Canine Companions in Clinical Care (Live In-Person)
Credit Available - See CEs/Contact Hours tab below.
Total Credits: 1 including 5 NYSED LMSW & LCSW CEs/Contact Hours, 5 NYSED LMHC CEs/Contact Hours, 5 NYSED LMFT CEs/Contact Hours, 5 NYSED LCAT CEs/Contact Hours, 5 NYSED PSY CEs/Contact Hours, 5 ASWB ACE approved continuing education, 5 UBSW - NYS OASAS, 1 NYSED Required Boundaries Hours
- Average Rating:
- Not yet rated
- Categories:
- Animal Assisted Therapy | Client Engagement | Professional Development | Therapeutic Modalities
- Trainer:
- Belinda Schlafer, LMHC, CCTP, EMDR-C
- Course Levels:
- Beginning
- Duration:
- 5 hours
- Location:
- Pharmacy Building - University at Buffalo - Buffalo, New York
Description
In-person workshop.
Canine Companions in Clinical Care introduces trauma-informed strategies for integrating dogs as co-therapists in clinical settings. Participants will explore how therapy dogs can support co-regulation, enhance connection, and gently aid clients in developing a sense of safety. This workshop will address the continuum of canine involvement in therapy, ethical best practices, informed consent, and the importance of cultural sensitivity for both clients and canines. This workshop includes the participation of and audience interaction with K-9 Annabelle. This workshop is intended only for participants who are comfortable with such exposure and interactions. Annabelle, a 3-year-old border collie, is a trained therapy dog.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the continuum of canine involvement in therapy sessions
- Recognize signs of stress in both clients and canine companions
- Identify culturally relevant factors for clients and canines that affect the role of therapy dogs in treatment
- Examine ethical considerations of animal assisted interventions
Research:
- Evans J. J. (2024). Assessing cultural, religious, and trauma influences in human-animal interactions for effective animal-assisted counseling. Animals: an open access journal from MDPI, 14(17), 2496. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14172496
- Kline, J.A., Fisher, M.A., Pettit, K., Linville, C., and Beck, A.M. (2019). Controlled clinical trial of canine therapy versus usual care to reduce patient anxiety in the emergency department. National Library of Medicine, 14 (1), e209232. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209232
- Sterman, J. (2020). Human-animal interaction in social work: a call to action. Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, 17(1), 47-54. Retrieved from 10-017-109-JSWVE-2020.pdf
Target Audience: social workers, mental health practitioners, creative arts therapists, marriage and facility therapists, psychologists, addiction professionals, case managers, and other interested individuals.
Customer ServiceWe are happy to respond to any concerns or questions you may have. Please contact us at by email at sw-ce@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5841.
ADA Accommodations: If you require any support for your ADA needs in the United States, please contact us by email at least 3 weeks prior to the event by email at sw-ce@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5841.
Registration
Registration open until: 3/19/26
CEs/Contact Hours
University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0001. Continuing education contact hours: 5 Live Online
University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0008. Continuing education contact hours: 5 Live Online
University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0007. Continuing education contact hours: 5 Live Online
University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists #CAT-0003. Continuing education contact hours: 5 Live Online
University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0062. Continuing education contact hours: 5 Live Online
University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education, #1773, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Office of Continuing Education maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 02/23/2023 - 02/23/2026. Social workers completing this course receive 5 continuing education credits.
NYS OASAS Provider #0045: 5 hours for pending
This course includes 1 content hours that meets the NYSED requirement for boundaries continuing education for social workers (LMSW/LCSW), mental health professionals (LMHC, LMFT, LCAT), and Psychologists (PSY).
Please Note:
This training MAY NOT qualify for ethics or boundaries requirements outside of NYS, check with your state board for more details.
This training DOES NOT meet the additional state specific ethics requirement for NYS Psychologists.
Trainer
Belinda Schlafer, LMHC, CCTP, EMDR-C Related Seminars and Products
Belinda is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Houghton College with a minor in Sociology and a master’s degree in Community Mental Health Counseling from St. Bonaventure University. Belinda is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional and is certified in Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR-C).
Belinda worked as Mental Health Counselor for Cuba Rushford Central School providing counseling services to staff. Prior to her work at Cuba-Rushford, Belinda worked in multiple roles for the Allegany County Department of Social Services in Adult Protective, PINS Reform, and Adoption and Home finding.
Belinda is the co-founder of the Officer Wellness Program. She is the creator and presenter of the Educator Wellness Program. Additionally, she is the founder and developer of, the Attorney Wellness Program, The Self-care and Wellness in the Child Protective and Healthcare Profession respectively. These programs provide participants with tools and resources needed to manage the stressors of their respective careers and achieve their best life possible. In 2024 Belinda opened her own wellness consulting practice, Compelled to B. Well, LLC.
