You can see the ways in which Animal-Assisted Therapy can provide emotional and biological assistance in a therapeutic intervention.

1. Animal-Assisted Therapy:
Impact on brain, emotionality, and
healing for traumatized children
Dr. Candace McLain, MA, EdD LPC ACS
Rebecca Frank BA, MA Candidate
Apr 10th at 8:00 AM until 9:00 AM
EMDR Center of the Rockies Room 404

2. Child Abuse & Neglect
 In 2013, there were roughly a total of 3,188,000 CPS response cases
Nationwide. There was an estimated total of 679,000 reported victim
cases, and of those cases, nearly 1,520 children died of abuse or neglect.
 Of those confirmed victim cases, 79.5% of the victims were neglected,
18.0% were physically abused, 9.0% were sexually abused, 8.7% were
psychologically maltreated and 10.0% were reported as “other” abuse
(i.e. threatened abuse, parent drug/alcohol abuse, self relinquishment of
newborn).
 91.4% of the perpetrators were one or both of the parents.
 * CDHS http://www.cdhsdatamatters.org/
(Child Maltreatment, 2013)

3. Child Abuse: Physical Abuse
Citation: Rev. Stat. § 19-1-103
 ‘Abuse’ or ‘child abuse or neglect’ means an act or omission that threatens the health or welfare of a child in one of
the following
 categories: • Skin bruising, bleeding, malnutrition, failure to thrive, burns, fracture of any bone, subdural hematoma,
soft tissue swelling, or death and:
 • A controlled substance is manufactured in the presence of a child, on the premises where a child is found, or where
a child
 resides. • A child tests positive at birth for either a schedule I or schedule II controlled substance, unless the child
tests positive for a schedule II controlled substance as a result of the mother’s lawful intake of such substance as
prescribed.
Child Neglect: Neglect Citation: Rev. Stat. §§ 19-1-103; 19-3-102
 The term ‘child abuse or neglect’ includes any case in which a child is in need of services because the child’s parent
has failed to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical care, or supervision that a prudent parent would take.
 A child is ‘neglected’ or ‘dependent’ if:
 The parent, guardian, or legal custodian has subjected the child to mistreatment or abuse or has allowed another to
mistreat or abuse the child without taking lawful means to stop such mistreatment or abuse and prevent it from
recurring.
 The child lacks proper parental care through the actions or omissions of the parent, guardian, or legal custodian.
 The child’s environment is injurious to his or her welfare.
 The parent, guardian, or legal custodian fails or refuses to provide the child with proper or necessary subsistence,
education, medical care, or any other necessary care.
 The child is homeless, without proper care, or not domiciled with his or her parent, guardian, or legal custodian
through no fault of such parent, guardian, or legal custodian.
 The child has run away from home or is otherwise beyond the control of his or her parent, guardian, or legal
custodian.

4. Complex Trauma
 Complex Trauma Stress Disorder: Not fully cohesive literature on complex
ptsd. Repeated, child abuse or neglect from a loved one/caregiver, close
relative. Consider, emotional deprivation.
 Impacted: Safety and Security, Personality Development, affect regulation,
and integration of self
 Attachment, trauma and the developing Brain
http://www.cdhsdatamatters.org/index.html COLORADO STATES

7. Ages of
Abused and
Neglected
Children
(Child Maltreatment, 2013)
Erikson’s Stages of
Psychosocial Development
Ainsworth and Bowlby
Attachment Styles

8. Neglected/Traumatized Emotional Neglect
(Secure, Anxious/Preoccupied,
Avoidant/Dismissing, Disorganized,
Ambivalent)
 Traumatic Emotional Neglect: Absence of a parental loving interest and
engagement, especially in the first few years of life creates overwhelming
emptiness (Walker,2014).
 Emotional Abandonment/Abuse Creates “Abandonment Depression Cycle”
Fear and Shame-Inner Critic- 4 F’s
 Fight, Flee, Freeze or Fawn
 Fear, shame and inconsolableness creates Dissociation.
 Anxious, Depressed
Walker, 2014

