Career Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists

Career Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists is an essential text for students and professionals wanting to pursue a career in human-animal interaction (HAI). It is exclusively designed to navigate this field and provide information on the best education, training, and background one might need to incorporate HAI into a successful career. Kogan and Erdman bring together a diverse range of insights from HAI social scientists who have secured or created their HAI job. The book highlights six categories of work settings: academia, private practice, corporations/for profit companies, non-profit organizations, government, and other positions, to show the growing number of opportunities to blend social science interests with the desire to incorporate HAI into their careers. The book clearly outlines the career paths available to social science students and professionals, from careers connected to human services of psychology, therapy, social work, and journalism, to research or other scholarship.

This book provides a valuable and informative insight into the wide range of career avenues for those wishing to pursue their dream of working within the human-animal interaction field. The personal element of this book is particularly engaging and inspiring as we hear from those who pursued their passion for animals across different fields spanning from academia, to clinical practice, to working within animal charities, government, and non-profits. This book is a compilation of individual stories, each told in a light-hearted and sometimes humorous tone, yet are brutally honest about the main challenges they have faced throughout their chosen path, providing readers with a well-rounded and balanced view of a range of career trajectories. This book is therefore a valuable tool for both those trying to navigate career options in what can be quite a diverse and nonlinear field, as well as to educational professionals who wish to better advise their students with their graduate plans. -- Dr Roxanne Hawkins, Lecturer in Psychology (Module co-ordinator of the Psychology of Human-Animal Interactions) at the University of the West of Scotland, UK., This book provides a valuable and informative insight into the wide range of career avenues for those wishing to pursue their dream of working within the human-animal interaction field. The personal element of this book is particularly engaging and inspiring as we hear from those who pursued their passion for animals across different fields spanning from academia, to clinical practice, to working within animal charities, government, and non-profits. This book is a compilation of individual stories, each told in a light-hearted and sometimes humorous tone, yet are brutally honest about the main challenges they have faced throughout their chosen path, providing readers with a well-rounded and balanced view of a range of career trajectories. This book is therefore a valuable tool for both those trying to navigate career options in what can be quite a diverse and nonlinear field, as well as to educational professionals who wish to better advise their students with their graduate plans. -- Dr Roxanne Hawkins, Lecturer in Psychology (module co-ordinator of the Psychology of Human-Animal Interactions) at the University of the West of Scotland, UK

Lori R. Kogan, PhD, is Professor of Clinical Sciences at Colorado State University, USA. She is the Chair of the Human-Animal Interaction section of the American Psychological Association and Editor of the Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin, an open-access, online publication supported by the American Psychological Association.Phyllis Erdman, PhD, is a professor of counseling at Washington State University and is a licensed mental health counselor, and past chair of the Human-Animal Interaction section of Division 17 of the American Psychological Association. She has been working in the field of human-animal interaction for over ten years, including assessment of equine therapeutic interventions, pet grief, and documenting the need for emotional support animals.