Veterinary Social Work as a Catalyst for Change: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Education and Practice

Over time, the services veterinarians provide have evolved to reach more clients and animals through community outreach, shelter medicine, and street medicine, reflecting a One Health perspective. As these practices have expanded, the need for intentional collaboration with social supports has increased. This article argues for integrating social work principles into veterinary school curricula to enhance both client care and practitioner well-being. Specifically, it highlights the value of frameworks such as the person-in-environment perspective, strengths-based and person-centered approaches, trauma-informed communication, and mindfulness. This primarily conceptual paper draws on the author’s experience developing and implementing veterinary social work services within a veterinary teaching hospital and describes how these frameworks can be applied in educational and clinical contexts. The paper also emphasizes community engagement through partnerships with local organizations and outreach programs and underscores the reciprocal benefits of these programs for universities and the communities they serve. Integrating social work concepts into veterinary training can strengthen communication, support diverse and disenfranchised populations, mitigate burnout and compassion fatigue, and promote holistic, sustainable veterinary practice.