Animal-Human Interaction: Research and Practice

Division 17 of the American Psychological Association

The Section on Animal-Human Interaction: Research & Practice, of Division 17 on Counseling Psychology of the American Psychological Association, is dedicated to professional and scholarly activities that advance the understanding of animal-human interactions as they relate to counseling psychology. AHI addresses:

• The role of the human-animal bond in empathy development, the ability to form and express attachments, reaction to grief and loss, the challenges of aging, and other developmental passages throughout the lifespan
• The ways in which human interaction with animals promotes health
• The role of animal-assisted therapies in prevention and intervention programs in a variety of settings
• Violence prevention as it relates to the link between animal abuse and family, juvenile, and community violence
• Training programs on topics such as pet grief counseling, assessment and treatment of animal abuse, as well as counseling programs to address the needs of veterinary students, animal shelter volunteers, and animal rescue workers.