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##  Animal-Assisted Therapy in Counseling and School Settings. ERIC/CASS            Digest.                                                                      

INTRODUCTION
Recent research and experience has demonstrated that              the use of dogs as "co-therapists" may be of assistance to                      counselors in counseling with withdrawn and non-communicative                   counselees. The use of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and                        animal-assisted activity (AAA) may be another useful tool which                 could be offered in counselor education programs and in school                  counseling programs. ANIMAL-ASSISTED THERAPYThe integration of            animal-assisted therapy into clinical psychology was first credited             in 1962 to the child psychologist, Boris Levinson, with his paper               published in Mental Hygiene, "The dog as a 'co therapist'." Levinson            discovered he could make significant progress with a disturbed child            when Levinson's dog, Jingles, attended therapy sessions.  He went on            to find that many children who were withdrawn and uncommunicative               would interact positively with the dog (Levinson, 1969).                        Animal-assisted therapy has a long, but undocumented history, and it            has only been in the last half of the twentieth century that                    research and professional response has been conducted on the use of             animals in therapy. 
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and its related             modality, animal-assisted activity (AAA), are both experiencing a               rise in popularity and are now being applied in many counseling and             school settings across the United States.  Cindy Ehlers of Eugene,              Oregon took her Husky dog, Bear, to visit with students and others              traumatized by the 1998 shootings at Thurston High School in                    Springfield, Oregon and the violence in 1999 at Columbine High                  School in Littleton, Colorado. Tracy Roberts brings her two                     Australian Shepherd dogs, Lucy and Dottie, to school to act as                  teacher's aides in the fourth and fifth grade classes at the                    Canterbury Episcopal School in DeSoto, Texas. Lucy and Dottie are               reported to be a comfort to the kids and a welcome relief from the              stress of school.  Dena Carselowey and her Labrador Retriever,                  Buggs, are "co-therapists" at Minneha Core Knowledge Magnet                     Elementary School in Wichita, Kansas.  Each of these dogs provides              unconditional acceptance the moment the student enters the classroom            or the counselor's office.  Often the students will come to see the             dog and stay to talk to the counselor while they pet and play with              the dogs. When animals are used with the school counselor, the                  students often use the dog as an excuse to go see the counselor.                These animals enable the counselor to interact with many more                   students than would normally be the case. RATIONALE FOR                       ANIMAL-ASSISTED THERAPY AND ACTIVITYThe presence of an animal               has been found to lower anxiety and motivate participation in                   therapy (Fine, 2000).  The animal's warm and playful presence can be            comforting.  AAT is not a style of therapy like Cognitive-Behavioral            or Rational-Emotive therapy, however a therapist can incorporate the            animal into whatever professional style of therapy the therapist                already enacts.  AAT sessions can be integrated into individual or              group therapy and with a very wide range of age groups and persons              with varying ability. 
There are many different types of therapy               animals.  The most common are dogs, cats, and horses.  Farm animals             can be therapeutic as well as smaller or less common types of                   animals, such as, rabbits, birds, fish, hamsters, and even llamas.              Each of these animals has specific skills and abilities to                      contribute to the therapeutic process. 
Mental health and                      educational professionals who engage in AAT should demonstrate                  knowledge and skill in the following areas: 1) social skill                     development and obedience training for the pet, 2) therapy or                   activity skill training for the pet and handler, 3) establishing and            maintaining a positive relationship with counseling and educational             facility staff, 4) assessing the appropriateness of AAT with a                  particular client or student, 5) the basics of                                  zoonoses (transmittable diseases) and risk management, 6)                       establishing and applying counseling or educational goals and                   interventions, and 7) assessing therapeutic or educational                      progress. 
For the therapy dog, obedience training is a must, most             preferably in a group format.  A therapy animal must be well behaved            and respond to the handler's commands.  A fearful, aggressive, or               unresponsive animal is definitely not suitable for this                         profession. ANIMAL-ASSISTED COUNSELINGAnimal-assisted therapy             can be beneficial to the counseling process (Gammonley, et al.,                 2000).  The presence of the animal can facilitate a trust-building              bond between the therapist and client. The animal relieves some                 tension and anxiety of therapy and interacting with the animal is               entertaining and fun.  Talking to the animal while the therapist                listens is easier than talking to the therapist for the more                    difficult issues.  Also, animals often help clients focus on an                 issue as they interact with the animal.  The animal may help the                client get in touch with feelings.  Sharing these feelings with or              about the animal can initiate the emotional sharing process with the            therapist.  For the client, the animal is seen as a friend and ally,            thus presenting a safe atmosphere for sharing.  The animal offers               nurturance through a presentation of unconditional acceptance and               interaction.  The experience of a client interacting with an animal             can provide knowledge about boundaries and limit setting by                     observing and imitating the therapist-animal interactions. 
