journal
Services Offered to Animal Caregivers and Advocates
January 31, 2008
Ghandi once said that the level of a civilization can be judged by the way it treats women and animals. He put the well being of animals on the same footing as human beings. When we are committed in our caregiving and advocacy work to supporting and aiding animals, some may think we are wasting our time or even crazy. Yet at MettaKnowledge for Peace, we know, as Ghandi hinted at, that we are all interconnected; when animals are denigrated, abused and terrorized, it is usually mirroring how human beings are being treated. To that end, we have a special interest in working with those who work most closely with the challenges faced by animals in our world today: abusive animal farming practices, animal cruelty and fighting, puppy mills, use of animals in research labs, and horse slaughter, among others.
Studies have shown that burnout leads to greater employee turnover, conflicts among staff and between staff and management, and other problems. Turnover is particularly high in local animal shelters where some of the worst problems faced by animals are encountered. With targeted programs to address the stresses faced on the job, employee morale and retention increases and employee skillfulness in working with the public improves.
Our services include are offered on a contract basis to organizations and include:
1) Training programs: The include how to recover from and avoid compassion fatigue, how to address what are often the moral and spiritual issues that arise when dealing with trauma, abuse and violence, the connection of animal abuse to domestic and sexual vioelcne, and how to deal with equanimity with the diversity of opinions and beliefs among people about animals in ways that are constructive and supportive of animals’ well being.
2) Employee assistance: We give individual mentoring to employees on a contract basis to the organization so that employees have someone to talk to when they feel overwhelmed and exhausted.
3) Program development: we brainstorm with organizations how to develop public education and professional training programs that are effective and successful. MettaKnowledge for Peace has a particular area of specialization in the arena of dealing with diversity in the workplace and the world.
4) Organizational assessment and therapy: We undertake outside reviews of staffing and customer services and recommend needed changes. However, we don’t just provide our recommendations and walk away; we then offer a variety of different methods for mentoring staff and management to new ways of working organizationally.