Kellevision

How to Choose an Animal Assisted Therapist

A lot of people are claiming to use animals in therapy sessions these day.  While I'm thrilled to see that our species if finally beginning to appreciate the value of animals in our lives and our work, it's important to know what to look for in an animal assisted therapy practice.  How are you able to tell what's the real deal?

A lot of people write and ask us about certification programs for Animal Assisted Therapy.  Most of the programs I am aware of certify the animal.  As if animals need certification!  What is more important is to make sure your therapist is fully licensed to practice mental health therapy, not physical therapy or occupational therapy, or "life coaching" or whatever people may choose to call it these days.  Once you ascertain that the therapist is licensed to practice therapy you can then ask about animal assisted therapy. 

Ask the therapist how working with animals is different than traditional talk therapy.  They should be able to tell you, in concrete terms, how it affects their practice of therapy.  Saying, "Oh people like having my dog Sparky in the room, it makes them feel better" isn't sufficient.  Therapy is not to make people feel better.  It is to bring about enlightenment or awareness that will help clients make better choices in their lives.  The therapist should be able to tell you specifically how working with an animal will facilitate that.

The therapist should also be able to tell you how they picked the animal or animals they are using.  Why are they using a dog instead of a cat?  How did they pick that particular dog?   If they are merely bringing their pet to the office because they like having them there it's not necessarily animal assisted therapy.  The therapist should be able to give you clear examples of how the animal or animals will be used therapeutically.  If they just have their pet dog lying in the therapy room floor for you to pet you may want to keep looking.

Ask the therapist what issues are best addressed using animals?  Are there any issues which should not be addressed using animals?  (Hint:  Clients with antisocial personality disorder or conduct disorder, both of which may involve a client who abuses or tortures animals, may be inappropriate for animal assisted therapy or at least require heavy screening.)  What types of clients may not work well with animals? 

Finally, the therapist should also demonstrate a healthy relationship with the animal.  If the therapist is not interacting with the animal in a healthy way how are they going to help you be healthy?  You should be able to see that there is a relationship between the therapist and the animal and that it is based on trust and respect.  That includes being able to see that the animal has good medical care, adequate food and water and a healthy environment.  All the things you would want to see in your therapist. 

Animal assisted therapy is a new and exciting addition to traditional talk therapy, but it's important to know what to look for in a therapist claiming to use animal assisted therapy.  I hope this article provides useful food for thought as well as specific questions to ask.

 

 

The Power of Animals to Heal

Since I specialize in using animals to work with abused children, one of my readers asked me to write about animal assisted therapy.  I think it would take a book to say all that I appreciate about working with animals to provide therapy.  But this is a start...

The other day one of our therapists was working with a 10 year old girl who was extremely tense and hadn't been able to open up about what was going on in her family.  One of our donkeys, Hoover, who had previously never allowed strangers to come anywhere near him, wandered up to her and rested his very heavy head on her knee.  She began stroking his ears and head and immediately began to calm.  As she calmed she felt safer and began to open up and talk about what was concerning her.  And Hoover benefitted greatly from her caresses. 

Research has shown that petting an animal lowers our blood pressure and promotes our overall physical health.  But we sometimes forget about how being around animals can benefit our mental health.  We calm and settle.  They help us be "mindful" and in the present.  They ground us and help reduce stress.

They can also teach us about relationships. I can watch how someone interacts with an animal and learn a lot about how they interact with people.  Are they aggressive, passive or assertive?  Are they cold and distant or warm and affectionate?  How do they touch the animal; with loving, appropriate strokes?  With a disconnected pat?  

The way the animals react to a person will also tell me a lot about them; more so when working with horses than with dogs.  Dogs are predators just like us.  But horses are prey animals.  Their life depends on their ability to accurately "read" a predator (i.e. a human) and react accordingly.  They are some of life's best psychologists.  If the horse becomes antsy I know the client is feeling anxiety.  If the horse pins their ears and gets away from the person I know they are angry.  If the horse moves in to interact with the person I know they feel safe, so the person must be relatively calm.

At TherapyWorks, when working with children who have been abused, we actually implement some horse training exercises in our therapy sessions.  Can the child get the animal to work with them without getting frustrated and resorting to violence?  Being assertive, as opposed to passive or aggressive, can be a big challenge for a child who was raised in a violent home.  Children of violence typically see only aggressive (the abuser) or passive (the abused) behaviors.  Healthy assertion is an alien concept for them.

Animals can also teach us about boundaries.  This is mine, that is yours.  I have a right to say no.  This horse doesn't like to have her ears touched.  That dog doesn't like to have her head patted.  Children (and often adults) who were sexually molested at a young age often have a lot of trouble knowing what healthy, appropriate touch is.  They can also have trouble understanding that they have a right to refuse uncomfortable touch.  The animals can teach this.  When animals are touched in a way they don't like, the react, usually by moving away.  They can teach a molested child; 1) that they have a right to ask that people not touch them in ways they don't like and 2) how to show someone they don't like it.

Animals can also teach us healthy assertiveness.  We often use a technique called "Back Off".  This technique is especially effective with a 2000 pound draft horse.  Teenagers get an opportunity to practice assertion when they ask our draft horse, Big Jack to back up.  If they can get a 2000 pound horse to back off, a 100 lb. bully is not so intimidating.

Animal assisted therapy is increasingly gaining popularity - and for good reason.   However, it's important to know what to look for in an animal assisted therapist.  Stay tuned.  I'll be posting that soon.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drama Queens: Children of Narcissistic Parents?

I'm watching the child escalate to higher and higher levels of distress while the mother drones on, completely oblivious to the cries of distress just a few feet away.  

Compliments as Manipulation

Compliments from family, friends or partners are really nice and help our self esteem.  But they can be a form of manipulation.  How do you tell the difference and who is susceptible to this manipulation?