This Mini Series is focused on developing the practice teams’ knowledge and practical skills in pet bereavement care. Beginning with an introduction to the psychology of the human-companion animal relationships, considerations for how different life stages, ages and needs influence human attachment to pets will be explored with examples from practice. Current theories for understanding anticipatory grief, responsibility grief (euthanasia related grief); complex and traumatic grief reactions will be introduced with practical strategies for bereavement care. Taking a relationship-centred approach to developing and implementing a pet bereavement care plan in your practice, compassionate communication skills will be introduced along with other practical strategies for developing your practice bereavement care plan.

• Join Dr Susan Dawson MBPsS for three 2-hour sessions
• Case examples to illustrate different human-companion animal attachments including assistance animal partnerships
• Comprehensive notes to download
• Self-assessment quizzes to ‘release’ your 8 hours CPD certification (don’t worry, you can take them more than once if you don’t quite hit the mark first time)
• 12 Months access to recorded sessions
• Smart phone/tablet compatible recordings
• Superb value for money – learn without traffic jams or rota hassles

Programme

Pet-People Relationships: Attachment

To understand loss and grief reactions we must have an understanding of attachment. In this session we take a look attachment theory and Self Psychology as portals for understanding how people relate and care for their pets. More complex attachments involved in assistance animal partnerships and developmental considerations are also highlighted with case examples.

Topics covered will include:

• The purpose of attachment
• Different types of pet-person relationships with case examples
• Communication skills for understanding pet-person relationships
• Impact of attachment on loss with case examples

Understanding Pet Bereavement: Loss and Grief

Grief reactions can arise from diverse loss circumstances including anticipating loss. This session uses case examples to explore different presentations of grief and implications for practice. The distinct type of grief associated with companion animal euthanasia will also be explored in relation to supportive interventions and the importance of pre-euthanasia discussion. Special considerations for identifying and responding to potential traumatic and complicated grief are also discussed.

Topics covered will include:

• Types of grief reactions: physiological, psychological, cognitive and social
• Complex and traumatic grief: with case examples
• Responsibility grief: companion animal euthanasia
• After death body-care options

Bereavement Care Strategies

The importance of relationship-centred practice is explored with examples of pet bereavement protocols and how to use practice meetings to plan coordinated bereavement care. Compassionate communication skills will be introduced with practical examples. Basic counselling concepts including how to communicate empathy will be explored with case examples. Steps for setting up a pet loss support group will be discussed along with where to signpost clients to access external support.

Topics covered will include:

• Relation-centred pet bereavement care
• Understanding the importance of empathy
• Skills for communicating with sensitivity with case examples
• Using practice meetings to develop bereavement care
• Developing pet-bereavement practice protocols
• Setting up a pet bereavement support group
• Signposting: where to get external help

The price includes all 3 sessions, notes and quiz – 8 hours of CPD

*No traffic jams, accommodation hassles, pet or childcare, rota clashes, locum fees ……….. just great CPD and a valuable ongoing resource.

Course Feedback :

“I now have a better understanding of how different people cope and how we as a practice can try and help make this as supportive as we can that the client needs.”

“I will use the knowledge I have gained in my practice and hope to be able to in some way help owners who lose their pets to come to terms with this.”

“The information in this course about the pet:person relationship will be useful in all areas of practice life. It will help with client communications skills and managing client expectations as well as understanding how clients can sometimes react in the way they do.”