Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling

Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling
Author: Cynthia K. Chandler
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 425
Release: 2012-04-23
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1136833994

Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling is the most comprehensive book available dedicated to training mental health practitioners in Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). It explains the history and practice of AAT in counseling, discusses the latest empirical research, and provides an in-depth explanation of the psychodynamics of AAT within various theoretical frameworks. Readers will learn the proper way to select, train, and evaluate an animal for therapy. The use of a number of different therapy animals is considered, including dogs, cats, horses, birds, farm animals, rabbits and other small animals, and dolphins. Guidelines for implementing AAT in settings such as private practices, community agencies, schools, hospices, and prisons are covered, as well as ethical and legal considerations, risk management, diversity issues, and crisis and disaster response applications. Numerous case examples illustrate the use of AAT principles with clients, and forms, client handouts, and other resources provide valuable tools. This unique resource is an indispensable guide for any counselor looking to develop and implement AAT techniques in his or her practice.

Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy

Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy
Author: Nancy Parish-Plass
Publisher: Purdue University Press
Total Pages: 526
Release: 2013-07-15
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1612492746

The integration of animals into the therapy setting by psychotherapists has been a growing trend. Psychological problems treated include emotional and behavioral problems, attachment issues, trauma, and developmental disorders. An influential 1970s survey suggests that over 20 percent of therapists in the psychotherapy division of the American Psychological Association incorporated animals into their treatment in some fashion. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the number is much higher today. Since Yeshiva University psychologist Boris Levinson popularized the involvement of animals in psychotherapy in the 1960s, Israel has come to be perhaps the most advanced country in the world in the area of animal-assisted psychotherapy (AAP). This is true especially in the areas of academic training programs, theory-building, and clinical practice. Great effort has been put into understanding the mechanisms behind AAP, as well as into developing ethical guidelines that take into account the therapist's responsibility toward both client and animal. This book exposes the world to the theory and practice of AAP as conceived and used in Israel. It emphasizes evidence-based and clinically sound applications with psychotherapeutic goals, as differentiated from other animal-assisted interventions, such as AAE (animal-assisted education) and AAA (animal-assisted activities), which may have education or skills-oriented goals. Not just anyone with a dog can call him-or herself an animal-assisted therapist. This volume demonstrates not only the promise of animal-assisted psychotherapeutic approaches, but also some of the challenges the field still needs to overcome to gain widespread legitimacy.

Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy

Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy
Author: Megan Mueller
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 554
Release: 2011-04-28
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0080463835

The original edition was the first book to provide a comprehensive overview of the ways in which animals can assist therapists with treatment of specific populations, and/or in specific settings. The second edition continues in this vein, with 7 new chapters plus substantial revisions of continuing chapters as the research in this field has grown. New coverage includes: Animals as social supports, Use of AAT with Special Needs students, the role of animals in the family- insights for clinicians, and measuring the animal-person bond. - Contributions from veterinarians, animal trainers, psychologists, and social workers - Includes guidelines and best practices for using animals as therapeutic companions - Addresses specific types of patients and environmental situations

Animal-Assisted School Counseling

Animal-Assisted School Counseling
Author: Elizabeth Kjellstrand Hartwig
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2024
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9781032491646

Animal-Assisted School Counseling (AASC) is a hands-on resource that provides invaluable information for school counselors interested in partnering with a therapy animal on campus to help students meet social and emotional goals. This book presents a wealth of resources for school counselors and school-based mental health practitioners to incorporate animal partners on school campuses with individual students and groups and in classroom and schoolwide settings. Using the American School Counselor Association (ASCA)National Model framework, this book presents AASC interventions that can be implemented as part of the multitiered system of support to address students' mental health needs. The text also meets the important demand for accountability in school counseling by providing resources for assessing the effectiveness of AASC interventions for meeting student and school outcome goals. Addressing such issues as getting school district buy-in, choosing an animal partner, preparing the school for an animal partner, theoretical applications of AASC, and student-affirming AASC services, the book is organized such that each chapter builds upon the next so school counselors understand what steps to take to become an effective AASC team. Ideal for the school counselor, social worker, or psychologist who may not have specific training in AASC, this book will encourage school mental health practitioners to seek out training programs to become an AASC team.

