What is Animal-Assisted Therapy?
Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) is one of the many different ways that canines (and other animals) are able to engage in the work field. Typically referred to as therapy animals, they can often be confused with Emotional Support Animals and Service Animals. Each of these titles hold different expectations and provide different services. Service Animals are trained to help their handler with a specific task or cue and are able to travel on public transportation, including airplanes, to continue providing support for their handler. ESA’s tend to provide comfort, routine, and joy to their owners which can help reduce symptoms pertaining to anxiety, depression, and stress management. Therapy animals tend to fall in between Service Animals and ESA’s as they are trained to go into an office or setting to work with their owner and clients providing comfort, encouragement, and unconventional healing interventions. Some clients who have not seen significant progress through traditional therapy models have noted an increase in progress when engaging in AAT sessions. All minds and bodies are different, your therapy approach should be too!
Why is it helpful?
AAT can be a helpful intervention for a multitude of struggles within the therapy room. From the initial intake session, having a therapy dog in the room can help reduce anxiety and any resistance to therapy, while also promoting comfort and vulnerability. Working with a therapy dog can also provide opportunities to work on relationship building, understanding social cues, reading body language, and overall communication skills. All dogs have the ability to provide unconditional positive regard, which has been shown to alleviate stress, increase serotonin, and fight against feelings of loneliness. For clients struggling with understanding social and body cues, AAT could be a great way to practice skills while also training the body to stay regulated and utilize coping skills during stressful events. Some great examples of this could be helping a client who has a very active body learn how to regulate themselves based on other’s body language or cues in the environment, or helping a shy client learn and practice skills of confidence and advocation. Overall, studies have shown that patterned and repetitive motions are very beneficial for forming new neural pathways and connections for our mind. When trying to create lasting change, creating new pathways is a crucial element. AAT provides many opportunities, such as petting, throwing a ball, or training, to build new neural pathways in a fun and engaging way.
Meet Bear,
our Animal-Assisted Therapy dog. She is an 11 year old black lab, lover of snacks, snuggles and all things emotion regulation.
Who is a good fit for AAT?
Any dog or animal lovers that are able to safely engage with a therapy dog! Safety for the client, therapy dog, and therapist is always the utmost priority within the therapy room. If you happen to be allergic to canine dander or fur, that doesn’t mean AAT is not the right fit for you. Allergy friendly therapy dogs like Doodles or Doodle Mixes could be a great option for AAT work to reduce the impacts of allergies. Some of the populations that have seen significant progress with the addition of AAT to mental health services are children, neurodivergent clients, clients struggling with trauma, clients struggling with building relationships, and clients who feel really connected to nature and animals! If you enjoy animals, feel warm and cuddly by seeing a pet, or are just looking for a different form of therapy, Animal-Assisted Therapy could be what you’re missing. As an extra bonus, you can even utilize the skills and education from sessions to help strengthen your relationship with pets at home!
Learning to feel and respond to your emotions, doesn’t always have to be painful and scary. With AAT, you can work alongside a furry co-therapist to reach your goals and aspirations, build new relationships, and feel confident in tackling the world around you. Why not try a dog’s approach to therapy?
We’d love to connect with you! Do you have more questions about Animal-Assisted Therapy? Our team at Houston Feel Good Therapy is here to help. To schedule an appointment or consultation, call or text us at 832-966-0214 or email at admin@houstonfeelgoodtherapy.com. We look forward to supporting you on your journey!
Written by: Katy Childs, LPC
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