Creating Pet-Inclusive Behavioral Health Care with BestyBnB
Pet ownership is frequently overlooked in access to behavioral health care but commonly cited by clients and providers alike. Fear of what will happen to a beloved pet can delay or prevent people from entering treatment, remaining engaged, or transitioning into higher levels of care. BestyBnB partners with behavioral health care providers to remove this barrier through safe and confidential temporary placement for clients’ pets. By addressing pet care as part of the continuum of behavioral health support, these partnerships remove a critical barrier to care and strengthen client outcomes. This session will present findings from a staff survey conducted with BestyBnB’s behavioral health partners assessing the impact of pet-inclusive support on treatment engagement, continuity of care, and pet retention.
In this session, you will learn:
Identify pet ownership as a significant, often unaddressed barrier to accessing and remaining engaged in behavioral health treatment.
Recognize how temporary pet placement models support client engagement, reduce treatment disruption, and improve continuity of care during behavioral health treatment or crisis intervention.
How to apply a pet-inclusive partnership framework to your organization through collaborating with BestyBnB to implement temporary pet placement as part of behavioral health service delivery.
Who should attend?
Behavioral health care providers
Animal services providers
Crisis service responders
Social service providers
Presented by
Zoë Agnew-Svoboda
zagnewsvoboda@bestybnb.com
Director of Engagement and Program Development
Zoë has worked in animal welfare for over a decade. Prior to joining BestyBnB, she spent close to 8 years providing direct service to survivors of domestic violence by managing the pet advocacy program at a domestic violence agency in Kansas City, Missouri. With this program, she gained first-hand knowledge on the positive impact pets play in our lives and how the relationship we share with animals can be life-saving. Zoë regularly provides training on her vast knowledge of the connection between domestic violence and animal abuse, and how to provide pet advocacy services. In her role with BestyBnB, she partners with agencies to implement lifesaving programs for survivors seeking safety with their pets.
*BestyBnB webinars are geared toward professional development and are not intended to be utilized for therapeutic or psycho-educational purposes. If you are a survivor of domestic violence seeking help please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline.