About this course

Learning Objectives

• Identify various roles animals play in our lives for comfort, emotional support, and service.
• Articulate correct terminology used to explain the various roles of animals.
• Identify initiatives to support human-animal bond.

Learning Levels

• Beginner

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Lisa Wiborg

  Co-Owner/Partner

  Lisa Wiborg is a licensed independent social worker and Veterinary Social Worker in Cleveland, Ohio. She earned her MSW from The Ohio State University and completed the post-graduate VSW certificate program at the University of Tennessee. Lisa is the coordinator in the Center for Veterinary Social Work at University of Tennessee, for projects Inclusive Vet Med program and AVC Circle. Lisa also has years of experience in hospice care and providing support to patients and their families as they cope with end of life. She has been using the human-animal bond in her work to bring comfort and emotional support to patients during these difficult journeys. Lisa is the co-founder of Healing Paws LLC, providing veterinary social work education and supervision to other mental health professionals. She is an active member of the Human-Animal Interactions group within Ohio’s National Association of Social Workers. Lisa is also a graduate of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Fellowship Program, with research focused on reducing burden transfer and stress in the veterinary field utilizing Acceptance and Commitment Training. In her free time, she loves to travel with her husband and spend time with her dogs Scrabble, Lincoln, and tri-paw Pretzel.

• 

  Aviva Vincent

  Co-Owner/Partner

  Aviva Vincent, PhD, LMSW is a Veterinary Social Worker and co-owner of Healing Paws LLC. She is social work faculty at Cleveland State University and Program Director at Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center. Dr. Vincent is trained in Results Based Accountability for organizational strategic planning and evaluation. She holds facilitator training through the Harwood Institute, Sustained Dialogue, and the Institute for Social Change. As a social justice advocate, she centers DEI in her practice inclusive of Access and Belonging. She is on the board of trustees for PATH International Board of Trustees wherein she chairs the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee, and she chairs the conference committee for the International Association of Veterinary Social work. Dr. Vincent was awarded Cleveland Crain's 40 under 40 (2023), and the Early Career Success Award by Case Western Reserve University (2022). She has twenty peer-reviewed publications and chapters in Career Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists, The Comprehensive Guide to Interdisciplinary Veterinary Social Work, The Handbook on Human Animal Interactions and Anthrozoology and Integrating Horses Into Healing.

References

• Bazelon Center (2017). Right to Emotional Support Animals in "No Pet" Housing. Retrieved from: http://www.bazelon.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2017-06-16-Emotional-Support-Animal-Fact-Sheet-for-Website-final.pdf.
• Chandler, C. K. (2012). Animal assisted therapy in counseling. Routledge.
• Hosey, G., & Melfi, V. (2014). Human-animal interactions, relationships and bonds: a review and analysis of the literature. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 27(1).
• Hoy-Gerlach, J. & Wehman, S. (2017). Human-animal interactions: A social work guide. Washington, DC: NASW Press. http://naswpress.org/publications/reference/ Human_Animal_Interactions.html
• IAHAIO (2014) IAHAIO White Paper: Definitions for Animal Assisted Intervention and Guidelines for Wellness of Animals Involved. Retrieved from: http://iahaio.org/best-practice/white-paper-on-animal-assisted-interventions/
• National Association of Social Workers (2018) Practice Perspectives. Retrieved from: https://www.socialworkers.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=MzB8oKdNVlw%3D&portalid=0
• Nimer, J., & Lundahl, B. (2007). Animal-assisted therapy: A meta-analysis. Anthrozoös, 20(3), 225-238.
• Russow, L. M. (2002). Ethical implications of the human-animal bond in the laboratory. ILAR journal, 43(1), 33-37.
• U.S. Department of Justice (2011). ADA requirements: Service animals. Retrieved from www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
• Pet Partners (2016) About us. Retrieved from: https://petpartners.org/about-us/