...would like to advocate for is the integration of animal-assisted therapy into more counseling settings. This type of therapy can be used effectively in a variety of settings, including private practice, prisons, nursing homes, detention centers, hospitals, schools, etc. It is particularly effective with at-risk children and adolescents, the elderly, and other vulnerable populations (Franchy, 2011). When animals are used in therapy, it makes it easier for counselors to build positive therapeutic alliances with their clients. Many children and adolescents prefer to communicate in non-verbal ways; therefore, when a counselor brings an animal, such as a dog, into the counseling session, it becomes much easier for a child or adolescent to open up and express their thoughts and feelings by “project[ing] their own feelings onto the dog” (Shallcross, 2011, A Comfortable Relationship section, para. 5). The child or adolescent is more likely to establish a relationship with the dog, which then transfers to a relationship with the counselor. The animal helps clients feel more comfortable with the counselor, which in turn, facilitates more trust, warmth, and acceptance. Animal-assisted therapy “facilitates breakthroughs with clients” (Shallcross, 2011, para. 1). It enables many different types of clients to open up more freely and express themselves in ways they would not have otherwise. There are endless benefits to using animals in therapy work, but more research needs to be done in order...
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... 19 March 2012 Benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy Throughout human history, “animals have occupied a central position in theories concerning the ontology and treatment of sickness and disease” (Serpell 16). Animals have played a major role in the lives of humans in ways that have affected our entire being and survival. Countless amounts of people, animals, and time have been put into bringing AAT all over the world; as a result, five other countries have adopted this form of therapy. The volunteers and workers of Animal Assisted Therapy have pushed to bring an exciting new therapy to children and adults all around. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a familiar method of treatment and rehabilitation in many diseases and conditions, where the animal becomes an important “behavioral facilitator”, causing improvements in the behavior and health of the patient. “Numerous authors and medical professionals point to its importance and in particular that the positive feedback between the patient, the animal, and the therapist reduces many symptoms, and improves the quality of life” (Yeh 2005). The history of Animal Assisted Therapy can be traced back to the 9th Century. It is a goal-oriented intervention in which an animal that meets the criteria becomes an integral part of the treatment process for patients. The benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy far outweigh the risks, and should be used and recognized as an effective form of therapy. AAT in a natural...
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...Why are therapy horses the best? Therapy horses help people with all types of autism and other disabilities. Like stated in the article from, “Everyday Health” there is something called hippo-therapy which utilizes the movement of horses for physical, occupational, or speech therapy, and this has been used to treat motor and sensory issues associated with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and stroke. Even though horses have been used for physical therapy since the fifth century, the hippo-therapy wasn’t established until the 1960s. But, there are many more ways therapy horses are the best this is through a system called equine-assisted psychotherapy. Equine-assisted psychotherapy is a type of experiential psychotherapy that uses them to help...
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...man's best friend. Although most people may believe this phrase refers to the physical and emotional relationship between an individual and their pet, it truly has a much deeper meaning. Very few people know the true impact that dogs, and animals in general, have on individuals who suffer from mental disorders. Especially those who suffer from an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These amazing individuals benefit greatly from the presence of a canine, sparking numerous research efforts to determine whether or not animal assisted therapy is a viable option for treating the condition. With that being said, animal-assisted therapy helps with the social aspect of a child with autism, allowing him/her...
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...Equine Assisted Psychotherapy The Benefits of Horses in Non-Traditional Therapy In the last few decades Animal-Assisted Therapy, or (AAT) has become more widely accepted and practiced as a tool in psychiatric medicine, as there are many positive effects on humans. One of the most beneficial subdivisions of Animal-Assisted Therapy is Equine Assisted Psychotherapy or (EAP) where patients are paired up with licensed therapists and equine specialists to conduct individual therapy sessions using the horse. Patients who use Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy learn about themselves, and process behaviors, feelings and patterns. Many EAP programs chose to pair patients with horses who always display similar personalities to help create a better mutual...
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...Animal Therapy in the United States Military Marti Powell University Composition and Communication II/COM156 November 25, 2013 Tamra Excell Thesis: The United States Military has different animal therapy programs designed to help Wounded Warriors and active deployed soldiers, and has been doing so since the year 1919. I. Animal-Assisted Therapy A. Definition 1. Differences 2. The Heart B. In the Beginning 1. Thru the years 2. Documentation II. Deployment A. War Zone 1. SFC Boe and Budge 2. Trauma and Reassignment B. Lessons 1. Policy 2. Health III. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center A. Programs 1. Dog Tags 2. Warrior Transition B. Nonprofit 1. Qualifications 2. Benefits Abstract Information for this research paper was obtained by reading articles written for the U.S. Army Medical Department Journal, April-June, 2012. These articles were written about the use of canines by the military for Animal-assisted Therapy in the military. All articles are written...
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...1) Introduction to Topic: Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) has grown in population in the past five years. More and more hospitals and medical facilities are utilizing therapy dogs while working with geriatrics to quell issues such as depression, loneliness, and inactivity. The physiological benefits of AAT include increase of communication and improved social interaction as well as a reduction in heart rate and blood pressure. In long term care facilities for older folks, these benefits are wildly useful to both the staff and the residents. Therapy animals improve the quality of life for residents by increasing social interaction- not only with the animal handler, but also with surrounding folks that are interested in petting the dog. In addition,...
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...Effect of Animal Assisted Therapy in Therapeutic Environments Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) has been a form of therapy used since the late sixteenth century. A considerable amount of research has been invested in the study and analysis of AAT because it has yielded significant health benefits. AAT is primarily used along with traditional therapies to treat the deficits that are common to many physical and emotional disabilities. Some include physical delays of Cerebral Palsy (CP), cognitive and language delays in those with Language Learning Disabilities (LLD), and emotional instability in those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). While currently many forms of traditional therapies are available, the effectiveness of using animals in therapy...
