Date: February 20, 2026
Time: 9 AM-12 Noon
Modality: Zoom
Presenter: Rachel Crowe, MSW, LCSW
This is a virtual course, and will take place over Zoom.
A link to this virtual course will be sent one week prior to the event.
$45.00 SLU Alumni and pre-registered SLU practicum instructors
$65.00 All others
Title: Attachment-based Relationships: Foundational Approaches, Cultural, and Ethical Considerations on the Human Animal Bond in Social Work Practice
Animal Certificate
*Meets Ethics and Diversity Requirements (1.5 CEH each)
Learning Objectives:
Understand the historical exclusion of animals in communities and professional social work practices and recognize its implications on human and animal welfare.
Discuss cultural considerations related to the bias and systemic barriers that impact the human-animal bond.
Analyze the collective impact of trauma, oppression, and systemic factors on both human and animal welfare and explore the role of the human-animal bond in fostering resilience and well-being.
Examine and apply ethical considerations to social work practice regarding the integration or exclusion of the human-animal bond and guiding social work practitioners on ways to incorporate human-animal relationships in practice at individual, family, community, and societal levels.
Develop strategies for applying attachment-based relationship principles to professional social work engagement while considering both human and animal welfare.
Course Description: This CE course will review the key impacts of the human animal bond, particularly the historical exclusion of animals in our communities and in our professional practices. We will start with a review of the collective impact of systems, trauma, and oppression that impact the welfare of people and animals. From there, we will examine the biased perceptions of populations and the strength of the human-animal bond. The implications thereof will be explored considering professional ethics guiding social work practice. Finally, the ethics around consideration of human and animal welfare from the standpoint of excluding that relationship in the social work framework, code of ethics, and suggestions for application to practice at the individual, family, community, and societal levels.
Bio: Rachel Crowe, MSW, LCSW, was recently appointed as a full-time Assistant Clinical Professor and Faculty Field Liaison, having served in this role as an adjunct Assistant Professor and Field Liaison for the BSSW program in SLU’s School of Social Work for 3 years. She formerly served as the Learning & Professional Development Director for the St. Louis Crisis Nursery, where she has worked for over 23 years.
Price:
$65.00