9. The Brain and Trauma
 No one Psychobiological model
 PTSD may be a collection of outcomes from various types of trauma’s
 Unlikely one treatment/medication for PTSD or CPTSD.
 HPA Axis Hypothalamic-Pituitary Adrenal
 Norepinephrine and Cortisol -(Hyper arousal, anxiety, dissociative symptoms, panic
disorders, aggression, etc.)
 Serotonin, serotonin transporters, opioid dysregulation and high thyroid hormone
levels
 Smaller brain and less white and gray matter
 Amygdala (emotion regulation)
 Smaller Hippocampus and smaller anterior cingulate (Briere, Scott, 2006).
Walker, P. (2009) and Briere & Scott, (2006)

10. The Developing Mind
 “There is good evidence that early abuse and neglect significantly affects the maturation of the
hippocampus, which make children with such histories vulnerable to misinterpret sensory input in
the direction of danger and threat” (van der Kolk, 2003)
 “A critical period of organization of the amygdalar-hypothalamic system, in which sensory
information is processed by the amygdala receives a positive or negative hedonic charge…These
events occur in what Bowlby (1969) calls the ‘preattachment phase’ of the first two months..”
(Schore, 2001).
 “For the first year of life, the infant has available an
‘implicit’ form of memory that includes emotional,
behavioral, perceptual, and perhaps bodily (somatosensory)
forms of memory. Implicit memory also includes the
generalizations of repeated experiences, called ‘mental
model’ or schemes” (Siegel, 2001, p. 74).

11. “Ziggy and Addie”
https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/Guidelines-for-Animal-Assisted-Activity-Animal-Assisted-Therapy-and-
Resident-Animal-Programs.aspx

12. How Can Animals Help
Clients See the World as a
Safe Place?

13. Animal-Assisted Therapy
 Animal-assisted therapy (AAT)
 A type of therapy that involves animals as a form of treatment. The goal of
AAT is to improve a patient's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical
functioning (Chandler, 2012).
 Types of animals used
 Dogs
 Cats
 Horses
 Rabbits
 Birds
 Many More…
 Integration into other therapies
 Typically not used alone
 Animal-Assisted Interventions
 Hospital Visitation
 Nursing Homes
 Reading Programs
 Counseling

14. Human-Animal Attachment
for Emotionality
 Trust
 Love
 Acceptance
 Positive touch
 Gravitate toward animal
 Association to Therapist

15. Oxytocin
 “The neuropeptide oxytocin plays a seminal role in mediating social affiliation, attachment, social support,
maternal behavior and trust, as well as protection against stress and anxiety (Heim et. al., 2009)”
 Social bonding
 Attachment
 Trust
 Cognitive Functioning
 Study of Lower Levels in Abused Women
 Emotional Regulation

16. The Neuroscience
of Oxytocin
 Oxytocin in major areas of the brain
 Amygdala
 Hippocampus
 “The peptide hormone oxytocin (OT) is produced in
the hypothalamus and released into the circulatory
system and the brain in response to sensory
stimulation” (Beetz, Uvnas-Moberg, Julius, &
Kotrschal, 2012).
 “OT is found in several other brain regions (e.g.,
bed nucleus of the striae terminals, central and
medial nuclei of the amygdala, septum,
hippocampus), suggesting that it has a role in
neurotransmission, psychogenic stress and anxiety”
(Scantamburlo et al., 2007).
(Zak, 2008)

17. Effects of Oxytocin
 Stress Response System
 “When the stress response system is activated, the social system secretes
oxytocin to rebound from stress. The social system assists in calming and
soothing…With physical contact sensory nerves in the skin will result in oxytocin
release after positive touch” (Chandler, 2012).
 Anxiety and Depression
 “Studies provide direct evidence that interaction with a friendly companion animal, in
particular a dog, positively affects endocrine responses as indicated by changes in the
levels of cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine, suggesting an attenuation of stress
responses” (Beetz, Uvnas-Moberg, Julius, & Kotrschal, 2012).
 Study of oxytocin and positive long-term effects
 Lesser aggression
 Lower cortisol levels
 Lower frequent fear
 Trust

18. Limitations
 Fear of different animals
 Allergies
 Willingness
 Research
 Human-Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI)

19. General Animal-Assisted Therapy
Programs and Information
 Societies and Organizations
 Pet Partners (formerly Delta Society)
 International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO)
 Professional Association Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH)
 Therapy Dogs International
 Local
 Denver Pet Partners
 Animal-Assisted Therapy Programs of Denver
 Professional Therapy Dogs of Colorado
 Touched By A Horse (TBAH)
 The Right Step Inc.

