MSW Student Appointed Interim Sheriff of Clay County

Online MSW Student Matthew (Matt) Walsh sees many similarities between social work and law enforcement. As a person in law enforcement, Matt serves in multiple roles where social work skills as a helping professional come into play.

Matt works for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) as the assistant special agent in charge of Jacksonville Regional Operations Center. Alongside these duties, he formed and led as the statewide coordinator for the FDLE Critical Incident Stress Management and Peer Support Team. The team is comprised of FDLE members from across the state of Florida and receives training from the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. “I facilitate discussions with FDLE members in the area of mental wellness and stress management,” he explained.

He was also assigned as a member of the Florida Delegation for the Governor’s Challenge to provide strategies to reduce and eliminate suicide among service members, veterans and their family members. The delegation was formed in early 2020 and is comprised of members of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, branches of the military, other state agencies and non-profit organizations. Matt is the sole law enforcement representative of the delegation.  Alongwith the other delegates, he traveled to Washington, DC, earlier this year to work with other states and the Center for Disease Control and the Veterans Administration.

With a keen focus on the mental health aspect in law enforcement, Matt has shown a dedication to helping law enforcement to maintain sound mental health while reducing troubling trends of increased deaths by suicide, the lead cause of death for those in law enforcement.

This commitment has not gone unnoticed. When the Sheriff of Clay County was recently suspended, Matt’s name was provided to Governor Ron DeSantis for consideration, and he would be sworn in as Interim Sheriff on August 15th.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the FSU MSW program and all of the professors have helped me tremendously to be prepared for this opportunity,” said Matt.

As Interim Sheriff, Matt has stressed the importance of several of the NASW code of ethics principles including service, dignity, worth of the person, the importance of human relationships, integrity and competence to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office team. He has asked them to be implemented with their teams.

While striving for equilibrium in his new role, Matt is also challenged with his work/life balance. Over the next two semesters, Matt will also work to complete his field placement part-time with the Veterans Administration in Jacksonville, Florida, providing primary care mental health to veterans. “Balancing the roles of family, work and school has always been and continues to be a challenge,” Matt admits, “but I am fortunate to have a supportive wife and children. It is difficult, but well worth the effort.”

He credits the influence of his family on the pursuit of his MSW degree. He recalls helping others early on as a child, accompanying his mother as a volunteer in Boston with the organization, Swim with a Special Child. His father also worked for the Boston Housing Authority, assisting the elderly and indigent to find affordable housing. He also credits his wife Michelle Walsh, a licensed clinical social worker, as the biggest influence on his decision to pursue a graduate degree in social work. “We have had years of discussion regarding the need for mental health in law enforcement,” he recalls. “She encouraged me to be a part of the solution as opposed to waiting for someone else to serve the law enforcement population.”

Through Matt’s own experiences as a police officer, he saw friends and colleagues suffer with mental health issues, trauma and suicide. This compelled him to be a change agent in incorporating culturally competent mental health clinicians into law enforcement.  Quoting Dr. Ellen Srcrivener, a renowned police psychologist, the average police officer experiences more trauma and despair in the first three years of their career in law enforcement than the average citizen will experience in a lifetime. Seeing the gaps in services offered to officers, Matt plans to utilize the skills gained from his MSW degree to build resiliency in the law enforcement population.

“My MSW courses have made a more effective law enforcement leader,” he concludes. “I view issues through a wider and clearer lens, which helps me in making informed decisions.”