Nearly 70 percent of American households have pets, and 100 percent of those owners would likely tell you they consider their animals family.  
 
Pets can brighten our days, bringing joy and meaning to our lives—but when there’s an emergency or an unexpected crisis, taking care of one could become a burdensome experience. 
 
Veterinary social workers (VSW) are there to aid in situations like these and help bridge the gap in this area of research and policy. They specialize in the needs related to nurturing, maintaining and healing human-animal relationships.  
 
Cleveland State recently honored these practitioners by hosting the eighth annual International Veterinary Social Work Summit (IVSW) on campus. 
 
“This was the first time that the IVSW that I helped found was in person since before the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Aviva Vincent Ph.D., LSW, VSW, an assistant professor in social work at Cleveland State. "It's even more exciting that it was co-hosted with the institution that got me started in this field--the University of Tennessee, Knoxville--and the institution for which I work now--Cleveland State University."
 
She added, “To see almost 200 people get excited to see each other, to learn from each other, to share space with each other and be excited in the same way that I was almost 10 years ago, that was really moving. It was such an exciting collaboration of work and effort."
 
The summit celebrated the study and accolades of veterinary social workers, but a program in this study is rare at universities in the U.S. Cleveland State is currently offering the veterinary social work certification for students pursuing a degree in social work.  It is one of three of its kind in the country, with the first originating at the University of Knoxville Tennessee where Vincent received her certificate back in 2016.  
 
Social work students with this certificate will be able to support veterinary staff and pet owners with their animal relationships and the challenges they may face, such as the emotional toll of grief and bereavement, end-of-life decisions, finances with cost of care, compassion fatigue and human-animal violence situations.  
 
For information regarding the certificate, click here to read more.