Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy (eBook)

Front Cover 1
Handbook on Animal–Assisted Therapy: Theoretical Foundations and Guidelinesfor Practice 4
Copyright 5
About the Editor 6
Contents 8
Contributors 12
Foreword 16
Preface 20
Dedication 24
Part One -The Conceptualization of the Animal/Human Bond: The Foundation for Understanding Animal-Assisted Therapy 26
Chapter 1 Understanding our kinship with animals: input for health care professionals interested in the human/animal bond 28
1.1 Introduction 28
1.2 Introduction to the human/animal bond (HAB) 29
1.3 Defining the human/animal bond 30
1.4 Pets and people: case studies reveal the importance 32
1.5 Theories explaining the bond 33
1.6 The biological benefits of the bond 35
1.7 Final remarks 36
References 37
Chapter 2 Animal-assisted interventions innbsphistorical perspective 42
2.1 Introduction 42
2.2 Animal souls and spiritual healing 42
2.3 Animal powers and shamanism 44
2.4 Animism in classical and medieval times 45
2.5 Animals as agents of socialization 49
2.6 Animals and psychotherapy 51
2.7 Animals, relaxation, and social support 52
2.8 Conclusions 53
References 54
Chapter 3 Animal-assisted interventions in mental health: definitions and theoretical foundations 58
3.1 Introduction 58
3.2 Defining animal-assisted interventions 58
3.3 Theoretical frameworks 62
3.4 Summary and conclusions 68
References 69
Chapter 4 Newer and older perspectives onnbspthenbsptherapeutic effects of animals and nature 74
References 79
Chapter 5 Positive effects of animals for psychosocially vulnerable people: a turning point for delivery 84
5.1 Introduction: factors affecting the human/animal relationship 84
5.2 Goals of this chapter 88
5.3 The potential of pets to enhance the quality of life 88
5.4 Personalized normalizing of the environment for people with special needs 98
5.5 For the health professions: leadership in implementing animals as treatment or social support 102
References 104
Chapter 6 The animal/human bond: health and wellness 110
6.1 Introduction 110
6.2 Stress-reducing health benefits from AAA 111
6.3 Epidemiological evidence for health benefits 114
6.4 Experimental or quasi-experimental research 117
6.5 Comparison of effects of presence of and interaction with animals 121
6.6 Exercise-related health benefits from AAA and AAT 122
6.7 Discussion 124
6.7 Conclusion 126
References 127
Part Two -Animal-Assisted Therapy: Conceptual Model and Guidelines for Quality Assurance 134
Chapter 7 Animal selection procedures in animal-assisted interaction programs 136
7.1 Introduction 136
7.2 Description of terms 137
7.3 Animal selection procedures a brief overview
7.4 Selection based on outcome vs settings 143
7.5 Development of a job description for animal-assisted applications 147
7.6 Capacity for work 148
7.7 Handler recommendations 151
7.8 Summary 156
References 157
Chapter 8 Designing and implementing animal-assisted therapy programs in health and mental health organizations 160
8.1 Introduction 160
8.2 Animal-assisted therapy 161
8.3 The Green Chimneys model 161
8.4 Organizational issues 163
8.5 Program design issues 164
8.6 Animal selection 165
8.7 Cost effectiveness 166
8.8 Liability 166
8.9 Outcomes 167
8.10 Infection control issues 167
8.11 Rules that guide animal-assisted therapy programs 168
8.12 Principles that guide animal-assisted therapy programs 169
8.13 Conclusions 170
References 171
Chapter 9 Understanding the other end of the leash: what therapists need to understand about their co-therapists 174
Part Three -Best Practices in Animal-Assisted Therapy: Guidelines for Use of AAT with Special Populations 192
Chapter 10 Incorporating animal-assisted therapy into psychotherapy: guidelines and suggestions for therapists 194
10.1 Introduction 194
10.2 The need for research 195
10.3 The role of animal-assisted therapy in psychotherapy: is there such a thing as an AAT Rx? 196
10.4 Consideration 1-why clinicians may find animals therapeutically beneficial 197
