [zotpressInText item=”8BT8KDNS” format=("%a%, %d%)"].
I believe that I can make a very strong case that we cannot teach Social Work, ethically, without following Universal Design principles. The very system of seeking (and someone in power providing) “accommodations” is not only ableist, but it runs counter to equity, and trauma-informed principles.
[zotpressInText item=”8BT8KDNS” format=”%a% (%d%)”] writes that “Typically, accommodations are provided upon request. While this represents a significant improvement over situations found in the earlier phase, accommodations tend to maintain inequality” (p. 35). This is, as [zotpressInText item=”8BT8KDNS” format=”%a% (%d%)”] notes, due to a plethora of reasons: delay in receiving accommodations, requiring the creation of special materials, having to go to separate locations to receive accommodations (which is othering), and more.
Simply put, ‘accommodations’ or ‘reasonable accommodations’ may have worked in the late 90s (as we were beginning to transition to Universal Design), but they are hardly the standard-bearer that we want today.
Accommodations violate Trauma-Informed Principles for a variety of reasons. First, because they require the assent of those in power to those who require accommodation for their academic needs. This is not power-sharing (collaboration). Accommodations also do not build emotional safety (leaving the room, having to request alternative assignments, having to identify needs or advocate for accommodations in front of peers, or having it become apparent that one is not participating in the same activities, does not engender feelings of safety).
Accommodations also do not generate trustworthiness within Social Work programs, because there is an expectation that Social Workers uphold the highest level of Social Work Principles and Values as espoused in the Code of Ethics, and a feeling of moral injury can occur when this does not happen, or when conflicts arise.
Infographic by the Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care (2015)
There are any number of NASW principles or ethical points within the code that could be called upon to illustrate my point, for time and space, we will take the gestalt of striving for equity, justice, equal rights, championing the marginalized, and being inclusive as running themes of the CoE.
So if not accommodations (the model that has been an almost immovable wall at universities) then what?
Universal Design is, by its nature, proactive, whereas, accommodations are reactive [zotpressInText item="JJ8LBV55" format="(%a%, %d%)"]. While accommodations seek to make the smallest amount of changes possible for the smallest amount of students, Universal Design seeks to make all courses as widely accessible as possible for all students, following accepted Universal Design Principles [zotpressInText item="JJ8LBV55" format="(%a%, %d%)"].
[zotpressInText item="FPR3AN4P" etal="yes" format="%a% (%d%)"] note that Universal Design can not only help overcome barriers and create wider access for all faculty, staff, and students, but they also recognize that it can assist countries in meeting their obligations underneath a variety of United Nations treaties.
In their recommendations, [zotpressInText item=”FPR3AN4P” etal=”yes” format=”%a% (%d%)”] share that technology should be leveraged to “support inclusion, rather than letting it become a barrier” (p. 6). Additionally, [zotpressInText item=”FPR3AN4P” etal=”yes” format=”%a% (%d%)”] recommend that Universal Design become a campus-wide discussion and that the framework for Universal Design work to take into account all needs, thereby eliminating the necessity for accommodations.
Universal Design requires not only multi-modal learning options but the anticipation of needs that are unforeseen, as well as ways in which student learning can be assessed across a variety of learning means and systems [zotpressInText item=”9M92Y393″ etal=”yes” format=”(%a%, %d%)”].
Universal Design can be hard (to be sure). [zotpressInText item=”8BT8KDNS” format=”%a% (%d%)”] provides many suggestions for incorporating Universal Design into education (in what was then entering, and now leaving the second decade of Universal Design in education).
I recommend building upon this work through coalition building and interdisciplinary teamwork. While one may be an expert in course design, it does not make one an expert in universal design, and while one may be an expert in Social Work (or a part of social work), it likewise does not make them an expert in pedagogy. Here, course design through collaborative activities such as Business Model Canvasing can bring the necessary experts, artists, thinkers, as well as shareholders and stakeholders together, in order to come up with curriculum and course designs that are truly Universal and Trauma-Informed by nature, and universal/multi-modal by design. By including members of the Disability community (rather than experts on disability), additional barriers and needs can be identified and handled.
Am I seeking the tearing down, restructuring, and rebuilding of entire courses, schools, and universities in order to actually be inclusive and meet our higher values? Yes.
Do I think it’s reasonable? Yes.
Do I think it will be a lot of work? Yes (though likely, not nearly as much as some may fear).
