Animal Academy Podcast

Today, we continue our discussion with another professional in the field of Veterinary Social Work. Veterinary Social Work is a field that keeps on growing as more and more people recognize the important role that animals play in the healing process.

Today, I am speaking with Dr. Bethanie Poe. Bethanie strives to bring animal-assisted interventions to victims of violence, abuse, and neglect. She started her Master’s program at the University of Tennessee’s College of Social Work in 2005. The college had two tracks at the time, Clinical, and Management and Community Practice. Bethanie entered the Master’s program, thinking that she wanted to be a Clinical Social Worker who would eventually have a private practice doing therapy, particularly with survivors of abuse. During her first internship, however, she quickly discovered that that was not a good fit for her, and she did not enjoy it at all. So she switched from Clinical to the Management and Community Practice track.

In this episode, Bethanie shares some powerful stories about her work with the University of Tennessee’s programs and animal-assisted interventions that help people in their healing journeys. Bethanie’s story is a fine example of the idea that you will eventually end up right where you are supposed to be. Be sure to stay tuned today to find out what Bethanie has to tell us about the work she is doing to protect victims of abuse and ensure that the rights of animals are recognized, respected, and upheld.

Show highlights:

Bethanie explains how switching from the Clinical to the Management and Community Practice track for her second internship for her Master’s program ended up being a perfect outcome for her.

Bethanie explains how Dr. Elizabeth Strand assisted her and helped her discover that the University of Tennessee’s Social Work Program was the ideal fit for her.

Bethanie explains what The Link is and what it means.

Bethanie looks at how people’s attitudes towards caring for animals have been evolving.

Looking at the idea of creating programs that will allow foster children to take their pets with them.

Bethanie discusses the stigmas that are associated with difficult and abusive situations.

The grant that the Animal Protection Association in St. Louis has for victims of domestic violence.

The issue of housing.

There are certain obstacles related to working with people who do not have vaccinated cats and dogs.

Bethanie explains how people manage to stay in the field.

Bethanie talks about what she does in her role as the Middle Tennessee Coordinator for UT’s Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee ( H.A.B.I.T).

The kind of temperament that dogs need to have, to be able to go into abuse facilities.

Bethanie talks about the volunteers at H.A.B.I.T and the kind of orientation they get when they join.

The type of interventions in which animals get used.

The importance of involving kids in discussions regarding their animals.

Bethanie talks about some things that would be helpful to her for the work she does with The Link.

How Covid has affected Bethanie's work.

Bio:

Dr. Bethanie A. Poe, LMSW is a graduate of the University of Tennessee’s College of Social Work’s Ph.D. program. She was a Fellow in UT’s Veterinary Social Work program where she assisted in the development of the Veterinary Social Work Certificate Program for concurrent and post-graduate students. She began her work in family violence almost fifteen years ago, working first in a domestic violence shelter before moving on to work in child protection. She then continued her work in the field at the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence where she worked with batterers’ intervention programs. Dr. Poe is currently the Middle Tennessee Coordinator for UT’s Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee (H.A.B.I.T) program where she strives to bring animal-assisted interventions to victims of violence, abuse, and neglect.

Links:

http://vetsocialwork.utk.edu/...

Today, I am happy to have the privilege of talking to Angie Arora and Kirsti Clarida, two professionals who I got introduced to through the Veterinary Social Work Program. Angie is a registered social worker from Toronto, Canada. She gears much of her practice around pet loss bereavement and building compassion resilience in animal care professionals. Kirsti is a registered veterinary technician in Ontario, Canada, and she has done a lot of advocacy work to increase awareness around the importance of the roles of Registered Veterinary Technicians in veterinary medicine. Kristi and Angie got together, and they have been doing a lot of research and putting some hard work into compiling a veterinary training manual to help people deal with any challenges related to their relationship with animals.

Although working with animals can be fulfilling and rewarding, it can also be physically and emotionally exhausting. Angie and Kirsti are joining me today to discuss the work they are doing in the field, which includes pet loss and bereavement, compassion fatigue, and strengthening compassion resilience. Be sure to stay tuned today to hear what Angie and Kirsti have to share about reinforcing how people relate to animals.

