Empathy: The Human Connection to Patient Care

As a social work professor, I try to instill in my students the idea that we must really know our clients to be able to help them.

My grandfather Matteo Barbaro at Steeplechase Park, Coney Island NY

Joseph A. DePinto
All rights reserved. Photo is copyrighted and cannot be used without permission.

I grew up in Coney Island which is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. During that time, Steeplechase Park was still open and my grandfather operated the Caterpillar ride.

Tilgins. Couple on Caterpillar ride at Coney Island amusement park. Museum of the City of New York. 90.36.4.9

The caterpillar ride debuted at Steeplechase Park in 1925. The ride featured a canopy that enclosed cars once it reached maximum speed, making it popular with couples. It also contained a large fan that blew air from the seats. Photo and text courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York.

My friend Charles Denson is the executive director of the Coney Island History Project (which was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy) and the above photo of my grandfather and the following audio will be a part of the Steeplechase exhibit of the Coney Island History Project which will reopen on March 24th. Please stop by and visit the expanded exhibition center on West 12th Street below the Wonder Wheel at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park.

The following is a recounting of some very fond memories of Steeplechase Park and Coney Island. Enjoy.

The Goose Hangs High

Reblogged from impressive, most impressive:

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I've always loved silly old proverbs and folk sayings, so I was delighted when I came across this pair: The Goose Hangs High (meaning everything is on the up and up) and The Fat's In The Fire (meaning there is trouble ahead). What better way to show them off then to do a bit of carving and printing?

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My cousin is a wonderful artist and a very cool person. Check out her blog.

Dangers of Social Media

Non clinician view: I really don’t give a $hit about Manti Te’o. When (not really a) Dr. Phil is all over it, it’s time to ignore.

Clinician view: This is a direct result of fragile egos testing hopefully real life situations in social media. We are bound to see more of this.

Winter's First Snow in Coney Island by Bruce Handy

Reblogged from Amusing the Zillion:

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It's about time it snowed! In past years, ATZ has posted Bruce Handy's first snow of the season photos in December and once in October during the weather event known as Snowtober. "I was on the beach near the water earlier about 5, when I felt the wind shift, all the seagulls took off, the snow front had arrived," says the Coney Island resident and photographer, who took this series of photos on Friday night.

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My hometown was hit very hard by super storm Sandy. The new blanket of snow adds a quiet beauty.

Spring Semester Starts 01/14/2013

Winter break is almost over and school starts next week. I’m looking forward to meeting all my new social work students. Get ready for a great semester!

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 2,500 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 4 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.