Dealing with animals, especially dogs, regularly elicits an immediate onslaught of warm fuzzies from me. I also experience this among fellow buyers when I walk through the pet shop with my long-haired German Shepherd. "Oh how beautiful!" they will exclaim if they give themselves permission to pet my dog instead of greeting me.
It makes me smile at how quickly some people take the opportunity to engage with animals and then people become an afterthought. When I don't have my buddy with me, my visit to the pet shop is very different – less greeting and more shopping.
Throughout history, animals have offered people loyalty and companionship. Sigmund Freud noted that using his dog in counseling sessions helped clients become more comfortable expressing emotions and sharing personal information about themselves. Several decades later, the psychologist Boris Levinson briefly left a mentally ill child with his dog. When Levinson returned, he found the child interacting with the dog. This incident triggered further research into the use of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) in children.
During the 1980s, the Delta Society began to define formal and informal definitions and interventions that involve animals in human treatment. Today, AAT is used on military veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. AAT has also been used as adjunctive therapy to families referred by child protection services and has facilitated the growth of family function. Nonprofits have registered various animals to provide mental and emotional support to people. Permitted animals are horses, dogs, cats, llamas, alpacas, rats, rabbits and birds.
DOGS AND CATS
As a dog lover and owner, I am fascinated by the use of therapy dogs in different settings. Dog-assisted therapy (CAT) in particular is a burgeoning treatment method under the umbrella of the AAT with a special focus on canines. Over the past decade, dogs have been used in a variety of settings including nursing homes, schools, hospitals, libraries, and more. Most of the research literature focuses on the effects these animals have on different populations. However, there is no research into how dog handlers themselves are affected as treatment vessels.
Dog handlers come from a variety of backgrounds ranging from volunteers to trained clinicians. With the right certification, dogs can enable a wide variety of therapeutic encounters. However, handlers who are certified or licensed professional counselors can offer even more empathic interactions than volunteers with a professional background outside of counseling.
In the context of a therapy animal team, the handlers retain various characteristics in order to be successful. AAT is not practiced by everyone, so handlers must take personal motives into account. One trait that Michael Firman and colleagues found as an indication in a 2016 study was intrinsic motivation. This includes AAT traders who do not practice for profit, but out of passion for AAT.
Pet Partners is one of several national not-for-profit organizations that register a wide variety of dog handlers and animal teams. Dealers must complete and pass the online or in-person dealer course, pass the required personal team assessment, and submit the required applications and a background exam to officially enroll as a team.
Experience in dealing with the handling required
I often wonder what it is like to provide people with CAT therapy. As a counselor, I have seen relationships build with a wide variety of people, from young children to older adults. From my observation of several colleagues it seems that the presence of a dog with clients certainly influences human interactions.
According to a qualitative study published in 2016 by Anna Swall and colleagues, further studies are needed to examine the experiences of dog handlers involved in the provision of CAT. Swall's study further showed that CAT handlers were able to use canines to create a therapeutic relationship between the participant and the handler. Therapy animals are trained to demonstrate Roger's concepts such as unconditional positive appreciation. For example, if a child in a reading program makes a mistake reading aloud, the dog will not laugh at the child or judge. But on the contrary. Therapy dogs are used to relieve discomfort in humans and to create a supportive and loving environment.
In a 2015 study by Nancy Eisenberg, researchers found that a person's ability to have an emotional relationship with animals is consistent with their emotional connections with humans. Therapy animals can also act as intermediaries when clinicians attempt to develop relationships with specific clients. And with animals involved in therapeutic interactions, counselors have an additional model of empathy-like responses that they can present to their clients.
Research has shown that dogs can also show sensitivity to human emotional states, which is evidenced by their reaction to negative emotions such as crying. In particular, dogs have responded to human suffering by creating expressions and postures such as relaxed open mouths and facial mimicry. In AAT settings, animals can complement traditional therapeutic interactions by showing positive behavior with people who experience negative emotions.
<img aria-beschreibungby = "caption-attachment-25505" data-attachment-id = "25505" data-permalink = "https://ct.counseling.org/2021/08/learning-about-the-experiences-of -canine-assisted-therapy-handlers / therapydog / "data-orig-file =" https://ct.counseling.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/TherapyDog.jpg "data-orig-size =" 1250,833 "data-comments-opened =" 1 "data-image-meta =" {"aperture": "0", "credit": "", "camera": "", "caption": "", "created_timestamp": "0", "copyright": "", "focal_length": "0", "iso": "0", "shutter_speed": "0", "title": "", "orientation": "0"} "data-image-title =" TherapyDog "data-image-description =" "data-image-caption ="
MicroOne / Shutterstock.com
"data-medium-file =" https://ct.counseling.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/TherapyDog-300×200.jpg "data-large-file =" https://ct.counseling.org /wp-content/uploads/2021/08/TherapyDog-1024×682.jpg "loading =" lazy "class =" wp-image-25505 "src =" https://ct.counseling.org/wp-content/uploads/ 2021/08 / TherapyDog-1024×682.jpg "alt =" "width =" 502 "height =" 334 "/>[19459006chievementMicroOne/Shutterstockcom
My firstborn
I tend to treat my dog like a human. I talk to him regularly about what to put on the calendar and ask his opinion on how to deal with certain customer scenarios at work. Sometimes the bonds we share with our pets may seem silly, especially to those who do not have pets, but there is no denying how special and important these bonds are to us.
