Benefits of @PAWSitiveCanineConnections
'Gone to the Dogs' to Support Substance Use Health!
This initiative is designed for service providers who work with substance use clients that have companion animals in their lives, but anyone can benefit from it!
Follow these 6 STEPS to raise your awareness and become animal informed about the supportive role of pets, in particular dogs, in people's substance use health. One such support a dog can offer is their ability to counteract the harmful effects of stigma.
- Watch the video Why consider pets in the substance use health field
- Watch the video How pets and a service dog help a Veteran with his substance use health and stigma
- Watch the video Managing substance use stigma through the human-animal bond
- Do the module Becoming a PAWSitive Ally
- Do the module What you need to know about substance use health concerns
- Access Resources
6 STEPS to Raise Your Awareness
1. Why consider pets in the substance use health field?
2. How pets and a service dog help a Veteran with their substance use health and stigma
2. How pets and a service dog help a Veteran with their substance use health and stigma
Learn why you need to consider pets as supports in the substance use health field and how you can do this.
2. How pets and a service dog help a Veteran with their substance use health and stigma
2. How pets and a service dog help a Veteran with their substance use health and stigma
2. How pets and a service dog help a Veteran with their substance use health and stigma
Learn from a Veteran about how his pets and a PTSD service dog support his battle with substance use and stigma.
3. Managing substance use stigma through the human-animal bond
2. How pets and a service dog help a Veteran with their substance use health and stigma
3. Managing substance use stigma through the human-animal bond
Learn the scientific evidence behind the presence of stigma in the lives of Veterans with a substance use disorder and how the human-animal bond can assist them.
4. Becoming a PAWSitive Ally
5. What you need to know about Veterans with substance use health concerns
3. Managing substance use stigma through the human-animal bond
Take this module to explore how our growing understanding of the supportive role of allies, including animals, can help individuals with substance use concerns make a stronger connection to their wellness.
You can register for the full 9-module Connecting for Veteran Wellness certificate course for free here.
5. What you need to know about Veterans with substance use health concerns
5. What you need to know about Veterans with substance use health concerns
5. What you need to know about Veterans with substance use health concerns
Take this module to explore how our growing understanding of substance use harms can help us assist individuals with making a stronger connection to their substance use health goals and/or managing their symptoms.
You can register for the full 9-module Connecting for Veteran Wellness certificate course for free here.
6. Service Provider Resources
5. What you need to know about Veterans with substance use health concerns
5. What you need to know about Veterans with substance use health concerns
Access resources identified for substance use service providers about the importance of pets in their clients' lives and for their substance use health.
"Becoming animal informed means that animals, and specifically companion animals/pets, are recognized for the role they can play in peoples' lives and wellness."
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Initiative Background
This initiative is supported with funding from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. Team members are: Dr. Colleen Dell, Dr. Linzi Williamson, Maryellen Gibson, Ben Carey and in partnership with Daniel Hearn from Hard Knox Talks and Dr. Barb Fornssler.
Dr. Colleen Anne Dell led development of the Connecting for Veteran Wellness course alongside a team of leading scientific researchers, Veterans with lived and living experience, project staff and contractors (including Redwood Performs), and Service Dog program advisors. Indigenous Elder Harry Francis and Knowledge Keeper Larry Laliberte offered guidance to the project through their sharing of prayer, wisdom, and knowledge. The project was initiated in 2019 by the University of Saskatchewan and was funded by Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program. Some of the course is built upon findings of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded project undertaken by members of the current team, starting in 2016. Click HERE to learn more.