Fifth Avenue Veterinary Specialists Adds Bereavement Counseling; New York City's 24-Hour Emergency Care Facility Extends List of Services.

NEW YORK -- Fifth Avenue Veterinary Specialists (FAVS), New York City's newest specialty referral and 24-hour emergency care facility, is expanding its services to include bereavement and companion animal loss counseling. Facilitated by Irene Javors, M.ED., the series of hour-long presentations are designed to provide helpful guidelines for dealing with the loss of companion animals while focusing on topics such as the grief process, disenfranchised grief, loss in relationship to chronic illness, acceptance and resolution, and coping skills and resiliency strategies.

"Incorporating bereavement counseling sessions allows FAVS to extend our services into a critically important arena," said Sheri L. Berger, DVM, DACVO, medical director at FAVS. "Anyone who has experienced the severe illness of their companion animal knows that this is a difficult and emotional process," she added.

Educational presentations open to the public will be available on Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. on July 11, 18, and 25, as well as August 1, 8, 15 and 29, 2006. An exclusive session for veterinary staff was held in June and included valuable information for a veterinarian's role as a professional, developing effective communication skills with clients who are in crisis and compassion fatigue and burnout. Bereavement counseling seminars will be offered through the summer and into the fall of 2006.

"With this type of counseling, we hope to help pet owners come to terms with their loss and integrate those lessons into their lives," said Irene Javors, M.ED., mental health counselor. "Loss is a great teacher of compassion for oneself and others, and our approach will focus on integrating the lessons companion animals reward humans with during their time together," she added.

Irene Javors, M.ED., is a licensed mental health counselor and a diplomate of the American Psychotherapy Association. As a certified bereavement facilitator and critical incident stress manager, Irene writes an ongoing column for Annals, the official journal of the American Psychotherapy Association. Javers is currently in private practice in New York City and in 2001, was awarded a certificate of appreciation by the New York Counseling Association for volunteering professional services to assist the victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Fifth Avenue Veterinary Specialists, New York City's specialty-only and 24-hour emergency care facility, is located in the heart of lower Manhattan. FAVS offers a full spectrum of specialty services, including emergency and critical care, internal medicine, oncology, ophthalmology, cardiology and orthopedic and soft tissue surgery. In partnership with referring veterinarians, FAVS is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards with a team of specialists, nurses and support staff to ensure pets receive the very best specialty and emergency care.

For more information about Fifth Avenue Veterinary Specialists, please visit the Web site at www.fifthavevetspecialists.com.