Do I think it will enhance learning, create more opportunities for discourse, and exploration, open avenues for scholarship and research, and innovation? Yes.
Do I think it’s going to require moving beyond a ‘straightforward’ syllabus, or technology or apps or ways of teaching and ‘testing’ that we’ve become used to, or enamored, or comfortable with? Absolutely. Equity takes work.
The Disability community has never made anyone comfortable. We don’t exist to make anyone comfortable. Well behaved crips rarely make history. We, however, have always been on the side of progress, even when we’ve had to chain our wheelchairs, walkers, and scooters to one another to make it happen.
Universal Design is a necessary next step forward for ensuring equity and ethics in education. It starts with multiple learning options and modes of assessment, and expands to transforming programs to meet UDL principles. When combined with a Trauma-Informed Human-Rights perspective, we have an opportunity to make a substantive difference in the lives of everyone who seeks an education. We must move toward a world where accommodations will become superfluous by design.
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This is an updated entry from my previous discussions on the topic, which can be found here, and here.
The genesis of this is that I was discussing at with a friend and colleague, former professor, mentor, and one of the people who got me started on my path to be a Solution Focused Counselor/Therapist (that’s a lot of titles) what my notes look like as a Solution Focused Brief Therapist in public practice in the United States where, especially when billing insurance, we must justify our work through documentation, to say nothing of our ethical requirements to document appropriately…so I figured I’d share the template and format I use.
I have come up with the following format for therapeutic interactions which, with the exception of the MSE, I write collaboratively with my patients. This takes no more than five minutes at the end of our session, and ensures I don’t ever get behind on paperwork/case noting.
I do not take any notes during a session in order to foster open and direct communication. There is nothing between myself and the patient (no pad, no pen). This requires a great amount of practice in active listening. I recommend a lot of role play to become comfortable with the technique.
Below is an example of a contrived session I made up about John Doe, it should bear no resemblance to anyone living or dead since I just came up with it on the fly, sans-coffee, while waiting for my flight:
MSE:
Patient presented on time, dressed appropriately, appeared alert and well-oriented. There was no evidence of disruption in speech flow or content, memory, or perception. Current mood observed as euthymic with affect congruent to mood. Thoughts were organized and goal-directed. Judgment appeared good, and insight appeared moderate.
Patient presented with:
– Desire to reduce symptoms is depression;
– Desire to reduce symptoms is anxiety;
– Desire to improve capability for regulating moods/emotions;
– Desire to reduce stressors regarding family;
– Desire to reduce stressors related to work.
Clinical Note:
Mood: John doe reports that, overall he is doing okay, but that he is also still contending with depression. John reports that he is using coping skills, and feels okay in this moment. This writer validated John’s moods/emotions, as well as John’s use of coping skills.
WHSLS (What’s Happened Since the Last Session): John Doe shared that this week he was able to get out of bed and go to classes twice. John shared that he was also able to wash half of the dishes in his sink. John shared that he had a fight with his friend, that he regrets, and is unsure of what he wants to do about it, and that his indecision is bothering him.
BHFTS (Best Hopes For Today’s Session): John shared that if he could work on finding a way to attend his classes, and finish doing his dishes, then today’s session would be helpful, useful, and productive.
Scaling (1-10/Zombies-to-Unicorns): 4.5; Goal (1-10): 5/John shared that he will be at a 5 when he is able to do all of the dishes and is able to go to all of his classes.
Discernment: John and this writer discussed barriers to doing his dishes and to attending classes, and how these barriers are negatively impacting his mental health symptoms**.
Exceptions: John shared that the problem of doing dishes and cleaning in general is not a problem when he comes right home after work. John shared that attending classes weren’t an issue when he got more sleep.
Experiment: John was able to brainstorm ways in which he can address his barriers to move to a 5 on the scale. John will try to do dishes twice this week right after work. John decided he will set a reminder on his phone to go off part way through his commute to remind him. John will set his bedtime back by an hour to get an extra hour of sleep.
Clinical/Psychoeducation: This writer provided psychoeducation on the importance of sleep hygiene and behavioral activation for reducing the sxs of depression.
Risk Assessment: John denied thoughts, plans, or intents or harming himself or others.
Follow Up: Follow up in two weeks. John to complete experiment as outlined above. John will call/come in if he requires additional support between now and his next appointment.
