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Human Animal Solutions

Animal-Assisted Therapy

The power of the relationship between animals and some people is undeniable. We have a history of linking people who are ill with nature: we bring plants and flowers to people who are sick in an effort to cheer them. It can be a natural next step to bring nature in the form of animals to help people heal.

Therapy animals can have a powerful, positive effect on patients/clients, staff, and visitors. You’ve seen people gravitate to the cat in the bookstore. You may have read about animal-assisted therapy (AAT) in physical, occupational, or speech therapy. AAT is not restricted to physical rehabilitation, however. Counselors, educators, and other professionals can incorporate therapy animals into their sessions.

Example of Animal-Assisted Therapy

Imagine an adolescent with behavior problems learning how to identify good things, not just things to complain about. Imagine him learning how to work with his anger because he doesn’t want to scare a dog or take it out on a dog. Through AAT sessions, the adolescent learns to change the way he interacts with his family because he learned new ways to relate to a dog.

AAT works with the relationship we have with the animals in our lives. This is what animal-assisted therapy is all about: incorporating trained, screened, and healthy animals into a client’s treatment plan to help the client meet specific goals.

There are lots of details involved in making such interactions safe. For more information about how to develop or implement an animal-assisted therapy program, learn about our consulting program

Information for Volunteer Handlers

More and more people are becoming aware of the therapeutic benefits of putting animals together with people in healthcare facilities. These animals are called therapy animals. Most therapy animals visit the facility periodically with their handler (they do not live at the facility). The handler is typically the owner. The interactions these animal-handler teams provide are properly called animal-assisted activities (AAA) or animal-assisted therapy (AAT), according to Standards of Practice in Animal-Assisted Activities & Therapy.

In addition to animal-assisted activities and therapy, there is also animal-assisted education, where animals are incorporated into students’ lesson plans to help them learn about concepts, math, history, etc. As a result of the many choices now found in animal-assisted work, a new term is being used to cover all variations: animal-assisted interactions (AAIs).

Some people call these interactions “pet therapy,” but that term is frequently inaccurate and usually misleading. We do not do therapy on pets. The animals we work with in AAIs come from a wide variety of domesticated animals – for example, chickens, horses, cows, goats, rabbits, even rats! – who are not commonly thought of as pets. And finally, the interactions are not always therapy. Interactions with carefully screened and trained therapy animals can be therapeutic and beneficial. However, laws and regulations in the U.S. prohibit us calling something “therapy” without meeting specific criteria, such as having a licensed therapist setting individual treatment goals, guiding the treatment to meet those goals, documenting the treatment, evaluating treatment success, and possibly billing insurance for the treatment.

It is easy to imagine how important it is for the animal to thoroughly enjoy being around people and being touched by all kinds of people. Few people recognize the level of skill it takes on the handler’s part, as well. For example, handlers must have exceptional interpersonal skills. They must be able to attend totally to their animals while at the same time attending to the patients they are visiting, other patients or staff strolling by, and curious visitors. This takes not only a steady temperament, but also a great deal of skill. The basic skills that you come with can be enhanced through training, so that you will enter AAIs with practice and confidence.

Here are the steps to take to become involved with your pet in AAIs:

1. Get training for yourself as the handler. It is essential for you to know what you’re doing. If you don’t know how to interact with patients effectively and how to keep your animal safe in simple as well as difficult visiting situations, you and your animal are vulnerable and can even be a danger to the people you’re visiting. The Delta Pet Partners Team Training course provides excellent information. You can complete this course through home study or by attending a class. Some local groups offer their own unique training, and some include Pet Partners training in their member orientation.
2. Obtain a behavioral evaluation of you and your animal together as a team. Your animal does not work without you, and you do not work without your animal – you’re a team . Many facilities will ask for proof that you are safe to come into their facility and visit with their patients. Having this behavioral evaluation is one way of providing proof. Being registered with a national organization is another way of providing proof. There are three national organizations who register members and provide evaluations: Delta Pet Partners (works with all domesticated animals), Therapy Dogs International (works only with dogs), and Therapy Dogs Incorporated (works only with dogs). Some local groups offer their own unique evaluations, and some provide evaluations from one of the national organizations as part of their member orientation.
3. Obtain a veterinary examination of your animal. Most facilities and national registrations want a written report of your animal’s health. Some have their own form that they prefer for you to use.
4. Send in your registration packet to the national organization of your choice. National registration provides you with a nationally recognized credential, a network of other people doing the same work, and liability insurance for your volunteer time with your animal.

