When Ida Came To Class: The Inclusion of Animals in the Social Work Curriculum
Keywords:
Social work, Social work education, curriculum, Animals, Disaster, Domestic ViolenceAbstract
The inclusion of animals within social work education is a relatively new, and still rare, component of curriculum development in Australia and New Zealand. To remedy this omission within our final-year social work programmes at The University of Auckland, New Zealand, the authors designed a lecture with two main focal points and with two underpinning agendas. This article summarises the knowledge base and conceptual underpinning of the presentation, which addresses an animal-inclusive consideration of human service organisations in the disaster context and the relationship between domestic/intimate partner violence and animals. Accounts of the active participation of a companion animal within the lecture serve to portray attachment bonds and provide a basic introduction to human–animal interaction. Social work’s potential for activism in the field of animal as well as human rights is included, with a call for a re-conceptualisation of a systems-based ecological perspective for human services and social work practice.
References
Adamson, C. (2014). A social work lens for a disaster-informed curriculum. Advances in Social Work and Welfare Education, 16 (2), 7–22.
Antonacopoulos, N. M. D., & Pychyl, T. A. (2010). An examination of the potential role of pet ownership, human social support and pet attachment in the psychological health of individuals living alone. Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of the Interactions of People & Animals, 23, 37–54.
Appleby, M. C., & Stokes, T. (2008). Why should we care about nonhuman animals during times of crisis? Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 11(2), 90–97. doi:10.1080/10888700801925612
Awadi, H. A., Hunt, M., & Johnson, M. (2008). Psychological sequelae of pet loss following Hurricane Katrina. Anthrozoos, 21, 109–121.
Besthorn, F. H. (2013). Radical equalitarian ecological justice: A social work call to action. In M. Gray, J. Coates, & T. Hetherington (Eds.), Environmental Social Work (pp. 31–45). Abingdon, Oxon, UK: Routledge.
Breckenridge, J., & James, K. (2010). Educating social work students in multifaceted interventions for trauma.
Social Work Education, 29(3), 259–275.
Darroch, J., & Adamson, C. (in press, 2016). Companion animals and disasters: The role of human services organisations.
Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work.
DeGue, S. (2011). A triad of family violence: Examining overlap in the abuse of children, partners and pets. In C. Blazina,
G. Boyraz, & D. Shen-Miller (Eds.), The psychology of the human–animal bond (pp. 245–262). New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-9761-6_14
DePrince, A. P., Priebe, S. J., & Newton, A. T. (2011). Learning about violence against women in research methods: A comparison to traditional pedagogy. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 3(3), 215–222.
Dominelli, L. (2012). Green social work: From environmental crises to environmental justice. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. Donohue, K. M. (2005). Pet loss: Implications for social work practice. Social Work, 50(2), 187–190. doi:10.1093/sw/50.2.187
Evans, N., & Perez-y.-Perez, M. (2013). Will Marley come home? An exploration of the impacts of the Canterbury earthquakes on people’s relationships with their companion animals. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work Review, 25(2), 7–17.
Faver, C. A., & Strand, E. B. (2003). To leave or to stay?: Battered women’s concern for vulnerable pets. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18(12), 1367–1377. doi:10.1177/0886260503258028
Glassey, S. (2010). Pet owner emergency preparedness and perceptions survey: Taranaki and Wellington regions. Wellington, New Zealand: Mercalli Disaster Management Consulting.
Glassey, S. (2014, May). Shooting them isn’t the answer ... Why pets matter in disasters. Paper presented at the Australia & New Zealand Disaster Management Conference, QT Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Retrieved from http://www.ucr3.canterbury. ac.nz/docs/ANZDMC%20S%20Glassey%20Pets%20presentation.pdf
Gray, M., Coates, J., & Hetherington, T. (Eds.). (2013). Environmental social work. Abingdon, Oxon, UK: Routledge.
Harris, M., & Fallot, R. D. (2001). Envisioning a trauma-informed service system: A vital paradigm shift. New Directions for Mental Health Services, 89, 3-22. doi:10.1002/yd.23320018903
Hart, L. A. (2010). Positive effects of animals for psychosocially vulnerable people: A turning point for delivery. In A. H. Fine (Ed.), Handbook on animal-assisted therapy (3rd ed., pp. 59–84). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Heath, S. E., & Linnabary, R. D. (2015). Challenges of managing animals in disasters in the U.S. Animals, 5(2), 173-192. doi:10.3390/ani5020173
Hunt, M. G., Bogue, K., & Rohrbaugh, N. (2012). Pet ownership and evacuation prior to Hurricane Irene. Animals (2076- 2615), 2(4), 529–539. doi:10.3390/ani2040529
Hyslop, I. K. (2016). Social work in the teeth of a gale: A resilient counter-discourse in neoliberal times. Critical and Radical Social Work [online] doi:10.1332/204986016X14519919041316
Ife, J. (2001). Human rights and social work: Towards rights-based practice. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
International Federation of Social Workers. (2014). Global definition of social work. Retrieved from http://ifsw.org/policies/ definition-of-social-work/
Irvine, L. (2006). Animals in disasters: Issues for animal liberation activism and policy. Animal Liberation Philosophy and Policy Journal, 4(1), 1–16.
