MSW student bridges human and animal welfare through veterinary social work
Most people can bond over their shared love for animals – research has shown that pets are a protective factor for both physical and mental health risks, alleviating stress and providing a sense of purpose. Yet many animal welfare professionals struggle deeply with mental health, often facing compassion fatigue, burnout, grief, and loss. To support animal welfare professionals and struggling pet owners, social workers like online Master of Social Work student Brittany Szalkiewicz are developing a new field: veterinary social work.
Szalkiewicz is completing her practicum placement at Texas-based animal shelter Austin Pets Alive. As the Social Work Program Manager, she provides short-term therapy for staff, animal fosters, and volunteers. In addition to one-on-one counseling, Szalkiewicz’s department hosts monthly support group sessions with 18 different departments. Those structured sessions offer a space for employees and volunteers to discuss emotional struggles and interpersonal issues, talk through coping mechanisms, and work out solutions to recurring problems.
“Every animal that comes into Austin Pets Alive’s care was previously at risk of euthanasia. By supporting and sustaining the people who are doing this work, the organization is able to save more lives,” Szalkiewicz said.
It's really fun, rewarding work. I'm dealing with all of the hard human things, but I also get to snuggle puppies all day and help people stay connected with their pets.
Brittany Szalkiewicz
Outside of the shelter environment, the social work department also runs two community programs: Pet Pals and Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender (PASS). Pet Pals is an internship program that combines career readiness skills-building with animal welfare curriculum for at-risk youth ages 16-18. PASS is a community outreach program that facilitates temporary foster placements, allowing individuals experiencing mental health crisis, homelessness, addiction, or domestic violence to get back on their feet without having to surrender their animals to the shelter.
“It's really fun, rewarding work,” Szalkiewicz said. “I'm dealing with all of the hard human things, but I also get to snuggle puppies all day and help people stay connected with their pets.”
But, as with all social work, Szalkiewicz’s work can be draining. She says her classmates and Field Liaison Dr. Deidre Hayes have been her rock throughout the degree program, helping her balance her compassion for others with self-care, contextualize veterinary social work within the larger field, and look at the big picture, beyond individual interactions.
“When I began, I was very much thinking about the individual staff, community members, and volunteers that I was working with. My Community Organizing and Policy Advocacy class helped me understand that those individual challenges were symptoms of larger community problems. I was really able to zoom out on the impact that I could have at a policy and community level by building more sustainable programs.”
It was in that class that Szalkiewicz learned what a community coalition was. Now, she’s building one at Austin Pets Alive to connect human and animal welfare organizations. This no-wrong-door approach allows clients to see all the services available – for both people and pets – in one place.
“Veterinary social work is really a bridge between animal and human welfare,” said Szalkiewicz. “A lot of the work that we do is helping those two sectors work together to better each other. People can't keep animals out of the shelter if they don't have the services that they need for themselves and their families.”
As a student practicing in an emerging field, Szalkiewicz is in a unique position to shape the future of veterinary social work. Alongside her supervisor, Szalkiewicz shared her expertise on a national stage at a Community Conversation with Maddie’s Fund, a leading foundation providing educational resources and grant funding to animal welfare professionals across the globe. Their presentation explored the idea of grief – either the passing of an animal or the bittersweet loss of adoption – as an opportunity for community rather an than individual experience.
Beyond animal welfare, Szalkiewicz encourages social work students to think about how interventions can be adapted to meet the unique needs of professionals in every sector. “Whatever industry you're passionate about, there's a way to incorporate social work ethics and values and systems that can help improve the well-being of others in that community.”
