Practical Human Behaviour Change for the Health and Welfare of Animals

Your Practical Guide to Human Behaviour Change for Animal Welfare

This book is the practical guide to helping people change behavior for the welfare, wellbeing, and health of their animals. Grounded in evidence-based techniques and drawing on over 20 years of experience, this book enables readers to understand the underlying causes of human behavior toward animals and deliver the crucial skills to help people make needed changes.

Key Features

• Crucial Techniques: The book details key behavioral change techniques, including the use of the Stages of Change model, Motivational Interviewing (MI), and skilled Active Listening, to support practical interventions for owner's behaviors (e.g., diet, exercise, weight control, and breeding).
• Managing Difficult Conversations: It supports professionals through difficult conversations such as euthanasia, hoarding, and giving up ownership, reducing the psychological burden on workers and improving job satisfaction.
• Effective Communication: It covers structuring conversations with a focus, developing understanding of the owner’s situation and experiences, working with ambivalence, and supporting people to prepare for change.
• Practical Learning: To aid in reader comprehension, the book is complemented by case examples, analogies, and exercises. A supporting website provides worksheets and resources to help put skills into practice.
• Action Planning: It includes guidance on preparing for action via goal setting and action planning, supporting people to move into making changes and and maintain change in the long-term.
• Broad Audience: A valuable resource for veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, animal care providers, animal welfare and sanctuary workers, and individuals working in health, environmental, and trading standards.