About Nancy J. Smyth

I’m professor/dean at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work, occasional blogger, and a self-proclaimed geek. I’ve worked as a clinical social worker for over 25 years, primarily doing psychotherapy with people recovering from trauma and addiction; at the moment, though I’m taking a break from my work as a psychotherapist. My research and teaching has focused on the interface between addiction and mental health problems, which has led me to focusing on trauma.

When not working or spending time with my family, I can be found lurking around Facebook, Twitter, Second Life and other virtual spaces. I am often asked about how I got interested in virtual worlds: if you’re interested in this, check out my blog post that answers that question.

This blog explores the human connections that we make in a virtual spaces as well as the interface between social work and technology, especially Web 2.0. In addition, topics related to education, higher education, social work, and technology are sometimes featured. At the heart of all of it though, what I’m really interested in are all the ways we connect with one another in virtual spaces and how it influences “real life” and changes who we are, how we view the world, how we learn, and how we grow.

Unfortunately, the demands of my job often result in sporadic blogging. My posts are infrequent…but I’m here. And please know that all of the opinions expressed here are strictly my own and do not reflect opinions held by the University at Buffalo, or the University at Buffalo School of Social Work.