A social worker’s best friend

By Matthew Biddle

In tonight’s class, Maxwell is the center of attention.

He greets students as they arrive and waits for them to pet him or scratch him behind the ears. He sits on the floor beside adjunct instructor Rachel Zielinski, LCSW-R, BA/MSW ’08, or climbs into her lap as she gets the evening session started.

Later, after Zielinski introduces a spinner game that social workers can use in therapy, Maxwell eagerly spins the wheel and serves as the example for the activity. Each color on the wheel corresponds to an aspect of stress relief and a series of questions; in a real client session, Zielinski would pose a question, answer it for Maxwell and then throw it back to the client.

For example, when the wheel lands on blue, or self-care, she says: “Maxwell’s nighttime routine involves having a second meal, taking his meds and then settling into bed. What do you do for your nighttime routine?” Maxwell lights up, and the students — both those in the room and on Zoom — see how the activity could encourage clients to open up in therapy.

Maxwell is, of course, Zielinski’s certified therapy dog — an adorable shih tzu poodle mix — and the class is Animal-Assisted Social Work in the University at Buffalo School of Social Work.

“Animal-assisted social work is an umbrella term that includes different animal-assisted therapies and activities, equine-assisted psychotherapy and veterinary social work,” explains Zielinski, who has used animal-assisted therapies in her social work practice for the past decade.

“All people can benefit from therapy animals,” she continues. “Maxwell is great for grounding when clients get really activated or have a high level of anxiety. He can be helpful for teens or people with autism. Some clients even see us as a team together, so it reduces anxiety for clients who count on him being there for sessions.”

Zielinski taught the elective course for the first time last spring to give students an overview of animal-assisted social work practice, including how animals are trained and certified and the therapeutic value they can provide, particularly for clients struggling through grief and loss, crisis, trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The course also covered the differences between therapy animals, emotional support animals and service animals.

Research shows animal-assisted therapy can increase mental stimulation, reduce loneliness, lower blood pressure and help people relax. A recent study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found dog therapy helped people with dementia decrease stress, anxiety and sadness, while increasing pleasure and alertness. For patients with multiple sclerosis, the same study found equine-assisted therapy helped improve balance and decrease fatigue.

“Animals can be used in different settings for overcoming different traumas,” Zielinski says. “Connecting with an animal can provide instant relief for people and help them through whatever they’re going through. I find most people tend to be animal lovers or at least can get that therapeutic benefit from interacting with them.”

Maggie Beiter, a UB MSW student in the full-time, Advanced Standing program, says the course was the first one she registered for last spring. For her, the HyFlex format, which included both synchronous online and optional in-person classes, provided her flexibility to manage the competing demands of a graduate-level social work program.

“I learned a lot from this class, but it was also a form of self-care for me every month,” she says. “At the end of the month, we had an in-person session where we got to pet a therapy animal in class. It was just something I looked forward to every month and really helped to ground me and destress.”

One month, the founder of RocDog — a Rochester-based therapy dog group — brought in Mara, a gentle Newfoundland dog, and discussed building and funding the organization. A few weeks later, Riley, a bichon frisé, was on hand for a lecture about dogs in trauma therapy settings.

“Being able to listen to guest speakers while loving on furry friends is the best way to spend class,” says Linnea Ryer, LMSW, MSW ’20, supportive employment team lead at Beyond Support Network.

Ryer took the course for continuing education hours to maintain her licensure, using a SUNY tuition waiver that she received as a field educator for the School of Social Work. Having previously volunteered for therapeutic riding programs that serve individuals with disabilities, Ryer was eager to learn more about how she could incorporate animal-assisted practices into her work.

“The course provided a great opportunity to gain an understanding of the intricacies involved in incorporating animals into the social work field,” Ryer says. “I believe the diversity of the field enables clients who are interested in incorporating therapeutic animals into treatment to find what is right for them. As a professional who works with adults with disabilities, I do hope I can incorporate some modality of the field into my work.”

Beiter says she’s already incorporated lessons from the class into her practicum at Child and Family Services — and hopes to do so in her career, too.

“People love their pets, and they can be a big protective factor. At my internship, I work with kids a lot. Now, one of the first things I ask them is, ‘Do you have a pet?’ They light up and it allows us to have a deeper connection,” she says.

Though Beiter is still weighing her career options after UB, she says: “I’ve always been interested in working in a school setting. After taking this class I could see myself being a school social worker and having a therapy animal in the classroom or in a therapy office.”

Zielinski plans to teach SW 977 Animal-Assisted Social Work again in spring 2026. For a complete list of School of Social Work electives, visit socialwork.buffalo.edu/electives.

Matthew Biddle
Director of Communications and Marketing
School of Social Work
Tel: 716-645-1226
mrbiddle@buffalo.edu