CHC Celebrates World Social Work Day!
At CHC’s Baker Family Emotional Health and Wellness Center, Director Paul Aguirre leads with compassion, helping individuals with all degrees of hearing loss navigate life’s challenges with resilience and hope.
In this special Q&A, in honor of World Social Work Day, Paul shares insights into his own self-care rituals, the wisdom that has shaped his approach to mental wellness, and the inspirations that fuel his passion for advocacy.
What’s your go-to self-care ritual after a long day of helping others?
PA: I’ve been doing graphic design since 2004, entirely self-taught, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized the connection: I spend my days guiding people toward becoming their best selves, but the work is never done, because we human beings are gloriously unfinished, imperfect, forever journeying. When I shift gears toward artwork, I can picture something in my mind’s eye, produce it on the screen and print it out: a journey completed, finished and perfect (to my mind, anyway!). It restores balance and fills my tank for another day.
If your job had a theme song, what would it be?
PA: “Love Is All Around,” the opening theme of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (which I realize dates me). The music soars with joy, and the lyrics apply to all of us, because everybody’s on a path, fighting against doubt and fear, longing for love and a sense of belonging. I appreciate the positivity of the orchestration, and, of course, the triumphant finish, “You’re gonna make it after all!”
What’s one surprising thing about you that most people wouldn’t guess?
PA: I’m incredibly outgoing around the office, always a smile at the ready, but I’m actually an introvert! The irony is strong: I can welcome a stranger into my office for the first time, and make them comfortable enough to open up about their deepest, darkest fears in under an hour. But put me in a large social gathering and I struggle to find the words. As I said, we humans are unfinished, imperfect, forever journeying!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received about mental wellness?
PA: “Bear witness.” I was doing a hospice internship with end-of-life patients, and I felt helpless because no matter how much ingenuity I brought to the table, there was nothing I could do to keep people alive. And one of my professors taught me that the greatest gift psychotherapists bring to the table is simply being there—listening, caring, joining, just bearing witness to that person’s existence. Pretty powerful stuff.
If you could have lunch with any historical figure known for their compassion or advocacy, who would it be?
PA: Dorothy Harrison Eustis, who founded The Seeing Eye, the first dog guide school for the blind in the United States. Whenever I get downcast about the state of the world, all I need to see is a visually challenged person moving in tandem with a canine companion and I’m reminded all over again what miracles people—and animals—are capable of. Eustis made it happen. Her story is chronicled in Love Leads the Way (1984), starring Eva Marie Saint—a gorgeous, moving film you can find on YouTube.
Thanks to Paul for sharing these insights and to all the mental health professionals dedicated to the emotional well-being of others.
If you have questions for Paul or would like to inquiry about CHC's psychotherapy services, please use the button below or email Paul at paguirre@chchearing.org.
About the Author
Paul David Aguirre, LCSW-R, is the Director of the Baker Family Emotional Health and Wellness Center and has been with CHC since 2015. He attained proficiency in American Sign Language through his early career work at National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, NY, and has since worked extensively with children, adolescents and adults who are deaf, hearing and hard-of-hearing in all treatment modalities. Mr. Aguirre’s clinical approach uses adaptive attachment modeling and a strengths-based perspective to create a warm, supportive, life-affirming holding environment that empowers clients to achieve their personal and professional goals. Mr. Aguirre earned his Master’s Degree in Social Work at Adelphi University, New York, in 2007.