We’re excited to welcome back Dr. Matt Schwartz to our Horizon Therapy Associates Team! As a Counselor since June of 2018, Dr. Schwartz has seven years of experience in helping patients – and has enjoyed every minute of it. Curious to learn more about his journey and experiences? Continue reading below!
What is the most impactful part of your job?
The most impactful part of my job is when my patients realize they can take charge of their emotions. Realizing that they can take down the barriers that are keeping them stuck, set healthy boundaries, or that they can achieve whatever goal they’ve set out for themselves – there is no better feeling in the world than being privileged enough to bear witness to these moments.
What are some areas of expertise you would like the community to know you provide?
I’m a Certified Financial Social Worker, which means I help people create healthy relationships with their money. We complete this by working through financial trauma and aim to change behaviors associated with how we save, spend, earn, loan, share, and borrow money.
I also have a “A Window Between Worlds” Art Empowerment certification. Art Empowerment is another solution-focused approach that uses art to treat trauma.
Additionally, I provide forensic assessments and expert witness testimony (as a Court accepted expert in mental health) in Federal Court for attorneys in Western New York who work with marginalized communities.
What are your specialties?
I have trained for years in Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), which is as much an evidence-based approach to therapy as it is a philosophy and way of living/existing within the world. SFBT is a form of evidence-based talk therapy that targets the desired outcome of therapy as the solution rather than focusing on the past problems, symptoms, or issues that brought someone into treatment in the first place.
This involves reviewing and dissecting the patient’s vision and helping the patient to determine what skills, resources, and abilities they will need to find, cultivate, or use to attain their desired future outcome. I infuse these practices into my work every day.
I also have advanced training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), in which I help patients learn how to understand the connection between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Then we use this understanding to make changes – on their own – to their thought processes.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps one train the mind to create new neural pathways, which eventually turns into new ways of thinking.
Why is it important to reach out?
Too often, we think we must endure life’s storms on our own. Sometimes, situations are so overwhelming that we feel that no one can possibly help us holdfast and adjust our sails to reach calmer waters. The moment you reach out, you realize that you’re not alone.
What is your WHY? What keeps you coming back to this work?
As Counselors, we are invited into the most intimate part of our patients’ lives – their thoughts, emotions, struggles, secrets, and fears. Our patients allow us to see them as who they really are, are brave enough to tell us who they want to become, and ask for our help in achieving that goal. Being able to help someone is a big responsibility, and I am grateful to be allowed to take part in these moments as they heal. These experiences shape my why.
If you think you or a loved one could benefit from treatment with Dr. Schwartz, reach out today. Call our Patient Engagement Center at 716-831-1800 to schedule an initial appointment.