A Calm Room Starts With Calm People

Your pet reads the room before you do. Long before anyone has said a word, they have decided how this is going to go, and most of that decision is about the person reaching for them.

Dr. Adi Moorman explains why in the video above. When the person caring for your pet is calm and settled, you can feel it. The two go together.

This post is about the people who make a Fear Free Appointment feel calm, and what it takes to keep them steady enough to do it.

What makes a Fear Free Appointment actually feel calm?

Town and Country is Fear Free Certified at the practice level, which sets the standard: non slip flooring, quieter handling, treats used with intent. But a standard is just paper until a person carries it out. Staff are trained to notice when an animal has had enough, and to stop rather than push through.

Every one of those techniques runs through a person, and they work best when that person has something left to give. A technician who isn't stretched thin has the patience your dog needs, someone who can slow down instead of rushing through.

That patience is what actually makes a Fear Free Appointment feel calm.

What does veterinary team mental health have to do with it?

A couple of years ago Dr. Reed Hall and Dr. Craig Moorman (LPC), co-founder of Finding Solutions Counseling Centers, built a support program for our veterinary teams across all three of our hospitals.

Dr. Craig Moorman and Dr. Adi Moorman, both licensed professional counselors, work with our doctors and technicians on what the job asks of people. Long shifts, hard conversations about cost, and a goodbye in one room twenty minutes before a puppy in the next. Coming from outside the practice is what makes it work.

Dr. Craig Moorman's reasoning is direct. Reduce the anxiety and you get better focus, and better attention for both the client and the patient.

What do the teams say it changes?

They tell us they feel taken care of, calmer, more focused, and more present.

That is what a Fear Free Appointment is meant to feel like, and it is why we invest in the people delivering it.

Is there evidence that pets do this for us too?

Yes, and the human side of it is better documented than most people expect.

An association, not a proven cause, and still a remarkable finding. Your dog is doing something real for you. Taking care of the people who take care of your dog is part of how that gets paid forward.

Frequently asked questions

Is this part of Fear Free certification?
No, it is separate. Fear Free is a certification about how pets are handled, and Town and Country holds it at the practice level. The counseling program is separate, it is ours, and it covers all three of our hospitals.

Who is Finding Solutions?
They are Finding Solutions Counseling Centers, a counseling practice here in Northern Virginia. Dr. Craig Moorman (LPC) and Dr. Adi Moorman (LPC) are the licensed counselors who work with our teams. Coming from outside the company is what makes it work.

My cat still hates the carrier. Does any of this help?
It probably will not help with the carrier, but it helps everything after the carrier, which is most of the Fear Free Appointment.

Can I ask about it when I come in?
Yes, ask any of us.

Our counseling partner

The support program for our veterinary teams is run with Finding Solutions Counseling Centers, a counseling practice in Northern Virginia.

Dr. Craig Moorman (LPC) and Dr. Adi Moorman (LPC) co-founded Finding Solutions and lead the work with our doctors and technicians. They see clients of their own too, at findingyoursolution.com.

How do you book?

Schedule a Fear Free Appointment online, which takes about a minute and works at any hour. If you would rather talk to someone, call (703) 273-2110. We are at 9836 Fairfax Blvd, Fairfax, VA 22030.

If you have not been in before, mention it when you call. New pet parents get a little more time on the first Fear Free Appointment, which is usually what a nervous animal needs most.

Love People. Love Pets.