Common             mental health treatment goals in AAT are to: 
* improve                        socialization and communication; 
* reduce isolation, boredom and              loneliness; 
* brighten affect and mood, lessen depression, and/ or            provide pleasure and affection; 
* improve memory and recall; 
*              address grieving and loss issues; 
* improve self-esteem, be                   presented with opportunities to succeed and feel important, and                 improve feelings of self worth; 
* improve reality; 
* improve                cooperation and problem-solving ability; 
* improve concentration              and attention, and increase engagement; 
* decrease manipulative               behaviors; 
* improve expression of feelings; 
* reduce general               anxiety; 
* reduce abusive behavior; 
* Improve an ability to                 trust; and 
* learn appropriate touch (Gammonley, et al.,                      2000). 
Common mental health treatment interventions in AAT that               assist in meeting the goals listed above may include to: 
*                    practice teaching the animal something new; 
* engage in play with             the animal and other types of appropriate interactions; 
* learn               about and practice care, grooming and feeding of the animal; 
*                learn other information about the animal (breed, history, etc.) 
*             reminisce about the animal or past animals; 
* remember and repeat             information about the animal to others; 
* take the animal for a               supervised walk; 
* receive and give appropriate affection and                 acceptance with the animal; 
* discuss how animals may feel in                 certain situations; 
* learn gentle ways to handle animals; 
*                follow a sequence of instructions with the animal; 
* observe and              discuss the animal's response to human behavior; 
* interpret                  animal behavior as it happens; and 
* generalize animal behavior to            human circumstances. ANIMALS IN THE CLASSROOMThere can be many            benefits to integrating AAT and AAA into the classroom in school                settings. Goals for students in school classrooms using AAT and AAA             include: 
* gaining knowledge about animals; 
* learning humane               animal care; 
* motor and physical skill development through                   human-animal interactions; 
* animal training; 
* practicing                  discipline; 
 incorporating an attitude of kindness and                        compassion; 
* learning about nurturance; 
* practicing loyalty               and responsibility; 
* experiencing human-animal bonding; 
*                  learning responsible pet ownership; and 
* learning AAT and AAA                training and activities (Delta, 1999). 
Animal-assisted therapy may            be used to curb violence in the schools. Animals in the classroom               have empirically been proven to enhance humane attitudes toward                 animals and these more humane attitudes persisted in a one year                 follow up (Ascione & Weber, 1999). This same study showed a                     generalization from humane attitudes toward animals to                          human-directed empathy. Thus, emotional connections made with                   animals can transfer to more empathic attitudes towards other                   persons. CONCLUSIONAnimal-assisted therapy and activity are               useful modalities that can be easily incorporated into the                      counseling and school setting. Animals in counseling sessions and               the classroom facilitate an atmosphere of trust, nurturance, and                relationship building. Animals actually help a person to focus on a             task because of an interest in interacting with the pet.  The                   therapy animal is a nonjudgemental companion in the process of                  learning and development. 
Basic training for AAT and AAA is                   available through some colleges and universities.  Also, the                    national organization, Delta Society, offers a one-day workshop by              trained instructors located across the nation (Delta, 2000).                 **Title:** Animal-Assisted Therapy in Counseling and School Settings. ERIC/CASS            Digest.                                                                      **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Counseling and Student Services Clearinghouse, University of               North Carolina at Greensboro, 201 Ferguson Building, P.O. Box 26171,            Greensboro, NC 27402-6171. Tel: 336-334-4114; Tel:                              800-414-9769 (Toll Free); Fax: 336-334-4116; Web site:                          http://ericcass.uncg.edu; e-mail: [email protected].                         **Descriptors:**  Counseling Techniques, Counseling Theories, Elementary School                  Students, Elementary Secondary Education, Emotional Response,                    Interpersonal Communication,  Pets,  School Counseling, Secondary              School Students, Therapy, Trust (Psychology)                                 **Identifiers:** Cats, Dogs, ERIC Digests,  Pet Therapy                                       
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