10.5 Consideration 2-the therapeutic environment: animals as an aspect of milieu therapy 202
10.6 Consideration 3-incorporating theory into practice: animal-assisted therapy from a life stage perspective 204
10.7 Practical suggestions for clinician’s applying animals 209
10.8 Conclusions 212
References 212
Chapter 11 Application of animal-assisted interventions in counseling settings: an overview of alternatives 218
An overview of AAI as an aspect of therapy 218
11.1 Introduction 218
11.2 Understanding the magnitude of AAI from an interdisciplinary perspective 220
General AAI techniques for children and adults 223
11.3 General therapeutic approaches for children and adults 227
11.4 Application of AAI with children: selected approaches 231
11.5 Application of AAI with adults 236
11.6 Concluding remarks 242
References 243
Chapter 12 Animals in the lives of children 248
12.1 Introduction 248
12.2 Where are animals in children’s lives? 248
12.3 What do animals mean in children’s lives? 250
12.4 Best practices in AAT with children 265
12.5 Guidelines for best practices of AAT with children and concluding remarks 266
References 267
Chapter 13 The use of therapy animals with individuals with autism spectrum disorders 272
13.1 Introduction 272
13.2 Animals and individuals with ASD 274
13.3 Why people with autism relate with animals 275
13.4 Sensory oversensitivity 276
13.5 Factors that worsen sensory problems 276
13.6 People with autism and sensory-based thinking 277
13.7 Choosing animal-based interventions: suggestions for service animals and other forms of AAI 278
13.8 Service animals 281
13.9 Suggestions to consider before obtaining a service dog 282
13.10 Benefits of horseback riding 283
13.11 Animal welfare issues 285
13.12 Horse welfare 286
13.13 Conclusions 287
References 287
Chapter 14 Understanding the role of animals in the family: insights and strategies for clinicians 290
14.1 Introduction 290
14.2 Why it is important for clinicians to routinely assess the child’s animal-related experiences 291
14.3 Clinical examples of interventions that address the animal-related experiences of children and adolescents in the larger context of therapy 296
14.4 Conclusion 302
References 303
Appendix A 306
Chapter 15 Human/animal interaction and successful aging 308
15.1 Introduction 308
15.2 Human companion/animal interactions and successful aging 308
15.3 Facilitating relationships between pets and older adults 314
15.4 Pet selection 317
15.5 Guidelines for animal-assisted therapy with older adults 321
References 322
Chapter 16 Increasing the effectiveness of palliative care through integrative modalities: conceptualizing the roles of animal companions and animal-assisted interventions 326
16.1 Introduction 326
16.2 Extending palliative care through an integrative approach 327
16.3 Meeting the challenges of research on healing in palliative care 332
16.4 The role of pet companions and animal-assisted interventions in supporting persons with chronic and terminal illnesses 344
16.5 Practical suggestions for AAI within palliative care and concluding remarks 348
References 350
Chapter 17 Human/animal support services: the evolution of the San Francisco model and pet-associated zoonoses education 354
PAWS Keeps ``Families'' Together 354
17.1 Introduction 355
17.2 AIDS: an overview 358
17.3 The psycho-social impact of illness: the AIDS virus 359
17.4 The role of pets 360
17.5 The historical significance of zoonoses and AIDS 363
17.6 How PAWS developed to provide support for PWAs with pets 366
17.7 Services provided by Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) 368
17.8 Examples of human/animal support service programs 373
17.9 Getting started 374
17.10 VET SOS: homeless people and pets 374
17.11 Conclusion 378
References 378
Appendices 381
Chapter 18 Animal abuse and developmental psychopathology: recent research, programmatic and therapeutic issues and challenges for the future 382
18.1 Introduction 382
18.2 The confluence of animal maltreatment and interpersonal violence 383
