Cherished Pets' innovative Veterinary Social Work Model bridges human and veterinary healthcare, providing holistic support to pets and their owners.

What is Veterinary Social Work?

Our Veterinary Social Workers (VSWs) play a crucial role in veterinary medicine by addressing the human needs that emerge during pet care. While our veterinary team focuses on the physical health of animals, VSWs offer essential emotional support to pet owners, creating a nurturing environment for both pets and people. Equipped to handle stress, mental health challenges, and crises, VSWs relieve emotional burdens, enabling the veterinary team to dedicate their efforts to providing high-quality care.

Additionally, VSWs collaborate with human social service agencies to ensure comprehensive support for all involved.

Here’s how our Veterinary Support Workers make a difference:

Support for People

• Serve as a bridge between pet owners and the veterinary medical team, ensuring effective communication of owner concerns and understanding of medical information. 

• Provide crisis intervention and emotional support during challenging situations, 

• Assist owners in making difficult decisions, such as quality of life assessments and end-of-life care options. 

• Offer guidance and support in navigating treatment decisions, prioritising responsibilities and exploring funding options.

• Facilitate discussions about euthanasia and provide emotional support before, during, and after a pet’s passing. 

• Support families, including children, in understanding and coping with their pet's illness or loss.

• Navigate and coordinate care plans and options in particular for elderly people living at home needing home care assistance to ensure access to pet and vet care. 

Support for the Veterinary Team 

• Connect with human health and social service agencies.

• Provide debriefing sessions after difficult situations.

• Offer crisis support and referral to ongoing counseling for veterinary healthcare team members.

• Facilitate connections with human health and social service agencies

• Conduct in-house workshops on communication, wellness, compassion fatigue, and setting boundaries.

• Advocate for appropriate boundaries and expectations within the team.

• Mediate conflicts between team members or between the team and clients.

• Provide consultation on unclear situations, including ethical considerations and animal abuse reporting.

Support for Human Social Service Agencies

• Partner with social service agencies to provide comprehensive support for individuals facing crises that affect their pets.

• Ensure that social service agency workers feel supported in their roles by improve access to veterinary care.

• Share resources and best practices to enhance collaboration between veterinary and social services.
• Participate in community forums to raise awareness of the interconnectedness of animal welfare and human health.

Training & Academic Involvement

• Oversee clinical placement for graduate-level clinical social work students interested in veterinary social work.

• Offer consultation services to stakeholders involved in animal welfare.

• Provide support to veterinary students.

As the veterinary field increasingly recognises the link between human and animal welfare, things are changing. The University of Tennessee offers a postgraduate certificate for anyone who already holds a social work degree but wants to learn more about veterinary social work. Our current VSW, Jessica, is currently undertaking the program. https://vetsocialwork.tennessee.edu/