Dog handlers also develop a unique bond with their animal. This bond affects the animal and its reaction to the environment. In a 2019 study, Stephanie Kuzara and researchers identified different styles of interaction between handlers, including authoritarian and permissive. For example, CAT practitioners who worked with students exhibited increasing heat behavior, known as revealing style, towards their canines as the students approached the therapy animal team. In contrast, the dog handlers showed an authoritarian style in that they increased control over the dog and at the same time demonstrated warmth behavior that depended on the personality of the students.
Such observations led to further questions about how the relationship between handler and dog influences the therapeutic results. The researchers recommend studying the handler's styles of interaction and their impact on the therapy animal and atmosphere. There are currently few studies on the dynamics of handlers and dogs; these studies are needed to better understand the suitability and standards of dog handlers and dog teams.
Ethical considerations
Animal welfare is of crucial importance for AAT interventions. Counselors are trained to manage compassion fatigue and burnout, and therapy animals also have limits. Dog handlers are trained to be aware of an animal's stress triggers. For example, a therapy animal visiting hospitals may experience too much stimulation due to the bright lights, speedy environment, and medical equipment. In such a case, the handler can instead provide AAT in non-medical facilities such as schools or outpatient facilities. Knowing the animal's tolerance window prevents the animal from harming others and enables it to continue its full physical and mental performance.
In addition, if the animal is sick or injured, it will not be used in therapy until it has received veterinary approval to resume AAT. Animals that are tired, irritable, stressed or scared are removed from the sessions by the caregivers so that they can rest and take breaks. AAT clinicians also offer antibacterial wipes and soap for use before and after AAT interactions. Making this information available to customers can help establish expectations of AAT and appreciation for both animal and human welfare.
The American Counseling Association's Code of Ethics states that counselors must not cause harm. AAT therapists must take into account the additional dynamics of a therapy animal so that the animal does not interfere with the therapeutic relationship. In particular, AAT clinics need to be sensitive to people who do not like dogs or who have pet allergies. In these cases, most AAT clinics leave the therapy animal at home or in another room so as not to add any additional stress to the client during the sessions.
AAT clinicians must also include AAT specialization and risk management information when giving informed consent from clients. This information serves as a security waiver, which means that customers agree to the risks described in the consent form. In addition, animals used in therapy must undergo extensive training to ensure the safety of others and to reduce the risk of physical harm from jumping, scratching, or biting. AAT training and assessments are designed to reduce customer security risks and ensure that appropriate precautions have been taken.
In 2016, ACA published Animal-Assisted Therapy in Counseling Competencies, which indicates the practice of basic counseling skills in addition to using an animal to improve therapy. These competencies are the recent breakthrough in providing direction for clinicians to practice AAT in counseling, but further research studies are needed to standardize the practice.
Consultant training and supervision
I am an in-training consultant-trainer and I think it would be exciting to incorporate AAT into accredited curricula. For example, counselor training and supervision programs could offer an elective course for students interested in this type of companion therapy. In addition, students who are certified in AAT can do research and concentrate on the further development of CAT knowledge in the consulting area, just as many other professions have included AAT in their research.
In addition, studies focusing on AAT handlers could inform other AAT practices, including CAT. Analyzing the handler's empathy could also provide new information about empathizing with challenging populations. In 2019, Lyndsey Uglow conducted a study to evaluate the effectiveness of AAT in a hospital setting and concluded that consistency and standardization of care are needed to ensure reliability and consistency in the practice of AAT in different populations. Hence, the collection of qualitative research data can complement the protocols of AAT handlers on a broader scale.
Develop attitudes
The exam time was always exciting for me as a student because of the therapy dogs that came to the library at the end of the semester. It was a great way to recover from the stress and strain of studying, and it also boosted my mood.
Therapy animals have become increasingly popular in other settings, including the workplace. It is not uncommon to hear of designated pet-friendly areas that allow well-behaved animals to interact with staff. In addition, Pet Partners has provided therapy teams for workplace health visits. Animal Assisted Welfare in the Workplace (AAWW) is implemented to increase employee satisfaction and productivity. It has been shown that AAWW lowers the stress level and often leads to effective cooperation between employees.
Therapy animals have also recently been used for animal-assisted crisis response (AACR) to help after mass shootings, natural disasters and other crises in the community. AACR is not per se a mental health intervention, but caregivers are trained to provide psychological first aid concepts to facilitate stabilization of the recipient.
Finally, AAT was offered to patients in minimal states of consciousness. In a 2019 study by Karin Hediger and colleagues, researchers found that AAT increased patient arousal, suggesting a possible increase in awareness. The AAT application could therefore serve as a breakthrough in neurorehabilitation for patients with impaired consciousness.
Further research
As a PhD student, I am currently in the process of conducting a qualitative study that will analyze a wide range of dog handler experiences, from school counselors to licensed professional counselors to marriage and family counselors. Overall, AAT continues to grow as researchers study various aspects of this add-on treatment. CAT requires further investigation in the context of the perspective of a dog handler working with their four-legged co-therapist to promote a positive environment across a variety of populations and backgrounds. I look forward to contributing to literature in this field after my dissertation.
*****
Kelly Carapezza is a licensed professional counselor in private practice specializing in trauma therapy and eye movement desensitization and recovery. She has experience in training her German Shepherd Dog in basic obedience and therapy dog courses and expects AAT certification from Pet Partners. Contact them at [email protected] or via LinkedIn.
****
Opinions and statements in articles appearing on CT Online should not be construed as the opinions of the editors or guidelines of the American Counseling Association.
