Animal Assisted Interventions

A dog is often described as man's (or woman's) best friend. For those of us fortunate enough to share our lives with dogs or other animals, we know they are our treasured companions.

In a previous blog I wrote a brief history of the human and animal bond. In the 20th Century, this bond was used as a basis for the development of a range of Animal Assisted Interventions, Activities and Therapies. As the name suggests, the animal is an integral part of the intervention, for example, a child diagnosed with diabetes might work with a degu. Degus are members of the Octodontidae family of rodents and very prone to diabetes and need a special diet as part of their care. Caring for degus can help the child to make sense of their own illness, teach them about their body and its needs, how to look after themselves properly, particularly the importance of managing sugars in their diet, as well as how to nurture and care for the animals too.

Animal Assisted Interventions, the general term for all activities, therapies and interventions involving interactions with animals are wide ranging.  They include: Animal Assisted Psychotherapy, Play Therapy, Counselling, Social Work, and Animal Assisted Psychological First Aid such as may be employed after a significant traumatic event.  Other examples would be Occupational Therapy, Educational Programmes, Hippotherapy (such as Riding for the Disabled), facilitated sessions in care institutes, interactive sessions in residential homes and pet visits (a volunteer bringing a well behaved pet into a setting to meet and interact with people).  

Psychoeducation, a specialist evidence-based therapeutic intervention for patients and families that provides information and support to aid better understanding and coping with illness can also be supported by the use of animal interaction.  For example, the treatment of people with eating disorders may involve caring for a rat or similar animal and understanding the importance of  managing its diet properly in order to maintain its health and wellbeing. 

It is important to note that education sessions may only be delivered by qualified teachers, social work sessions by qualified social workers and therapy or psychology sessions by those practitioners qualified in psychology, therapy or mental health. Such sessions may take place on farms, in gardens, in hospitals, schools, care homes or similar venues and are aimed at people of all ages and with all levels of health and ability. 

One blog cannot do justice to this growing and fascinating area of green care and over the next couple of blogs I will explore a range of support options available for different age ranges, the benefits for individuals and the important animal welfare considerations that need to be taken into consideration when developing or using this type of provision.