Veterinary Social Work – a growing field

Rachel Wright is a veterinary social worker who provides support to pet owners through medical decision making, grief counseling, as well as mental health therapy to veterinary professionals. Currently there are three programs in the USA for veterinary social work. She gave four lectures at the Pacific Northwest Veterinary Conference in September 2024. In addition, up to two hours of counseling is included with membership with the Washington State Association of Veterinary Technicians. Please inform your Licensed Vet Technicians of this opportunity!

A common theme in our interview was struggles with moral stress, ethical dilemmas, perfectionism, guilt and shame. Veterinarians and veterinary staff need a safe place to be able to debrief and talk about situations where they don’t feel worse. Having a safe place with a professional to work through the situation in a productive manner and provide constructive advice is a more sustainable option than having team members figure out how to self soothe (healthy) or numb (unhealthy) themselves in a stressful situation. Debrief sessions after a stressful event are important for the team and discussing a medical mistake in a non-judgmental, solution-based way. After the debrief session, veterinarians can also talk one-on-one with someone to address the stressful event.

We spoke about healthy habits and sometimes it does feel like a chore to add self care techniques such as yoga to our busy schedule. But it’s not difficult to build on already existing habits like drinking more water or taking a longer route to the bathroom to get a short walk in. I personally have been taking short walks around the parking lot during the last ten minutes of my lunch break instead of continuing to review charts. In Brene Brown’s book, Daring Greatly, the author recommends celebrating the 20-minute walk we did instead of lingering on the four-mile run we didn’t do.

The following is an excerpt of my Q&A with Ms. Wright.

Q: What issue do pet owners usually have the most difficult time with?

A: When clients are angry at the vet, it is usually because of gaps in communication. Clients struggle with communication issues, grief and loss, caregiver fatigue, and treatment decision making. Veterinary social workers can be a liaison and give the pet owner insight on what the vet professional’s day is like. They offer a different perspective and simple strategies and tips.

Q: How to respond to the common question: “What would you do if it was your pet?”

A: It’s a difficult question to answer. Don’t answer the question directly because everyone has unique circumstances. Instead, ask the pet parent other questions and note their reactions, including their feelings around palliative/hospice care and euthanasia.

Q: What do you recommend the veterinarian do in the event of a medical mistake?

A: People fear the consequences of a medical mistake. It is important to explain if an accident or mistake happened in a transparent and diplomatic way. Taking accountability and providing appropriate information with the client can go a long way. This can diffuse the situation from getting escalated. If the client does not have the information, then they cannot connect the dots with their animal. This leads to more complicated bereavement and trauma, including feelings of anger and injustice. When clients feel they haven’t been communicated with or they find out about the error after the fact, then they will not feel respected.

It’s ok to apologize. There are ways for vets to apologize and talk about what they learned without putting themselves at greater risk. It’s okay to say, “We don’t know. Let me check on that information. Let me do a consultation with a specialist. I’ve never seen this before.”

Clients are not always aware that vet teams struggle with grief and loss too.

Rachel Wright also noted that:

• Hard things happen.
• It’s ok to be imperfect. We are human. We are going to make mistakes.
• Establish a support system to navigate that and go forward.

Additional Resources

• Brene Brown author and researcher on courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy (www.brenebrown.com)
• Rachel’s Wright’s website: https://www.pawstoconnect.com/