Animal-Assisted Therapy: Benefits and Challenges

Abstract

As counsellors working in southern Alberta, Canada, the authors have been fortunate to practice animal-assisted therapy to supplement more traditional counselling methods. They have seen that the presence of an animal can speed up rapport building, break down communication barriers and create a meaningful platform for learning, personal growth and desired change. At the same time, they have also directly experienced the challenges and ethical considerations when working with therapy animals. Their clients' positive response to animals is reflected in much of the literature compiled by the psychotherapeutic community. Practitioners working with animals have long-recognized positive effects for those who experience a wide range of maladies, including dementia, depression, autism, trauma, low motivation and self esteem, behavioural issues, and various psychiatric ailments. The human-animal interaction is also helpful in facilitating treatment compliance, easing tensions in difficult situations and providing alternative methods for teaching various skills. This chapter will briefly review the history of animals in therapy as well as the research evaluating benefits. Ethical issues and challenges will also be addressed and directions for future research will be discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)