Jeff Fink || Go Fetch Wellness
Personally, I think many people can agree that pets are more than animals: they're our friends. They lift our spirits when we're down, and they make us want to be better people. Pets can be working animals, emotional support animals, and lifelong companions. And for some, pets serve an even bigger purpose as they comfort and support people battling their way through mental illness.
Jeff Fink, founder of Go Fetch Wellness, shared with me how he began to understand how pets help us more than we realize. "It began when I first held Earl, my Golden Retriever. I started training him and taught him about basic obedience, and I started working with him on public access training. I took him everywhere I went, and people started asking me if I was a dog trainer. At first, I said yes. I was silent about my mental illness because of the stigma surrounding it. In reality, Earl was being trained as a service dog for me.”
The more Jeff opened up to other people about his own struggle with mental illness and how Earl has helped him, people started sharing their personal stories with him. Jeff realized there was a need to be filled and saw that animals provided a way to connect people to each other and open up the conversation about mental illness. His personal story focuses on his seventeen years of treatment resistant depression and anxiety, and he began to see animals helping people to cope with their own challenges.
"I saw people struggling like I had struggled. They were homebound due to the severity of their illness, and I started to visit them in their homes. I wanted to bring some comfort and encourage them to move forward and keep fighting. They began to realize they could improve and life was worth living, and then the dramatic changes started to happen. I started leading groups at treatment centers and giving talks about mental health. I really wanted to be open about it and learn more about other people as well as helping them relate to their companion animals.”
Jeff began using this as a teaching tool for people on their road to recovery. By introducing animals, specifically dogs, Jeff noticed people finding joy once more and seeing life through a different lens. When people with mental illness adopt a dog, they become more active, get outside, and have positive interactions with people around them. But most importantly, they’re no longer alone. Once they were able to focus on taking care of a dog, Jeff saw people's lives completely change for the better. Now he has programs where he helps other people build their own “animal wellness teams” so they can find the right companion animal at the right time. Jeff says that our relationship with our pet helps us connect to other humans through hope and wellness.
"Our primary focus is spreading awareness through speaking engagements and trainings regarding mental health. Ultimately, I want to integrate animals into mainstream mental health treatment plans because I believe our mental health system needs to look at the whole person. I want to give people a glimpse into what a healthy and stable life can be. I want to guide them towards hope.”
Currently, Jeff is providing individual consults and family consults. He works remotely through Skype, Facetime, and through email when needed. He also partners with behavioral centers to help people understand more about the human/animal connection and why people choose to work with different types of support animals. He realized that speaking is one way to advocate, and he leads speaking engagements which center around different mental health topics. He visits universities, treatment centers, and hospitals to name a few. In addition, Jeff recently launched his nonprofit “Go Fetch Wellness Foundation Inc.” with the intention of providing services to those with limited funds. "I want to be able to serve those who don't have money for consultations. Working with animals shelters to develop programming doesn’t needs to cost a lot. I hope to bring this to people who have the desire and interest to learn. This means the world to me.”
Listening to Jeff gives you a glimpse about his passion to help others. "I've seen miraculous stories of recovery. People who were bed ridden, couldn't work, disabled...story after story. As they connected with Earl, I've seen people begin to accept their illness and therefore be able to find their passions again, develop new interests, and lead meaningful lives." Through the listening ear of Jeff and the comfort of Earl, people see a pair who don't judge them but understand and want to help.
Do you want to learn more about Jeff and Go Fetch Wellness? Visit their website, Go Fetch Wellness, and check out more great pictures and learn more about speaking engagements, consultation, program development, and more. Jeff also plans on launching a storytelling campaign where people share their recovery story and the role their pets have played in their lives. "I try to be real with people. I want to be human and approachable, and I want to end stigma through conversation and a new method of treatment."
