The Methods Of Pet Therapy

Animal Assisted Therapy also known as animal-assisted therapy has been formally introduced to the world in the last ten years or so. Although animals have always been a place of comfort for a lot of people, scientists just began to realize the impact animals have on society. The world has begun to experiment with what animals can do to benefit human health. The most common type of animal-assisted therapy is equine-assisted therapy. Equines are horses. Equine-assisted therapy 's impact on minors who have mental health issues have led to a successful new type of therapy that includes multiple benefits. Equine-assisted therapy has worked well in is treating adolescents and children how to communicate and connect with others. Two big issues that animal-assisted therapy has been known to help is Autism and kids with attachment and social problems.

Florence Nightingale was the first person to recognize the therapeutic potential of animals in the late 1800s. Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing which enabled her to make such discoveries by observing the impact animals had on her medical patients. She discovered that the company of a small pet reduced anxiety in children and adults that resided in psychiatric institutions and recorded her findings in her book “Notes on Nursing”. With Nightingale’s involuntary record of these human-animal interactions, animal-assisted therapy approaches began to flourish.

A therapy dog is a dog used in animal-assisted therapy sessions primarily in institutions such as nursing homes, some schools, hospitals, schools, old people's homes, and prisons. They are great for giving unconditional love and gratitude to people, with no concern as to their age, race, infirmity or background. Want your dog to become one? Therapy dog training is vital in that case.

Animals have been domesticated for about 15,000 years; surprisingly, pet therapy has only been around for a few hundred years (Ernst). It amazed me that it took such a lengthy amount of time for the human race to discover the benefits that animals could have on human health. The first time pets were recognized as having therapeutic potential was in the late 1800s when Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, observed and recorded the ability of animals to reduce anxiety in patients (Ernst). The use of pet therapy was continued by the use of other psychotherapists, but, at this point, no official programs for pet therapy had been introduced. One of the main examples of the people who also used pet therapy is Sigmund Freud, who, in the 1930s, used his favorite dog, named Jofi, during psychotherapy sessions; furthermore, Boris Levinson in the 1960s used his dog, Jingles, during children’s therapy sessions as a stepping stone for communication (Ernst). The thing I found most fascinating was the fact that these dogs were the pets of the men, and they just happened to bring them to their therapy sessions. It seems like an extraordinary happenstance that lead to the use of pets in therapy for the benefit of many people. However, when Levinson published his results, he was not immediately recognized for it, as stated by Lorraine Ernst, “Based on his collective experience, Levinson presented a paper at an American Psychological Association meeting, but he was not taken seriously until Freud’s experiences with Jofi came to light. Levinson went on to author Pet-Oriented Child Psychotherapy and became known as 'the father of AAT.” Personally, I am quite glad that Freud’s experiences were unveiled because they lead to the creation of many very valuable programs such as Therapy Dogs International, a program with

In the field of therapy, there are numerous of therapy available out there for different type of individuals and situations as well. There is one type of therapy that usually contains people and animal, it is animal-assisted therapy is a therapeutic approach that brings animals and individuals with physical and/or emotional needs together to perform the therapy. Animal-assisted therapy tend to be focused on individuals either children or elderly for them to be able to connect with the animal thus feeling comfortable talking with the therapist. Pet therapy works for all ages, whether sick or not (Lanchnit, 2011). Although, this paper, most of the focus is on animal-assisted therapy towards children using dogs.

