Meet Our Team
Our Team Approach
All services are provided by a licensed mental health professional who is an on-site hospital staff member. Our wellness professional works in conjunction with the veterinary faculty, staff and students of the hospital, along with another staff member who specializes as a Pet Loss Grief Recovery Specialist. This team helps clients be as educated as possible on all aspects of end-of-life decisions, to cope with pet loss, and to help manage stress if a pet has recently been diagnosed with a long-term illness or is having behavioral problems.
Florence Soares-Dabalos, MS, LMFT
Client Support and Wellness Professional
vmthclientsupport@ucdavis.edu (for wellness support only)
530-752-1393
Florence Soares-Dabalos has been a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist since 2003 but has been providing counseling services since 1997 when she graduated with her Master’s in Counseling from California State University, Sacramento (CSUS). She uses humanistic, feminist, and narrative theoretical approaches to counseling. Florence was awarded a Narrative Therapy Certificate of Completion from the Vancouver School of Narrative Therapy in 2012 and has been in private practice since 2005, where she focuses on clients experiencing grief and loss, anxiety, and relationship problems. She is also an adjunct faculty member at CSUS and is a Clinical Supervisor for Registered Associates earning their hours towards becoming licensed mental health professionals. Florence enjoys community volunteer work in reducing the stigma of mental health. But what you will hear Florence talk about the most is her dog, Lita, who is also a patient of the veterinary hospital.
Soli Redfield
Pet Loss Grief Recovery Specialist
vmthclientsupport@ucdavis.edu (for wellness support only)
530-752-0290
Soli Redfield has worked in many services of the UC Davis Large Animal Clinic since 2003, including as a technician in the ICU, surgery, and pathology. After seeing how difficult and stressful euthanasia could be on clients, veterinarians, staff members, and students, Soli decided to pursue an educational program focused on grief and bereavement. She attended the American Academy of Grief Counseling, where she earned a Certificate as a Pet Loss Grief Recovery Specialist. Soli now assists clients with their decision making process and explains the euthanasia procedure. Her ability to talk clients through the euthanasia experience plays an important role in helping the veterinarians better assist the patients. Clients routinely comment positively on Soli’s program to gather bereavement memorabilia for them, including collecting the manes, tails, and hoof prints of horses and paw prints of dogs and cats. These mementos are then packaged neatly for the clients by Soli personally.