20. Animal-Assisted Demo
“Puppy in your pocket”

21. References
 Administration for Children and Families Administration on Children, Youth and Families Children’s Bureau.
(2013) Child maltreatment. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: Washington, D.C.
 Beetz, A., Uvnas-Moberg, K., Julius, H., and Kotrschal, K. (2012). Psychosocial and
psychophysiological effects of human-animal interactions: the possible role of oxytocin. Frontiers
in Psychology (3) doi: 10.3389/fpsyq.2012.00234.
 Briere, J., Scott, C. (2006). Principals of Trauma Therapy: A Guide to Symptoms, Evaluation and Treatment.
Sage Publications. Thousands Oaks, CA.
 Chandler, C. (2012). Animal-assisted therapy in counseling (2nd ed). New York: Routhledge Taylor and
Francis
 Heim, C., Young, L. J. Newport, D. J., Mletzko, T. Miller, A. H., & Nemeroff, C. B. (2008). Lower CSF
oxytocin concentrations in women with a history of childhood abuse. Molecular Psychiatry (14) 954-
958. doi: 10.1038/mp.2008.112
 Scantamburlo, G., Hansenne, M., Fuchs, S., Pichot, W., Marechal, P., Pequeux, C., Ansseau, M., & Legros, J.
J. (2007). Plasma oxytocin levels and anxiety in patients with major depression.
Psychoneuroendocrinology (42) 407-410.
 Seigal, D. J. (2001). Toward an interpersonal neurobiology of the developing mind:
attachment relationships, “mindsight,” and neural integration. Infant Mental Health Journal (22),
67-94: Michigan Association for Infant M07-410ental Health
 Shiloh, S., Sorek, G., & Terkel, J. (2010). Reduction of state-anxiety by petting animals in a
controlled laboratory experiment. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping (16) 387-395. doi:
10.1080/1061580031000091582
 Van der Kolk, B. A. (2003). The neurobiology of childhood trauma and abuse. Child and
Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic (12), 293-317.
 Walker, P. (2014). Healing from complex trauma and PTSD (CPTSD). Azure Coyote Publishing Co. United
States.
 Images.google.com/

22. Additional Resources
 Cynthia Chandler-- Animal-Assisted Therapy in Counseling
 Nancy Parish-Plass--Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy: Theory, Issues and Practice
 Rise VanFleet--Play Therapy with Kids and Canines: Benefits for Children’s Developmental
and Psychosocial Health
 Nancy Lind– Animal Assisted Therapy Activities to Motivate and Inspire
 Kris Butler– Therapy Dogs Today: Their Gifts, Our Obligation
 Boris M. Levinson & G. P. Mallon-- Pet-Oriented Child Psychotherapy

23. Alice Miller The Drama of The Gifted Child {Codependence}
John Bradshaw Healing The Shame That Binds
Judith Herman Trauma and Recovery
Gravitz&Bowden Guide to Recovery {Great short, powerful overview}
Susan Anderson The Journey from Abandonment to Healing
Jane Middleton-Moz Children of Trauma
Susan Forward Betrayal of Innocence
Robin Norwood Women Who Love Too Much {Codependence}
Pat Love The Emotional Incest Syndrome {Codependence}
Laura Davis and Ellen Bass The Courage to Heal {Sexual Abuse}
Theodore Rubin Compassion and Self-hate
Susan Vaughan The Talking Cure {How Therapy Works}
Jack Kornfield A Path with Heart {Meditation as a tool of self-compassion}
Gay Hendricks Learning to Love Yourself
Byron Brown Soul Without Shame {Inner critic work}
Lewis & Amini A General Theory Of Love {The Neuroscience of trauma recovery}
Lucia Capacchione Recovery of your Inner Child {Journal therapy}
Cheri Huber There is Nothing Wrong with You
Manuel Smith When I Say No, I Feel Guilty {A Classic on Assertiveness Training}
Additional Trauma Works