**While problem talk is discouraged, linking the patients concerns, and treatment to their mental health symptoms in discussion is necessary for ethical treatment under insurance. This is possible even in SFBT when we look at the “preferred future” (i.e. “I won’t be so anxious,” or “I won’t be as depressed,” etc.). We have to show how they are negatively impacting mental health symptoms because that is the structure of the medical/insurance setup in the United States.
In any event, I hope this is helpful to the wider SFBT community who is forced to balance SFBT work and insurance (without which, only the wealthy could afford our services), and I look forward to turning this into some kind of presentation at some point (SFBT & Insurance: An Uneasy Truce?).
So it turns out that two things happened: FIRST, someone else was using my initials…two someone else’s…a television show (we can’t get mad at them for having that as a call sign)…but, sadly, also a hate group (BOO!). So the name got he show has been changed to The Solution Focused Podcast! I have upgraded my gear and equipment (also yay!) and I look forward to getting back to our regular production schedule!
What is also interesting is that I learned a very important lesson on validation that I think will be important to remember and process for this involved in clinical settings.
When I was at a Solution Center we utilized the Outcome Rating Scale created by Scott D. Miller and his team at the International Center for Clinical Excellence (ICCE). This always lead to us being able to ask our patients about their emotions, and validating them – naturally, and without thinking about it!
However, moving into a clinical setting, we don’t (yet) have time to do that we each patient (scheduled back to back, and eschewing paper) so in dropping that practice, I realized I was missing a key component of my Solution Focused Work: the emotional check in and validation. This was pointed out to me by a colleague when I was covering for her, and some of her patients commented on it (she is almost entirely a DBT practitioner, so very opposite in approach, and very noticeable by her patients).
The MOMENT I made a conscientious effort to bring validation as an immediate first step, before what was “What’s better this week?”, as part of my regular practice, there was a noticeable change with my patients: sessions became more fluid, patients felt better (their self-report), and items on treatment plans seemed to have gotten resolved quicker, or at least had more progress noted in them. Engagement seemed to be up. This shows us, I think (admittedly without quantitative detail) qualitatively the importance of validation.
Secondly is word choice: I found that “what’s better this week” no longer fit with my view on trauma informed practice I changed my question to now be “what’s happened since last session” and then, from there, I can guide to “have things gotten better, stayed the same, or gotten worse” through a variety of different ways.
In Solution Focused Work, we believe that words make all of the difference, and in fact, the therapy happens with the words that are used in session…which is why we have to choose them so precisely.
I’ll put out an updated conceptual template for case noting later in the week. For now, welcome back, it’s good to be back on the air!
Thank you for listening. Please tune in again next Sunday (and every time in-between), as we continue forward together down our solutions focused path. Comments, constructive criticism, feedback, and questions can be sent to [email protected]. Yes I’m on Social Media at @TheMattSchwartz on all of the platforms you’d think to look at. I’m Matt Schwartz, and it’s a pleasure to be your host.
The music you’re listening to in the background today is Boston Landing on “Blue Dot Sessions” generously shared through a creative commons license. Please find more of their music at www.sessions.blue, that’s w-w-w- dot s-e-s-s-i-o-n-s- dot b-l-u-e. I’ll see you next Sunday with more; unti
Matthew L. Schwartz
Liturgist
No one on my account…I tear my clothes into shreds, throw ashes on my head, wear sack cloth…I beg:plead:ask you to intercede. Repentance, Prayer, Charity…these temper your severe decree as today the Shofar blasts have your hosts trembling before you in dread.
No one on my account…I forgive…I forgive…I forgive…may none who have transgressed:sinned:come cross be held to your holy standard/to which no human could possibly stand:the eyes of a disappointed father upon the whole world right now, and I’m not sure I can survive your withering gaze.
No one on my account…may none be judged, may no marks be held against any soul; my memory fades, my memory weakens, I cannot recall anyone so deserving of your righteous decree…bombs have exploded around me, and yet I forgive…both for them, and for me…because the whole world is walking around blind:in pain:traumatized.
Hurt People, Hurt People.
No one on my account…no one added to your list: whom by fire and who by drowning, who by stoning and who by plague, who shall be comforted and who shall be afflicted? May each transgressor be comforted, may no one be afflicted on my account:because of my soul.
May they be inscribed for a year of love.
I am incredibly proud to share that I have passed the Certified Financial Social Worker (CFSW) course and exam from the Center for Financial Social Work! I am so incredibly excited to bring what I have learned into both my practice, and my doctoral research!
moocowinthecity 
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