The Welfare of Animals in Animal-Assisted Interventions

The Welfare of Animals in Animal-Assisted Interventions
Author: Jose M. Peralta
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2021-05-07
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3030695875

This is the first book focusing on the animal’s perspective and best practices to ensure the welfare of both therapy animals and their human counterparts in animal-assisted interventions. Written by leading scientists, it summarizes the scientific evidence available concerning the impacts on animals in these settings, including companion species, horses, marine mammals and other animals used in therapy. There has been a dramatic increase in the range of animal-assisted interventions used in medical and allied health environments in recent years, and the field is now entering an era with a greater interest in defining the underlying mechanisms of the human-animal bond as well as the therapeutic benefits of these interactions. Animal-assisted interventions, as with other uses of animals by humans, impose a unique set of stresses on the animals, which the community has only recently begun to acknowledge. For the field to continue to flourish, more evidence is needed to shed light on the implications for the animals and what guidelines need to be put into practice to ensure welfare. With the ultimate goal of improving the impact that we have on the animals under our care, the book provides a roadmap for researchers and clinicians as they attempt to safely and humanely incorporate various species of animals into therapeutic settings. The authors also offer instructions and suggestions for areas that need to be studied more robustly over the next decade to continue to ensure the safe and proper use of animals in therapy sessions. This is an informative, thought-provoking and instructive resource for practitioners and researchers in the field of medicine and clinical psychology using animal-assisted interventions, as well as for veterinarians and welfare scientists.

The Canine-Campus Connection

The Canine-Campus Connection
Author: Mary Renck Jalongo
Publisher: Purdue University Press
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2021-05-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1612496490

A primary mission of universities is promoting student success and well-being. Many college and university personnel have implemented initiatives that offer students the documented benefits of positive human-animal interaction (HAI). Accumulating evidence suggests that assistance dogs, therapy dogs, and shelter dogs can support student wellness and learning. The best programs balance the welfare of humans and canines while assessing students’ needs and complying with all laws and regulations. Contributors to this edited volume have drawn upon research across many disciplines as well as their extensive practical experiences to produce a timely and valuable resource—for administrators and students. Whether readers are just getting started or striving to improve well-established programs, The Canine-Campus Connection provides authoritative, evidence-based guidance on bringing college students and canines together in reciprocally beneficial ways. Part one examines the interactions between postsecondary students and canines by reviewing the literature on the human-canine bond. It establishes what necessarily must be the top priority in canine-assisted activities and therapy: the health and safety of both. Part two highlights four major categories of dogs that students are likely to interact with on and off campus: service dogs, emotional support animals (ESAs), therapy dogs, and homeless dogs. Part three emphasizes ways in which dogs can influence student learning during classes and across aspects of their professional development. Part four considers future directions. Authors take the stance that enriching and enlarging interactions between college students and canines will require university personnel who plan and evaluate events, projects, and programs. The book concludes with the recommendation that colleges and universities move toward more dog-friendly campus cultures.

Animal-Assisted School Counseling

Animal-Assisted School Counseling
Author: Elizabeth Kjellstrand Hartwig
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 376
Release: 2024-06-19
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1040032893

Animal-Assisted School Counseling (AASC) is a hands-on resource that provides invaluable information for school counselors interested in partnering with a therapy animal on campus to help students meet social and emotional goals. This book presents a wealth of resources for school counselors and school-based mental health practitioners to incorporate animal partners on school campuses with individual students and groups and in classroom and schoolwide settings. Using the American School Counselor Association (ASCA)National Model framework, this book presents AASC interventions that can be implemented as part of the multitiered system of support to address students’ mental health needs. The text also meets the important demand for accountability in school counseling by providing resources for assessing the effectiveness of AASC interventions for meeting student and school outcome goals. Addressing such issues as getting school district buy-in, choosing an animal partner, preparing the school for an animal partner, theoretical applications of AASC, and student-affirming AASC services, the book is organized such that each chapter builds upon the next so school counselors understand what steps to take to become an effective AASC team. Ideal for the school counselor, social worker, or psychologist who may not have specific training in AASC, this book will encourage school mental health practitioners to seek out training programs to become an AASC team.