Completion Requirements
No partial credit is given for partial attendance.
In-Person Completion Requirements
In order to receive a certificate of completion for this course participants must complete the following.
Please note all requirements can be found in your UBCE21 portal.
- Sign in, stay for the entire training, and sign out. Participation in small group activities is required.
- After the training, complete the evaluation by clicking on the "Evaluation and Certificate" button for this course.
The certificate of completion will be immediately generated in your account upon completion of all course requirements. Certificates may be downloaded, printed, or left in your account.
Agenda
Coming soon!
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Cancellation Policy:
Live (In-Person, Online, and Hybrid) Trainings
The cancellation and refund policy below applies to individual courses. If you purchased multiple courses at one time they may be subject to individual processing fees. Participants can make payment or refund inquiries by contacting the Office of Continuing Education by phone 716-829-5844 or by email at sw-ce@buffalo.edu. Standard business hours for the Office of Continuing Education are Monday – Friday 9:00am to 4:30pm. Any requests made outside of these days and times will default to the next business day.
Up to 3 CEs/Contact Hours
- Up to 30 days prior to the training date refund will be issued in the form of (1) a gift card in the full payment amount OR (2) a refund to the original method of payment minus a $15 processing fee
- 29 days to 2 days prior to the training date refund will be issued in the form of (1) a gift card minus a $15 processing fee OR (2) a refund to the original method of payment minus a $25 processing fee
- 24 hours or less prior to the training no gift cards or refunds will be issued
3.25 - 5.75 CEs/Contact Hours
- Up to 30 days prior to the training date refund will be issued in the form of (1) a gift card in the full payment amount OR (2) a refund to the original method of payment minus a $25 processing fee
- 29 days to 2 days prior to the training date refunds will be issued in the form of (1) a gift card minus a $25 processing fee OR (2) a refund of 50% to original method of payment
- 24 hours or less prior to the training no gift cards or refunds will be issued
6-11.75 CEs/Contact Hours
- Up to 30 days prior to the training date refund will be issued in the form of (1) a gift card in the full payment amount OR (2) a refund to the original method of payment minus a $50 processing fee
- 29 days to 2 days prior to the training date refunds will be issued in the form of (1) a gift card minus a $50 processing fee OR (2) a refund of 50% to original method of payment
- 24 hours or less prior to the training no gift cards or refunds will be issued
12 or more CEs/Contact Hours
- Up to 60 days prior to the training date refund will be issued in the form of (1) a gift card in the full payment amount OR (2) a refund to the original method of payment minus a $50 processing fee
- 59 to 6 days prior to the training date refund will be issued in the form of (1) a gift card minus a $50 processing fee OR (2) a refund of 50% to original method of payment
- 5 days or less prior to the training No gift cards or refunds will be issued
- Visit ubswce.ce21.com and refer to the "CEs/Contact Hours" tab on the respective training page to confirm the number of approved CEs/Contact Hours. There may be instances where a special workshop has additional cancellation rules that will be stated in the workshop description.
Cancellation of Group Purchases
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Cancellations of more than 5 staff members will incur the following additional fees:
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More than 30 days in advance will incur an additional 5% fee.
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Less than 30 days but more than 15 days in advance will incur an additional 10% fee.
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Less than 15 days will incur an additional 20% fee.
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Online Self-Study Training
- Participants have up to 72 hours from purchase to contact the Office of Continuing Education by phone or email and request a refund for an online course.
Gift Cards
Gift cards can be used as payment toward future trainings. Gift cards never expire.
Loyalty Reward Points
- Participants who request a refund will forfeit any Loyalty Reward Points they may have received from that purchase.
- Participants who request a refund on a purchase paid for with Loyalty Reward Points will have those rewards credited back to their account within 5 business days of the refund being processed.
Substitute Attendance
If a registered participant is unable to attend a training and would like another individual to attend in their place the Office of Continuing Education must be called or emailed at least one full business day before the training. Substitution decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Check Refund
Any refund requests for a check payment may take up to 4 weeks to process.
UB Cancelled Trainings
- If the Office of Continuing Education cancels a training, participants will be notified via email and refunds will be paid in full.
- Please be aware that if the University at Buffalo is closed trainings and workshops may still be taking place.
- Please contact the Office of Continuing Education at sw-ce@buffalo.edu or 716-829-5841 if you have any questions or concerns regarding whether or not a training is still being held.
Additional questions and support?
Please email sw-ce@buffalo.edu or call 716-829-5841.
Location
Pharmacy Building - University at Buffalo
(716) 645-2000
www.buffalo.edu
