Veterinary Social Work

MASH Veterinary Social Work

At MASH, we recognize the significance of the bond between humans and animals, as well as the emotional well-being of our veterinary medicine team. We are proud to be one of the few veterinary hospitals, and the first in Southern California, to have a VSW program. Our hospital offers access to a licensed mental health clinician who provides free support to MASH clients and staff.

What Veterinary Social Workers Do

Veterinary social workers collaborate with our interdisciplinary team to provide added support to our clients. Veterinarians and support staff are typically not trained to work with people experiencing crisis, trauma, or grief. A veterinary social worker can help alleviate some of these pressures by providing professional expertise in high-emotion situations.

Veterinary Social Workers provide services for both staff and clients including, but not limited to:

Short-term grief/anticipatory grief support
Virtual pet loss support group
End-of-life/QOL support and guidance
Crisis intervention (as related to a patient’s medical condition)
Liaison between client and medical staff
Euthanasia support
Referrals to community resources

To contact a Veterinary Social Worker, email Rebecca Baker at rbaker@mash.vet or call 323-948-1400.

Veterinary Social Workers do not provide ongoing therapy.

If therapy is needed, a member of the VSW team may be able to assist with a referral. Follow-up is not guaranteed to be immediate. VSWs respond to referrals as quickly as possible, generally within 1-7 days.