Show highlights:

The two life experiences that came together for Angie, that started her journey.

Angie explains what a veterinary social worker does.

Angie discusses the role she plays as a Pet Loss Support Group Facilitator with VetVine.

Kirsti talks about the work she’s been doing to increase awareness of the challenges of veterinary technicians.

How Angie and Kirsti were brought together, their relationship, and the kind of work they are doing together.

About the research that they did through Seneca College, their goal, and the result that ensued.

Kirsti shares some profound statistics from their research.

Pet loss with species other than dogs and cats, and the euthanasia process.

What dysthanasia is, and how to deal with it.

What they learned about hospice and palliative care during their study.

The importance of addressing caregiver fatigue and burnout.

Supporting children in their grief.

What veterinary practices can do with the guidelines that Kirsti and Angie have made available.

Angie and Kirsti’s Bios:

Angie Arora is a registered Social Worker from Toronto, Canada, with over 15 years of experience in the areas of pet loss and veterinary compassion resilience. She has worked as a hospital Veterinary Social Worker, facilitated community-based pet loss support groups, and engaged in media campaigns to reduce the stigma associated with pet loss. She is on the inaugural Board of the International Association of Veterinary Social Work and serves as a Pet Loss Support Group Facilitator with VetVine. Angie is a Professor with Seneca College’s Social Service Worker Program. Her social work practice has also focused on issues of gender-based violence with a specific focus on immigrant and refugee communities. Also, she is a Certified Compassion Fatigue Specialist with the Traumatology Institute and works with the veterinary industry to build wellness through strengthening compassion resilience. Angie obtained her Bachelor of Social Work from Ryerson University and Masters of Social Work from York University.

Kirsti Clarida has been a proud Registered Veterinary Technician since graduating from Seneca College in 1999. With service in small animal, emergency, and locum veterinary practice, she brings a wealth of experience to her current role as Coordinator of the Veterinary Technician Program at Seneca College. She is also the former Communications Manager of the Ontario Association of the Veterinary Technicians (OAVT) creating campaigns to increase awareness of the important roles RVTs play in veterinary medicine in Ontario. Kirsti continues to advocate for RVTs in her roles as Vice-President of the OAVT and President of the Ontario Veterinary Technician Educators.

Links and resources:...

Life often takes us places we never could have anticipated. Even military brat Kelly Brownfield can attest to this. Kelly grew up in Germany and returned to her home state, South Carolina, after graduation. Despite her constant moves, life surprised her when it urged her to move to Missouri, and many more surprises accompanied her. She landed an opportunity to work with the USO, and the most special dog fell right into her lap. Kelly shares how she’s leveraged these gifts and established programs for the USO to further support families and children in a plethora of ways. Join Allison in this conversation with Kelly Brownfield to hear more about her story.

Show Highlights:

Kelly shares how she got involved in an animal career

Kelly talks about her experiences growing up in Germany

What inspired Kelly to move

Why you have to be willing to fail and take a leap

How Kelly got a job at the USO

How Kelly got various programs implemented in the USO

The story of how Kelly got Bandit

Programs Bandit went through

What is the USO therapy dog program

How animals break down emotional barriers

What inspired Kelly to adopt more Great Danes

What it takes to care for and train Great Danes

Focusing on military wellness and bringing families together

How you can use disabilities to benefit others

The power of teamwork

Changes that have happened because of COVID

How to incorporate your passions into your life

Links:

Nestle-Purina Petcare: https://www.purina.com/ (https://www.purina.com/)

St. Louis Pet Lover’s Coalition: https://www.facebook.com/STLPetloverCoalition/ (https://www.facebook.com/STLPetloverCoalition/)

USO of Missouri: https://www.usomissouri.org/what-we-do/facilities/ft-leonard-wood/ (https://www.usomissouri.org/what-we-do/facilities/ft-leonard-wood/)

Connect with Kelly:

Kelly Brownfield

Western Missouri Regional Operations Director

USO of Missouri, Inc.

Fort Leonard Wood USO

805 Iowa Ave.

Fort Leonard Wood, MO 65473

cell: 573-433-5860

573.329.2039

573.362.3648 (fax)

http://www.usomissouri.org/ (www.usomissouri.org)

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