What can we do for you?

We offer classes to train you – whether volunteer or paid professional – to provide animal-assisted interactions. We provide professional, cost-effective animal-assisted therapy sessions to help you meet the needs of your patient, client, or family member. We work individually or with facility staff to provide individual or group therapy. We also provide animal-assisted therapy sessions in a person’s home.

Training and Screening for Volunteers

People everywhere are excited about volunteering in animal-assisted interactions programs. Volunteers are more successful at the facility and enjoy greater personal satisfaction when they know what to do and how to do it. It may seem like a volunteer is just there to hold the leash while the therapy animal interacts with patients, but nothing could be further from the truth. Skilled handlers know how to keep their animal safe by gently and firmly redirecting patients who are too exuberant. Skilled handlers know how to read their animal’s communication, so that they can end a session while the animal is still content (and thus avoid burn out).

We offer classes to train you how to “do” animal-assisted interactions – how to work effectively with your animal, with staff of the facility, and with patients at a facility. Our variety of classes are designed for people new to the field, as well as people who have been doing this for many years – and everyone in between. We also screen handler-animal teams (using Delta Pet Partners testing) to assure you and the facility you visit that you are ready to participate in animal-assisted interactions.

Contact us for more information or to schedule a class or evaluation.

Training for Professionals

You may feel like you need a creative way to reach your clients, or you may be searching for continuing education. We offer classes that provide overview or detailed information about how to incorporate animal-assisted therapy into your therapy practice. We specialize in mental, physical, occupational, and speech applications.

Contact us for more information or to schedule a class.

Healthcare facilities, mental health, and social service agencies

If you are a staff member in a healthcare facility, mental health facility, or social service agency, we first meet with the designated staff contact person. During this meeting we identify patient population needs, staff needs, facility layout, and facility policies. We find out if animal-assisted therapy is a realistic option for your facility. Together we determine if staff would be helped by an in-service prior to beginning AAT sessions. Then we contract for in-service and animal-assisted therapy sessions (frequency, duration, goals).

We provide counseling sessions as a direct-care provider, either individually or with your staff. We also provide co-treatment with staff of other disciplines.

We bring animals to you or you can bring your clients to an external facility. For example, out-patient mental health clients can work with shelter animals to address therapeutic goals such as increased cooperation, communication, and appropriate verbal expression of feelings.

Contact us for additional information or to schedule a meeting

Individuals

If you are an individual looking to enhance the quality of life of a family member or friend, we provide activity or therapy sessions in the home. We first meet with you to determine the needs and goals. Together we identify the practical details necessary to provide AAT to your family member, and we complete a contract for the sessions.

Contact us for additional information or to schedule a meeting

Therapists

If you are a therapist who wants to enhance the services you offer your clients, we will work with you to provide service that helps your client meet his/her treatment goals. We first meet with you to determine the client’s needs, your needs, and the goals you are working toward with the client. Together we discuss how AAT can benefit your client, and we complete a contract for the sessions.

Contact us for additional information or to schedule a meeting

Individuals, families and groups

If you are an individual or part of a family or group that would like to participate in animal-assisted therapy, you have come to the right place! We provide individual, family, and group AAT sessions.

For more information, read more about our counseling services, or contact us to schedule a meeting

Animal Shelters

If you are a staff member of an animal shelter, you can receive help meeting your animal care needs while working in cooperation with local mental health facility staff and their clients. We first meet with the designated staff contact persons of both your organization and the mental health facility to identify client population needs, staff needs, staff roles, shelter layout, and facility policies. Shelter and therapist staff members receive an in-service prior to beginning AAT sessions. We contract for in-service and AAT sessions (frequency, duration).

Contact us for additional information or to schedule a meeting

© 2009 Human Animal Solutions. Photos by Frank Siteman