18.3 Programmatic responses to the ``link'' between violence to people and animals 392
18.4 Clinical implications 399
18.5 Conclusion 419
References 419
Chapter 19 Animal-assisted activity as a social experience 426
19.1 Introduction 426
19.2 Method 428
19.3 Findings 429
19.4 Discussion 442
Acknowledgments 442
References 443
Chapter 20 Assistance animals: their evolving role in psychiatric service applications 446
20.1 Introduction 446
20.2 Labels, definitions and controversy 447
20.3 The history of assistance animals 448
20.4 Therapeutic benefits of contact with animals: the possible psycho-social benefits of service animals 449
20.5 Psychiatric service animals 450
20.6 Emotional support animal (ESA) 453
20.7 ADA guidelines for transportation and the Federal Air Carriers Act 454
20.8 Psychiatric service animal selection and training 455
20.9 Training models 456
20.10 Animal welfare considerations: impact on animals when placed with individuals with mental health concerns 458
20.11 Assessing for good fit with an animal 458
20.12 Screening for clients 460
20.13 Conclusions 461
References 462
Resources 463
Part Four -Special Topics and Concerns in Animal-Assisted Therapy 464
Chapter 21 Loss of a therapy animal: assessment and healing 466
21.1 Introduction 466
21.2 Scholarly research 467
21.3 Understanding loss 468
21.4 Loss of a special animal 468
21.5 Manner of loss 470
21.6 Differences between losing pet and therapy animal 473
References 478
Chapter 22 Animal-assisted interventions and humane education: opportunities for a more targeted focus 482
22.1 Introduction 482
22.2 The roots of humane education 483
22.3 The role of animals in the lives of children 487
22.4 AAIs with youth 488
22.5 Making humane education more relevant 489
22.6 Overcoming challenges to traditional humane education: ``new wine in an old bottle'' 490
22.7 Strategies for overcoming the challenges 491
22.8 Animal-assisted humane education 493
22.9 Conclusion 498
References 500
Chapter 23 Welfare considerations in therapy and assistance animals 506
23.1 Introduction 506
23.2 General welfare considerations 507
23.3 Animals used in therapy 512
23.4 Service/assistance animals 516
23.5 End-user problems 521
23.6 Conclusions and recommendations 522
References 524
Appendix 1 527
Ethical guidelines for the care and supervision of animals while utilized in AAT or AAA 527
Chapter 24 The role of the veterinary family practitioner in AAT and AAA programs 530
24.1 The origin of veterinary family practice 530
24.2 The role of veterinary family practitioners in AAT/AAA 533
24.3 Selection of an appropriate veterinary family practitioner 540
24.4 Conclusion 541
References 542
Chapter 25 Methodological standards and strategies for establishing the evidence base of animal-assisted therapies 544
25.1 Introduction 544
25.2 Context: current advances in psychotherapy outcomenbspresearch 545
25.3 Conceptualizing the study and its focus 548
25.4 Common methodological problems 554
25.5 Possible next steps 564
25.6 Conclusions 567
References 569
Chapter 26 The future of research, education and clinical practice in the animal/human bond and animal-assisted therapy 572
A The role of ethology in the field of human/animal relations and animal-assisted therapy 572
26.1 Introduction 572
26.2 Unanswered research questions 576
26.3 Setting standards 577
B Human/animal interactions (HAIs) and health: the evidence and issues-past, present, and future 579
26.4 Introduction 579
26.5 The physical evidence 580
26.6 Selected psychosocial evidence 582
C The role of AAT in clinical practice: the importance of demonstrating empirically oriented psychotherapies 588
26.7 Introduction 588
26.8 Skill of the therapist 589
26.9 What constitutes good therapy? 590
26.10 How best to study AAT? 592
26.11 Establishing levels of proof: the difference between epistemological and metaphysical evidence 593
26.12 Gaining respectability for AAT 594
26.13 Epilogue 595
References 596
Index 604