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...Animal Assisted Therapy: One Solution to Violence in Canada’s Prisons Does animal assisted therapy decrease the amount of violence in Canadian prisons? Yes, indeed it does lower violence levels in Canadian prisons. Through the use of animal-assisted therapy in prisons, violence levels decrease due to changes in prisoner behaviors and attitudes (Black et al., 2011) (Furst, 2006) (Walsh, 2009), an improved prison environment (Britton & Button, 2005) (Jasperson, 2010), and the ability for prisoners to give back to their community (Britton & Button, 2005) (Furst, 2006). Over the past two decades, animal assisted therapy (AAT) through prison-based animal programs has improved the behavior and attitudes of prisoners (Furst, 2006). Rather than...
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...Equine Assisted Therapy By: Ashley M. Lorenc An ancient Greek sage once said, "The outside of a horse is the best thing for the inside of man." Hippocrates echoed that sentiment when he spoke of "ride rhythm" (Bliss). I have found there is an unspoken magic that horses posses when it comes to healing human beings. This experience is something that could never be taught or reached in a “talk” therapy session. The primary objective of Equine Assisted Therapy at Helping Hands Therapeutic Riding Center is rehabilitation, but it is also there to provide mental, physical, and social stimulation. The children love coming out to ride. It is amazing seeing an unresponsive child get on a horse and 45 minutes later have a totally different personality. Some of the children are more challenging to work with than others. Their attention spans can be short so keeping them focused and entertained can be difficult. One patient we had was a girl about age 12. While on the horse she would talk in song, in a soft tone. She loved being on the horse. When the therapist would tell her left and right she would start to respond and move the reigns. Every child has their own personalities and their own needs. Each child is matched with a horse depending on those needs. This takes great patience for all the participants. Safety is essential. That is why I am there. I volunteer to walk next to the horse, to control the horse, and to monitor the rider through the lesson. The therapist...
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...1.Search Strategies are important in narrowing down your field, and to determine that you get the correct search parameters that you are looking for. There are numerous strategies that can be used to research literature online using the PsycINFO database. The best way to start a search is to determine the specific research questions in order to guide the search, using key terms and parameters. It is also important to determine all synonyms, alternate terminology and any word variations to narrow your search. The use of Boolear Operations such as the words; “and”, “or” will change the search results. Using the word “and” between each search term will give results that contain all the search terms, where using the word “or” between search terms will give results that contain at least one of the search terms. Focusing your search using limiters such as the document type, methodology, publication type and year are helpful search strategies to use in conjunction with the afore mentioned strategies. Using a variety of search strategies is important to limit your search to make it as efficient and effective as possible. When I first started the basic search I used the words pet ownership, beneficial, and health. The search options I used were to find any of my search terms, publication year 2005-2015, and English. This search generated 572 116 results. There were too many results to determine the relevance of these search results. I then used a basic search again using all the...
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...challenges. Past studies have shown improvements of symptoms through the use of canine therapy. Canine therapy is a type of therapy that uses certified therapy dogs...
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...Future plans My future plans with my Pet Therapy Capstone project is to continue to go and contribute even if it is just as a volunteer to one of these facilities, so that the continuation of pet therapy does not stop there. Obviously the pet will be there visiting in the facility and interact with patients/residents on a positive noted, but also improve nurse-to-patient interaction and communication. To help address the issue of separation identified in some of the residents presented with the dog, making their time schedule in which they interact with the dog either longer or during the time that other activities going on as well could be beneficial. By doing this, then not all the attention is directly with or on the dog, making the...
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...Equine Therapy for Trouble kids and Handicapped Children Equine riding is not just for a person owning a horse. There is one type of therapy that usually contains people or animals, it is animal-supported therapy is a therapeutic approach that brings animals and individuals with physical and/or emotional needs together to perform the therapy. Today there are programs out there that help kids that are in trouble with the law, or come from broken homes, or even children that have autism or even Down syndrome. Horses are a great source for therapy and bonding. There are many types for programs out there to help these children. Lots of them are non-profit organizations and relay on donations. Therapeutic riding programs for disabled children has been around for a while. Some of these programs are ran from charities and are non-profit organizations. These programs help kids build muscle and balance. Equestrian therapy is particularly applied to children with Attention Deficit Disorder, a delay in mental development, autism, or anxiety, or even dementia. Genetic syndromes and Down syndrome, trauma from brain injuries, and other health issues. Muscle tone is one physical aspect of a disabled child that needs to be corrected and learning to ride a horse can provide the needed healing for this muscle defect. There for riding a horse would teach the child to balance his or her body while enjoying the experience of riding a horse. The lack of having coordination...
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...PET THERAPY IN SCHOOLS Northeast Range High School, located in Babbitt, MN, is a school with a sense of pride, support, and family. Students and teachers know each other by their first names creating an overall ‘at ease’ learning experience for most students attending the school. Currently, the school offers a multitude of services available for students in need. For those with physical or mental disabilities, Northeast Range offers special education, forms of physical and occupational therapy, ADAPT counseling, student support services, volunteers in education, reading corps, math corps, and life coaching. These services play an important role in the student's education in both the elementary and high school. All things considered, these programs each offer numerous things to those with mental and physical disabilities such as autism, traumatic brain injuries, speech or language impairment, intellectual disabilities, visual impairments, deafness, developmental delay, or emotional disturbance. But, could there still be a key component missing in the services available for those attending...
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