There are lots of people who can benefit from pet therapy. People who can benefit from pet therapy are people having denture problems, receiving cancer treatment, people in long term facilities, people hospitalized with chronic heart failure, and veterans with PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder.) Not just people who are dealing with the struggling events can benefit from pet therapy. The person's family can also benefit from pet therapy because they know the person will not be alone anymore. The person's friends can benefit from

Nepps, & Bruckno, (2014) and Souter & Miller,(2007) results were determined by pre/ post questionnaires and scales that viewed each participant mood before and after each session to see the outcome and effectiveness. It showed a dramatic increase in mood. It was also shown that that therapeutic alliance is enhanced with the addition of a therapy dog within a group setting with adult clients in a residential drug abuse treatment setting. Animal assisted therapy has also been shown to reduce feelings of anger and symptoms of PTSD, which can contribute to an overall improvement of mood and reduce depressive

For centuries people have known that animal companionship has brought many benefits to people’s lives. According to Kathryn Heimlich, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the first known time a companion animal was used to aid in a therapy program was “York Retreat in England, an establishment founded by the Quakers for persons with mental illness” (Heimlich, 2001, p. 48). As stated by Heimlich, the first published reports of the benefits of animal-assisted therapy come from Psychologist Boris Levinson. Levinson “discovered that he could reach a disturbed child during therapy

Questions arise concerning the treatment of therapy dogs when visiting patients and whether animal-assisted therapy really works at all; however, those who disagree aren’t looking at the big picture. Animal-assisted therapy is both an ethical and effective therapy method due to its success in treating those with chronic diseases, disorders, and managing stress and anxiety. The varieties of cases regarding the success of therapy dog treatments far surmount the amount of cases saying otherwise. Animal-assisted therapy stems from the human-animal connection, one of the most unique and powerful bonds man has ever experienced. It is that connection that allows animal assisted therapy to be a critical part of everyone’s daily

Animals can play a significant role in a human's life. Some animals that we know do that are dogs. Dogs can change a human's life in a positive way. Some dogs are trained then later used in war. Other dogs are used as pets and to cheer their owners up that suffer from PTSD. In the article “Feeling Depressed? There’s a Dog for That” by Jacqueline Bennett as you get to the 12th paragraph it says “There are a growing number of organizations dedicated to training service dogs to help those suffering from PTSD, particularly veterans. In fact, dogs have been proven so effective at helping combat anxiety, stress, and depression, the government

Animal assisted therapy is a type of therapy that is becoming more and more successful. Alicia MIller, co-founder of Operation Wolfhound, says, “Medication works 50% of the time, talk therapy alone, works 30% of the time, and dogs work 84.5% of the time” (qtd. in Caprioli). With overwhelming statistics like that, more hospitals or rehabilitation centers should utilize this practice. Many different ages can work with the animals, however it is mainly directed toward the youth (Pugh). Therapy animals are extremely beneficial and have helped many people cope with disorders and therefore this program should be expanded.

Animal assisted therapy includes all psychological theories and incorporates animals, such as dogs or horses, into a therapeutic treatment plan. It is used to enhance and complement traditional therapy methods, but it is not done by itself. Animal assisted therapy has been effectively used in individuals with autism, medical conditions, and trauma survivors. It may also be implemented for people with psychological disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia, and addiction. Depending on the type of therapy and the type of animal involved, you may keep the therapy animal at home and with you throughout the day for emotional support, or you might learn to ride and care for a therapy horse that is kept at an equestrian facility. Afterwards, you

Animal assisted therapy, or AAT for short, began with the first documented case at an asylum run by the Society of Friends in England 1792. The first documented case of animal assisted therapy in the United States was not until 1919 at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington D.C. During the 1930s, famous psychoanalysist Sigmund Freud become an advocate for AAT when he used his dog, Jofi, during his therapy sessions. He found that his patients were more comfortable talking to him when Jofi was present. I believe that AAT proves to be beneficial for both mental and physical disorders according to articles I have read prior to the research done for this project.

Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT), which can be provided in a group or individual settings, is designed to promote improvement in a human’s physical, social, emotional, or cognitive function. An article by Chitic,

Animal therapy is a form of healing using a variety of animals such as horses, dogs, lamas, cats, dolphins, rabbits, and other animals depending on the individual’s preference. The purpose of this program is to provide a type of therapy that helps individuals cope or recover from heath problems or mental disorders. The goals of animal therapy are to improve motor skills, increase self-esteem, develop social skills, improve motivation to interact with others and readiness to exercise, as well as reducing anxiety and depression.