Eastern Carolina Veterinary Referral
Veterinary Social Work
Client Support
We encourage you to utilize our social work services if you need support navigating these experiences during and after your visit:
Pet loss including anticipatory grief
Caregiver support for those caring for pets with chronic or hospice needs
Crisis intervention & emotional support
Support when receiving a new diagnosis or new treatment options
Support during decision-making
Assessing quality of life
End of life decision making
Facilitating family discussions around patient care
Veterinary Staff Support
The VSW team provides several support services to all employees at ECVR. Veterinary professionals face an immense amount of grief, stress, and trauma in their daily work. While the VSW program utilizes social work interventions with clients not only in their support but also reduces the volume of emotional interactions staff face allowing the team more time and energy for other patients. However, the frequent emotionally charged occurrences take a toll on these passionate professionals. The VSW program aims to support staff in coping with the effects of burnout, compassion fatigue, and sustaining an overall healthy mental well-being while providing veterinary care.
Crisis support and intervention
Psychoeducation on various topics including: Pet Loss, Professional quality of life and wellness, Emotional CPR, De-escalation techniques, Compassion Fatigue, stress and conflict management, Animal-assisted interventions
Referral linkage to mental health and community resources
Provides short-term counseling to staff for mental health related issues, secondary trauma, conflict management, and compassion fatigue
