Pet Therapy: How animals heal us
Animal-assisted therapy or Pet therapy is shown to have healing properties. While traditionally dogs and horses were used, other animal species including birds and fish are now being used.
Benefits for Children
Animals can facilitate the establishment of a strong therapeutic alliance between the counselor and client and is particularly thought to be beneficial for children and at-risk youth (Bachi & Parish-Plass, 2016). Parish-Plass (2016) & Perry (2009) highlight how pet therapy can be used to boost confidence and mitigate stress in children exposed to trauma. Additionally, research suggests that pets can help in three areas: sensory issues, emotional regulation and social concerns (Child Trauma Academy, 2009).
The presence of an animal can help with expressing internal needs and your deepest emotions (Parish-Plass, 2013) and it is argued that pets can fulfill the role of attachment figures, thereby offering healing corrective experiences and a secure place (Zilcha-Mano, 2011).
Benefits For Adults
Animals can provide a sense of comfort and relaxation and help overcome loneliness and boredom (Cherniack & Cherniack, 2014). It also has a myriad benefits for your physical and mental health. For instance, studies reveal that pets have a positive impact on anxiety, anger, and pain and are associated with release of happy hormones such as endorphins and serotonin (Fabrizio et al., 2019; Jones et al., 2019; Silva et al., 2018). It may even be linked with a drop in risk of cardiovascular disease and blood pressure.
In summary, pets can be a wonderful companion for our wellbeing. Moreover, these can help us develop our skills: verbal, social and communication. It finds applications in various settings from pediatrics to geriatics, home to clinical settings. (Perkins, 2020)
What’s stopping you from playing with or adopting a furry friend?
References
Bachi K, Parish-Plass N. Animal-assisted psychotherapy: A unique relational therapy for children and adolescents. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2017;22(1):3-8. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104516672549
Child Trauma Academy. (2016). https://www.childtrauma.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Appendix_BDP_2012_redact.pdf
Cherniack, E.P, Cherniack, A.R. (2014) The benefit of pets and animal-assisted therapy to the health of older individuals. Current Gerontology Geriatric Research. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/623203
Fabrizio B, et al. (2016). Animal assisted intervention: A systematic review of benefits and risks.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876382016300798
Jones MG, et al. (2019). Incorporating animal-assisted therapy in mental health treatments for adolescents: A systematic review of canine assisted psychotherapy.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6336278/
Levinson B., Mallon G. (1997). Pet-oriented child psychotherapy. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. https://archive.org/details/petorientedchild0000levi
Parish-Plass N. (2013). The contribution of animal-assisted psychotherapy to the potential space in play therapy. In Parish-Plass N. (Ed.), Animal-assisted psychotherapy: Theory, issues and practice (pp. 79–109). West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309420583_The_Contribution_of_Animal-Assisted_Psychotherapy_to_the_Potential_Space_in_Play_Therapy
Parish-Plass N. (2016). Order out of chaos revised: A call for clear and agreed-upon definitions differentiating between animal-assisted interventions. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nancy-Parish-Plass/publication/307908063_Order_Out_of_Chaos_Revised_A_Call_for_Clear_and_Agreed-Upon_Definitions_Differentiating_Between_Animal-Assisted_Interventions/links/57d172b508ae601b39a1c8e4/Order-Out-of-Chaos-Revised-A-Call-for-Clear-and-Agreed-Upon-Definitions-Differentiating-Between-Animal-Assisted-Interventions.pdf
Perry B. D. (2009). Examining child maltreatment through a neurodevelopmental lens. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 14, 240–255. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325020903004350
Perkins, A. (2020). The benefits of pet therapy. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy, 18(1), 5-8. https://journals.lww.com/nursingmadeincrediblyeasy/fulltext/2020/01000/the_benefits_of_pet_therapy.2.aspx
Silva NB, et al. (2018). Impact of an animal-assisted therapy programme on physiological and psychosocial variables of pediatric oncology patients.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0194731
Zilcha-Mano, S., Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2011). Pet in the therapy room: An attachment perspective on animal-assisted therapy. Attachment & human development, 13(6), 541-561. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2011.608987