OUR STUDENTS AND ALUMNI

By Catherine Donnelly

Cindy German, MSW ’08, has had an ever-changing career but has always focused on taking care of people.

“I was born to be a social worker,” she says firmly. “I always knew that and am grateful for my career’s evolution.”

German completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology and worked directly with patients in several service-focused roles after graduation. Then she shifted to child welfare services where she helped families navigate issues of addiction, poverty and domestic violence.

After several years working in the field, German enrolled in the UB School of Social Work through an extension program that allowed her to take courses as a part-time student near her home in Rochester. After graduation, she spent the bulk of her career with Ontario County Child Protective Services. In the last decade, she gained exposure to different types of agencies and services by working for Action for a Better Community, Willow Domestic Violence Center and a home hospice program.

Her primary focus has always been on the people who most need her help.

“I remember I took a class on family dynamics that really helped me learn to see all parts in a situation,” she says. “UB also gave me the tools to become more self-aware. One professor asked us to share two symbols of who we are, and I chose my Buddhist prayer beads to share my beliefs and a stick of butter to showcase my Pennsylvania Dutch roots. Having to pare myself down like that was an eye-opening experience.”

When she needed to focus on the loss of her mother and her own breast cancer diagnosis, German decided to make her organizational business, a side hustle called Finding Space, her full-time job.

She also committed to taking time to center herself: “I avoid burnout by doing tai chi, volunteering and getting myself a massage when I need one. And then I can use all of my skills to help my clients downsize their homes, declutter and reimagine their lives.”

German says most of her clients fall into distinct categories; they may be too busy to manage things, struggling with attention deficit disorder, coping with personal trauma, reluctant to abandon a project, forced to downsize quickly or facing financial difficulties.

“My initial clients all had some kind of trauma in their own health history or had lost significant family members,” she says. “Now my client base is more diverse. One of the hallmarks in all of the situations I tackle is grief. It might be grief at a considerable loss or resistance to change. And while anyone can take a few moments to tackle a drawer or a box, an organizer can help speed up the process and provide a methodical way to manage a lot of things that can still be sacred to their owner, even when they cannot keep all of those items anymore.”

German says she is energized by organizing things (and admits to being a bit nosy). But overall, she believes her social work foundation is what allows her to truly help her clients.

“Going through a lifetime of memories is emotional work. And it can be hard for people to let things go,” she says. “We have to touch everything because you never know what you might find. I become the neutral party who can consider what could go away. My client makes every decision, but I am with them through the process. I can offer suggestions about what to keep, donate or toss or even how to use their space better and hopefully do that in a way they can maintain after I am gone.”