Jones, K., Cooper, B., & Ferguson, H. (Eds.). (2008). Best practice in social work: Critical perspectives. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
Jones, P. (2010). Responding to the ecological crisis: Transformative pathways for social work education. Journal of Social Work Education, 46(1), 67–84. doi:10.5175/jswe.2010.200800073
Lowe, S. R., Rhodes, J. E., Zwiebach, L., & Chan, C. S. (2009). The impact of pet loss on the perceived social support and psychological distress of hurricane survivors. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 22(3), 244–247.
McConnell, P., & Fine, A. H. (2010). Understanding the other end of the leash: What therapists need to understand about their co-therapists. In A. H. Fine (Ed.), Handbook on animal-assisted therapy (3rd ed., pp. 149–165). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
McDonald, S. E., Graham-Bermann, S. A., Maternick, A., Ascione, F. R., & Williams, J. H. (2016). Patterns of adjustment among children exposed to intimate partner violence: A person-centered approach. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 9(2), 137–152. doi:10.1007/s40653-016-0079-y
Mills, K. (2015). Animal attachment and disaster resilience in vulnerable communities. Australian Journal of Emergency Management
[online] 30(2). Retrieved from https://ajem.infoservices.com.au/items/AJEM-30-02-14
Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management. (2010). Welfare in an emergency: Director’s guideline for civil defence emergency management groups [DGL 11/10]. Wellington, New Zealand: Author. Retrieved from http://www.civildefence.govt.nz/ assets/Uploads/publications/dgl-11-10-welfare-in-an-emergency.pdf
Morley, C., & Fook, J. (2005). The importance of pet loss and some implications for services. Mortality, 10(2), 127–143. doi:10. 1080/13576270412331329849
Nagasawa, M., Mitsui, S., En, S., Ohtani, N., Ohta, M., Sakuma, Y., … Kikusui, T. (2015). Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds. Science, 348(6232), 333–336. doi:10.1126/science.1261022
O’Brien, M. (2009). Social work and the practice of social justice: An initial overview. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work Review, 21(1/2), 3–10.
O’Haire, M. (2010). Companion animals and human health: Benefits, challenges, and the road ahead. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 5(5), 226–234. doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2010.02.002
Palika, L. (2006). When disaster strikes…. Dog World, 91(2), 39–43.
Potts, A., & Gadenne, D. (2014). Animals in emergencies: Learning from the Christchurch earthquakes. Christchurch, New Zealand: Canterbury University Press.
Roguski, M. (2012). Pets as pawns: The co-existence of animal cruelty and family violence. Retrieved from http://www. kaitiakiresearch.com/recent-studies
Ryan, T. (2011). Animals and social work: A moral introduction. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Taylor, S. A. (2013). Social science research in ocean environments: A social worker’s experience. In M. Gray, J. Coates, & T. Hetherington (Eds.), Environmental social work (pp. 88–101). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Thompson, K., Every, D., Rainbird, S., Cornell, V., Smith, B., & Trigg, J. (2014). No pet or their person left behind: Increasing the disaster resilience of vulnerable groups through animal attachment, activities and networks. Animals (2076-2615), 4(2), 214–240. doi:10.3390/ani4020214
Trigg, J., Thompson, K., Smith, B., & Bennett, P. (2016). An animal just like me: The importance of preserving the identities of companion-animal owners in disaster contexts. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 10(1), 26–40. doi:10.1111/spc3.12233
Walker, P., Aimers, J., & Perry, C. (2015). Animals and social work: An emerging field of practice for Aotearoa New Zealand.
Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work Review, 27(1), 24–35.
Walsh, F. (2009). Human–animal bonds II: The role of pets in family systems and family therapy. Family Process, 48(4), 481–499. doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.2009.01297.x
Wells, D. L. (2009). The effects of animals on human health and well-being. Journal of Social Issues, 65(3), 523–543. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560.2009.01612.x
Westcott, R. (2015). People and their animals in emergencies: Snapshots from past emergency events. Australian Journal of Emergency Management [online], 30(2), 62–65.
Williams, V. M., Dale, A. R., Clarke, N., & Garrett, N. K. G. (2008). Animal abuse and family violence: Survey on the recognition of animal abuse by veterinarians in New Zealand and their understanding of the correlation between animal abuse and human violence. New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 56(1), 21–28. doi:10.1080/00480169.2008.36800
Wilson, D. L., Smith, R., Tolmie, J., & de Haan, I. (2015). Becoming better helpers: Rethinking language to move beyond simplistic responses to women experiencing intimate partner violence. Policy Quarterly, 11(1), 25–31.
Zottarelli, L. K. (2010). Broken bond: An exploration of human factors associated with companion animal loss during Hurricane Katrina. Sociological Forum, 25(1), 110–122. doi:10.1111/j.1573-7861.2009.01159.x
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2016 Australian and New Zealand Social Work and Welfare Education and Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Advances in Social Work & Welfare Education by Australian and New Zealand Social Work and Welfare Education and Research (ANZSWWER) is licensed under CC BY 4.0
