In this episode, Leeroy chats with Mark Silver, a social worker and Co-Coordinator of the Swinburne University Wellbeing Clinic. In 2021 Mark received the Inaugural Australian Social Worker of the Year Award.

Mark has been a social worker for over 40 years in the areas of aged care and disability. He has a keen interest in Narrative, Reminiscence, and Story approaches in his work. He has been working at Swinburne University coordinating a Wellbeing Clinic for older adults for the past ten years and advocates strongly for a greater presence of mental health professionals, especially social workers, within aged care settings.

Mark has recognised the importance of intergenerational programs that foster better relationships, communication and understanding between generations, breaking down stereotypes and building relationships that add meaning and purpose to the young and old alike. He is also interested in building bridges between the artistic and therapeutic worlds. Both are involved in emotional wellbeing, with healing and the transformation of lives at the centre. However, they work in separate professional and cultural spaces and often lack a common language and framework.