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Animal-Assisted Therapy
Abbey Ragusa
AAST
Animal-Assisted Therapy
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Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) is one of the many types of therapeutic works. AAT can
help with many different illnesses and/or disorders such as PTSD, autism, and abuse. Animals
are used for therapy since they provide a sense of safety, minimize stress, and help people relax
animals reducing stress and people was recognized first by Florence Nightingale during the
1800s, who saw psychiatric patients and children have reduced anxiety when animals were
present (Understanding the Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapies, n.d). The first programs that
certified animals for therapy started in the 1980’s (Understanding the Benefits of Animal-
Assisted Therapies, n.d). Now, animal-assisted therapy can be seen all around the world in many
Types of AAT
Animal-Assisted Therapy has many different forms. The two main types are pet therapy
n.d). Pet therapy is used for people going through a temporary difficulty, such as recovering from
surgery or going through a tough treatment plan (Understanding the Benefits of Animal-Assisted
Therapies, n.d). Patients feel joy and relieve stress by just being around and petting the animal.
Basic AAT involves social workers and patients who use animals that directly are involved in the
treatment plan (Understanding the Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapies, n.d). Dogs and horses
are the most commonly used animals for AAT, and sometimes cats are even used. Canine-
assisted therapy helps with depression, and equine-assisted therapy helps with patients learning
to gain trust. “The therapist can incorporate the animal into whatever professional style of
therapy they wish. AAT therapy can be directive or nondirective in its approach; for example, a
dog can be actively involved with the client or merely present in the room” (Stapleton, 2016, pg
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135). Service animals are also a type of animal-assisted therapy since they help people with
everyday tasks and activities (Stapleton, 2016). Companion animals are able to provide
emotional management to children who are in situations that they have little to no control over,
Benefits of AAT
45% of reported child abuse perpetrators are known and trusted by the child, and once
that trust is gone, it is hard to gain back (Kemp & all, 2014). Animals are proven to help children
suffering from any form of abuse. Horses are used for children who are sexually abused. Since
horses are animals of prey, they are naturally aware of the emotions and body language of
humans (Kemp & all, 2014). Horses help children with the ability to read nonverbal cues and
help children gain trust (Understanding the Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapies). Dogs help
children obtain a positive attitude and motivation (Understanding the Benefits of Animal-
Assisted Therapies, n.d). Animals can also inspire children to take better care of themselves
(Maharaj, 2016). Animals are also known to reduce stress levels dramatically. “Dogs provided
participants with unconditional love, physical warmth and safety, a sense of responsibility, and
improved health and wellbeing” (Maharaj, 2016). Beyond physical well-being, animals also
contribute to psychological health (Maharaj, 2016). When children are suffering from abuse,
their mindset can change dramatically. Animals are able to help children regain trust and change
Research
A research study was conducted with dogs and children who were suffering from
traumatic experiences. The overall goal of this program was to help children develop positive life
skills (Kelly and Cozzolino, 2015). This specific AAT program ran for eight weeks, with a one-
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and-a-half-hour session per week (Kelly and Cozzolino, 2015). The youth worked with the same
therapy dog each week so the trust could build stronger and more efficient (Kelly and Cozzolino,
2015). The therapy dog hosts, the therapists, and the children participating must make a
commitment to the program, and this is the first step in showing the children to take
responsibility for their actions (Kelly and Cozzolino, 2015). The average group size was six, so
there would be a 1:1:1 ratio between the therapy dog, therapist, and child (Kelly and Cozzolino,
2015). Each session had a different goal for the children to accomplish. The first week’s goal
was orientation, and the children learned about the program through the volunteers (Kelly and
Cozzolino, 2015). Since connection is vital to this program, the children were asked to pick two
dogs they would like to work with (Kelly and Cozzolino, 2015). Week two focused on
foundation skills, such as eye contact and reinforcing good behavior, and the main goal was lay
the foundation between the child and the dog (Kelly and Cozzolino, 2015). Week three focused
on obedience, and the main goal was to utilize new skills with learned skills to motivate the dog
(Kelly and Cozzolino, 2015). Week four focused on canine massages, and the main goal was to
teach relaxation through massage techniques (Kelly and Cozzolino, 2015). Week five focused on
agility (a fast-moving, off leash sport), and the main purpose was to teach self-awareness and
emotional management (Kelly and Cozzolino, 2015). Week six concentrated on perfecting all
skills and getting the children ready for their course “graduation”, and the main purpose was to
insure that the youth will have a positive sense of transition (Kelly and Cozzolino, 2015). Week
seven’s main focus was rehearsing for the course graduation and allowing the child and their
therapy dog to have unstructured time with each other (Kelly and Cozzolino, 2015). Week eight
allows the children to invite guests to their graduation to share their accomplishments (Kelly and
Cozzolino, 2015). The children would introduce who they were and their therapy dog, and then
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they would show the audience what they taught their dog (Kelly and Cozzolino, 2015). “The
overall goal is for the youths to graduate with feelings of accomplishment, as well as
Research Conclusion
This specific animal-assisted therapy program was designed to help children develop a
stronger sense of self-control, self-esteem, and social skills (Kelly and Cozzolino, 2015). Every
weekly lesson had a different motive and task for the children to accomplish. These goals help
the children improve their intrapersonal awareness and promote a positive attachment to their
families (Kelly and Cozzolino, 2015). Children involved in this program also experienced a
decrease in their depressive symptoms (Kelly and Cozzolino, 2015). Through all of the lessons,
the children developed a strong, healthy bond with their therapy dog to symbolize how bonds
between people (in this case family members) should be. The children were able to learn from
the therapy dogs and apply what they learned to their everyday life (Kelly and Cozzolino, 2015).
This is one of the many countless models in AAT that can be used for children who are
Conclusion
Putting all of this together, the use of animals in therapy programs can in fact help people
recover in many cases. From post traumatic stress disorder, going through a difficult medical
treatment, and child abuse, animals are able to reduce stress levels of patients and provide a
sense of comfort and safety. Dogs, horses, and cats are some of the many animals that are used
for different therapy programs. There should be more programs that involve animals in therapy
sessions so more research about this topic can be done. Many children love animals, so how can
someone go wrong with incorporating animals into their therapy sessions when they are helping
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a child who is a victim of abuse? Animals can help children create a positive attitude towards
life, and it may be able to stop the majority of child abuse cases.
References
Kelly, M. A., & Cozzolino, C. A. (2015, 10). Helping at-risk youth overcome trauma and
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Kemp, K., Signal, T., Botros, H., Taylor, N., & Prentice, K. (2014). Equine Facilitated Therapy
with Children and Adolescents Who Have Been Sexually Abused: A Program Evaluation
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=cc6d53be-0404-40ac-923b-
d331931f71a0%40sessionmgr102&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=94763
077&db=pbh
between Youth and Professional Service Providers. Journal Of Loss & Trauma, from
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7ea20fa61abd%40sessionmgr103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=11612
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Stapleton, M. (2016). Effectiveness of Animal Assisted Therapy after brain injury: A bridge to
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Understanding the Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapies. (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2018,
from https://americanaddictioncenters.org/therapy-treatment/animal-assisted/