Counselor Toolbox Podcast with Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes produces 2 episodes each week and offers CEUs based on the podcast at AllCEUs.com/counselortoolbox

1. 1

2. Animal Assisted Therapy
Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes PhD, LPC-MHSP, LMHC
Executive Director, AllCEUs.com
Podcast Host: Counselor Toolbox, Case Management Toolbox
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 2

3. Objectives
 Define Animal Assisted Therapy
 Explore the research around animal assisted
therapy
 Review some general cautions
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 3

4. Definitions
 Animal Assisted Activities/Pet-Therapy
 Integration of animals into activities to facilitate
motivation, education and recreation, encouraging
casual interaction without following a specific set of
criteria or goals
 Animal Assisted Therapy
 Intentional and therapeutic, whereby the animal’s role
is integral in assisting with mental health, speech,
occupational therapy or physical therapy goals, and
augments cognitive, physical, social and/or emotional
well-being
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 4

5. General Benefits
 Reduced blood pressure
 Release of oxytocin
 Increase in understanding of UPR (3 legged dog, one eyed
cat, blind horse)
 Increase ability to take multiple perspectives
 Enhance empathy and compassion
 Biofeedback/Mindfulness
 Stress reduction and laughter
 Increased physical activity
 Consistency and clear communication
 Decrease learned helplessness behaviors and increase a
sense of control over self and environment
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 5

6. General Benefits
 Act as a bridge by which therapists can reach patients
who are withdrawn, uncooperative, and
uncommunicative
 Participants interacting with the animals were more
inclined to smile and demonstrate pleasure, and were
more sociable and relaxed with other participants
 More sensitive issues can be rendered less incendiary
when an animal is involved
 A multisensory aspect is also available when an
animal is involved; increasing the level of attention
and interest of the client who is active or struggles
with focus or concentration
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 6

7. Which Animals Can Be used
 Any Animals…
 Fish (AAA)
 Guinea Pigs (AAA)
 Dogs (AAA, AAT)
 Cats (AAA, AAT)
 Rabbits (AAA)
 Horses (AAA, AAT)
 Dolphin (AAA, AAT)
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 7

8. Hippotherapy (Equine)
 Using horse movement to compliment therapy
 Self-awareness
 Developing trust and respect
 Meeting/Join Up (understanding the prey/predator relationship)
 Petting
 Feeding
 Addressing personalization/exploring dialectics
 Going into a barn or trailer
 Bonding/relaxation
 Confidence
 Acceptance (despite being different)
 Choosing animals with differences
 Highlighting unique animal pairs (donkey and goat)
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 8

9. Farm Animals
 The diversity of a farm experience offers much
stimulation, and provides the basis for creative and
varied interventions, such as providing the client
with opportunities to practice
 Nurturing activities
 Organizational skills
 Perspective taking (no 2 animals are exactly alike)
 Problem solving
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 9

10. Dogs
 A “dog’s social life is organized around dominance-subordinance
relationships”
 Dogs are expected to obey commands and offer clients what is often referred
to as “unconditional acceptance” (Brewster vs. Duke)
 Difference in the children’s response during sessions, including more laughing,
increased eye contact, communication with the dog, and a desire to connect
through feeding the animal dog treats
 Teaching people positive dog training techniques could help them understand
 Clear communication
 Relationship development (trust, respect, nurturance and termination)
 Empathy
 Perspective-taking
 Delayed gratification
 The connection between behaviors and consequences in a non-threatening manner
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 10

11. Dogs
 Teaching people positive dog training techniques could
help them
 Learn patience and consistency
 Develop clear communication
 Learn about relationship development (trust, respect, nurturance
and termination)
 Develop empathy and compassion
 Enhance perspective-taking to understand behavior/reactions
 Delay gratification
 Understand the connection between behaviors and consequences
in a non-threatening manner
 Increase confidence and self-efficacy
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 11

12. Dogs
 More benefits
 Helps separate bad behaviors from bad organisms
 Improves awareness of cognitive distortions esp personalization, all or
nothing thinking, mind reading
 Teaches the appropriate way to treat themselves and others
 Helps the person get out of their own head (depression, addiction)
 Serves as a biofeedback monitor (dogs mirror owner reactions)
 Models unconditional positive regard
 Reward/de-escalation/reduced anxiety and depression via enhancing
relaxation and oxytocin (doctors office, studying, flying…)
 Reduces hypervigilance (PTSD, panic attacks, seizures)
 Increases physical activity
 Helps set circadian rhythms
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89
12

