Carrie Corby LCSW

07/18/2025

https://saratogaliving.com/one-dave-matthews-band-fans-unforgettable-journey-to-spac-and-beyond/

I’m sharing this to celebrate what becomes possible when the right people come together—and we did.

Throughout this process, nearly 90% of our emails and outreach messages asking for help went unanswered. That made every lead, every share of our goal, and every offer of support mean even more than words can express.

It brought me back to my days as a service coordinator—where advocating hard was often the only way anything got done. Whether it’s about health and safety, self-care, or social connection like this trip, it always takes persistence. But we did it.

Now, we get to celebrate together in Saratoga. As new friends. As people who share a love for DMB. And as part of paving the way so that others can experience the same joy and inclusion.

Thank you to everyone who supported us—by sharing, donating, encouraging. Because of you, we’re at S**C.

Cameron Cox and Ryan Downey
we did it.
Celebrate we will.

With a little help from the DMB family, Cameron Cox traveled independently for the first time—and now he hopes to pave the way for others to do the same.

03/01/2025

March is Social Workers Month

Social work is one of the fastest growing professions in the United States.  social workers go through years of education and training so they can help individuals, families, communities and our society reach their full potential. 

It’s person centered. Value driven. Code of ethics. Compassion. And action.

We NEED to continue to shine the light on compassion and action.

What will YOU do to show both?
we have a call of action to help address a variety of societal challenges, including the prospect there could be mass deportations of migrants and continued attacks on the people who are LGBTQIA2+, reproductive rights, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. 

Let’s add the NYS Correction officer strike and a governor who said “we are still waiting to find out what the issue is” days after officers went to Albany to ask to speak to the governor about all the issues and she declined the meeting. Now we see compassion and action in the community.

Cuts to funding for individuals with disabilities - staff shortages and families told to deal with it.

Compassion and action for standing up for what is right.

Teaching kids that it’s ok to ask for help and If you are ignored that you have a right to advocate for yourself even if it’s unpopular.
Teaching them how. Mentoring them to learn. They are watching the world as they develop a sense of self, Embrace and model skills and critical thinking for our youth.
And last but not least - normalizing self care and not dehumanizing people - parents, caregivers, yourself!! having compassion for ourselves to effectively support those in need. 

I challenge everyone who posts about an issue or problem they see- to show compassion and action following it rather than judgement and an expectation others will fix it. It takes a village.
And I am grateful for mine.


!

01/30/2025

Sociologist Jennifer Walter breaks down what is happening in this country right now and what to do about it:

"As a sociologist, I need to tell you: Your overwhelm is the goal.

1/ The flood of 200+ executive orders in Trump's first days exemplifies Naomi Klein's "shock doctrine" - using chaos and crisis to push through radical changes while people are too disoriented to effectively resist. This isn't just politics as usual - it's a strategic exploitation of cognitive limits.

2/ Media theorist McLuhan predicted this: When humans face information overload, they become passive and disengaged. The rapid-fire executive orders create a cognitive bottleneck, making it nearly impossible for citizens and media to thoroughly analyze any single policy.

3/ Agenda-setting theory explains the strategy: When multiple major policies compete for attention simultaneously, it fragments public discourse. Traditional media can't keep up with the pace, leading to superficial coverage.

The result? Weakened democratic oversight and reduced public engagement.
What now?

1/ Set boundaries: Pick 2-3 key issues you deeply care about and focus your attention there. You can't track everything - that's by design. Impact comes from sustained focus, not scattered awareness.

2/ Use aggregators & experts: Find trusted analysts who do the heavy lifting of synthesis. Look for those explaining patterns, not just events.

3/ Remember: Feeling overwhelmed is the point. When you recognize this, you regain some power. Take breaks. Process. This is a marathon.

4/ Practice going slow: Wait 48hrs before reacting to new policies. The urgent clouds the important. Initial reporting often misses context

5/ Build community: Share the cognitive load. Different people track different issues. Network intelligence beats individual overload.

Remember: They want you scattered. Your focus is resistance

11/17/2024

CORTACA JUG 24’ 24 17. Met Marc Hinsch 1972 Cortland Graduate and Cortland football quarterback in the stands reminiscing about his time at Cortland and love for . Role models come into our lives in different ways. Being able to be part of shaping and guiding others is a gift. Thank you Life is short. Meaningful memories are priceless. Life is made up of a series of moments, and by being mindful and present in each one, we can create a life that is rich in meaningful memories. “Memories are the diary we all carry with us.” – Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)

11/08/2024

“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren't always comfortable, but they're never weakness.”
― Brené Brown

11/07/2024

"Piglet?" said Pooh.
"Yes?" said Piglet.
"I'm scared," said Pooh.
For a moment, there was silence.
"Would you like to talk about it?" asked Piglet, when Pooh didn't appear to be saying anything further.
"I'm just so scared," blurted out Pooh.
"So anxious. Because I don't feel like things are getting any better. If anything, I feel like they might be getting worse. People are angry, because they're so scared, and they're turning on one another, and there seems to be no clear plan out of here, and I worry about my friends and the people I love, and I wish SO much that I could give them all a hug, and oh, Piglet! I am so scared, and I cannot tell you how much I wish it wasn't so."
Piglet was thoughtful, as he looked out at the blue of the skies, peeping between the branches of the trees in the Hundred Acre Wood, and listened to his friend.
"I'm here," he said, simply. "I hear you, Pooh. And I'm here."
For a moment, Pooh was perplexed.
"But... aren't you going to tell me not to be so silly? That I should stop getting myself into a state and pull myself together? That it's hard for everyone right now?"
"No," said Piglet, quite decisively. "No, I am very much not going to do any of those things."
“But - " said Pooh.
"I can't change the world right now," continued Piglet. "And I am not going to patronise you with platitudes about how everything will be okay, because I don't know that.
"What I can do, though, Pooh, is that I can make sure that you know that I am here. And that I will always be here, to listen; and to support you; and for you to know that you are heard.
"I can't make those Anxious Feelings go away, not really.
"But I can promise you that, all the time I have breath left in my body...you won't ever need to feel those Anxious Feelings alone."
And it was a strange thing, because even as Piglet said that, Pooh could feel some of those Anxious Feelings start to loosen their grip on him and could feel one or two of them start to slither away into the forest, cowed by his friend, who sat there stolidly next to him.
Pooh thought he had never been more grateful to have Piglet in his life.

08/28/2024

Sometimes you just need to slow down, remain calm and simply let life happen.
Take a big deep breath and focus on the simple important things. You are alive, you're breathing, you're enough as you are.
You can do this.
~ Unknown

Art | by Yuumei

08/10/2024

I was honored to be a part of this Roundtable. Thank you Kathy Jo Caruso for inviting me to have a seat at the table.

07/23/2024

❤️

04/06/2024

Today was an inspiring day of listening and learning, connecting with families, legislators, politicians and agencies. Thank you Better Together at Redeemer and Kelbermanfor the opportunity to have a table to share all about New Hartford Central School District Special Education PTSA.

On behalf of myself and Steve Gonyea, we are proud to be part of the first SEPTSA in our region to continue to educate, advocate and connect families. Thank you LIFEPlan CCO NY, and Oneida County Sheriff's Office and New York Alliance for Developmental Disabilities (NYADD) for the conversations and connecting that we were able to do! 💙 my heart is full. This is social work.