Animal Assisted Interventions

Animal Assisted Interventions is commonly used as an umbrella term for a number of different types of activities in which interaction with animals is a therapeutic modality. One type of AAI that is particularly useful in counseling psychology is Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), which consists of specific, planned therapy interventions delivered by professionals and their animals (or in conjunction with volunteers and their pets.) Animal-Assisted Interventions are broader based, do not necessarily involve a trained professional (although the animal must be certified) and can include, for example, the use of trained pet therapists to visit nursing home residents or using pet therapists in group settings (libraries, classrooms) to reduce children’s anxiety about learning to read. 

Animal Assisted Interventions involve research, programs, and practice that occur in institutional settings (e.g., nursing homes, hospitals, schools, prisons) and community-based programs (schools, community centers, as well as the clinical and therapeutic contexts of consulting rooms.