13. Cats
 “Cat socialization toward is based on
 “Give and take”
 Mutuality/reciprocity
 Respect for their independent nature
 In contrast to human-horse or human-dog relationships.
Chandler (2005) listed the following attributes for felines in
therapy:
 Quietness and calmness
 Level of comfort with being touched
 Motivation to be around people
 Playful cats offer lighthearted moments which can act as an
“icebreaker”
 Distraction/distress tolerance when discussing stressful events
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 13

14. Techniques
 Teach the client how to direct the animal, and then
collaboratively problem-solve when confronted with
an obstacle to promote self-monitoring, mindfulness,
and to empower the client and encourage
generalization to daily life situations, among other
things.
 Parenting (consistency and clear communication)
 Communicating with a spouse or boss
 Giving and receiving affection
 Being aware of emotions and nonverbal communications
 Understanding the reciprocal nature of interactions
 Greeting Brew at the door
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89
14

15. Techniques
 The client and counselor could collaboratively develop
behavioral experiments to involve animals.
 If a client believes she cannot be assertive. A behavioral task may
be as simple as calling for the animals to come in, or placing her in
charge of directing the animal to accomplish a task.
 The counselor could question client to encourage mindfulness of
her actions and experience to help expose cognitive distortions.
 Cognitive rehearsal could be facilitated is assertiveness is a
problem she has encountered in the past.
 Have the client try to walk a donkey into a barn, or get a dog into a
crate.
 Discuss her thoughts as the animal resists (gives up, gets angry etc)
 Discuss reasons why the animal may not be complying.
 Work through the exercise to increase assertiveness. (win/win)
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89
15

16. Techniques
 Activities designed to draw attention to existing dynamics
encourage the family to acknowledge current behaviors and
interrelationships, and reflect on healthier interactions.
 One scenario may be asking that family work together to maneuver a
horse or dog from point A to point B without talking to each other or
to the animal.
 Parent and child concretely exploring the metaphor of feeling
‘reined in’ through horse or dog work. The family can discover
the animal is more compliant and responsive with a looser rein
or leash.
 When held tight, the animal may fight to gain control, or will become
passive and stubborn, much like a child on a tight rein
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 16

17. Techniques
 Clients with less-developed verbal skills can
experience a sense of success when interacting with
an animal.
 Asking a dog to sit, or offering food to an animal provides
positive interaction without the need for language
 Individuals with lowered self-esteem and confidence
can experience acceptance
 People with social anxiety can walk a dog in a public
place
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 17

18. Multisensory Activities
 Photographing or videotaping the animals
 “What was it thinking?”
 Scrapbooking
 Learning about special animals especially at a rescue
 She was abused, blind, starved and had broken bones in her back.
She was also understandably afraid of people. There is no telling
what kind of horror she had survived! She immediately received
the medical care she needed.
 Unique friendships
 Story writing
 Animals can provide an entity onto which the client may project or
identify (Reichert, 1998), i.e. storytelling from the animal’s point
of view as a means for the client to raise metaphorical, or even
factual, details of a topic otherwise difficult to talk about
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 18

19. Multisensory Activities
 Journaling
 Their training progress (consistency and efficacy)
 The use of metaphors and symbolism can be very
effective as well
 What animal are you most like and why?
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 19

20. Other Activities
 Memory/Cognitive:
 Remembering dog’s name, breed or history
 Remembering handler’s name
 Activities with dog’s picture book
 Giving commands
 Remembering colors, shapes, directions
 Problem Solving:
 Choosing type of toy or treat
 Deciding where to go during a walk and how to get there
 Giving dog appropriate commands
 Positive redirection
 Choosing type of activity to do with the dog
 Deciding where to hide treats for the dog to find
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 20

21. Cautions
 Client’s physical and emotional response to a particular species of
animal as being based on “previous direct and indirect experiences
with as well as their beliefs, desires, and fears about specific
species”.
 The role of animals in the client’s life outside the therapy session is
another cultural consideration (Farmers, hunters, pet owners)
 sanitation and the potential for disease must be addressed.
 Animal inoculations and parasite control must be current (Delta Society, 1996)
 Clients must also be screened for potential allergies or sensitivities
 Environmental distractions, combined with the predictability of the
client’s behavior, can present challenges to the counselor, particularly
in an outdoor setting
 Elderly and small children often report feeling safer around smaller
animals because they were afraid of being knocked over by a larger,
more rambunctious dog
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89
21

22. Summary
 There are a variety of techniques that can be used to
incorporate animals into counseling practice
 Animals help develop
 Self esteem
 Confidence
 Assertiveness
 Empathy
 Mindfulness
 Distress Tolerance
 Effective Communication Skills
 Animals can also serve to relieve anxiety
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 22