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Concept
Animal-assisted therapy
Summary
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is an alternative or complementary type of therapy that includes the use of animals in a treatment. The goal of this animal-assisted intervention is to improve a patient's social, emotional, or cognitive functioning. Studies have documented some positive effects of the therapy on subjective self-rating scales and on objective physiological measures such as blood pressure and hormone levels.
The specific animal-assisted therapy can be classified by the type of animal, the targeted population, and how the animal is incorporated into the therapeutic plan. Various animals have been utilized for animal-assisted therapy, with the most common types being canine-assisted therapy and equine-assisted therapy.
Use of these animals in therapies has shown positives results in many cases, such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, sexual abuse victims, dementia, autism, and more. It can be used in many different facilities, like hospitals, prisons, and nursing homes, to aid in the therapy provided. Some studies have shown that animal-assisted therapy can improve many aspects of a patient's life, such as improving their overall mood or reducing feelings of isolation.
Animal-assisted therapy is an alternative or complementary type of therapy that includes the use of animals in a treatment. It falls under the realm of animal-assisted intervention, which encompasses any intervention in the studio that includes an animal in a therapeutic context such as emotional support animals, service animals trained to assist with daily activities, and animal assisted activity.
The goal of animal-assisted therapy is to improve a patient's social, emotional, or cognitive functioning and literature reviews state that animals can be useful for educational and motivational effectiveness for participants.
Research has found that animals can have an overall positive effect on health and improve mood and quality of life.
Official source
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