Programs

When you and your animal visit as a therapy animal team, you are participating in the larger field of animal-assisted interventions (AAI). Animal-assisted interventions are goal oriented and structured interventions that intentionally incorporate animals in health, education, and human service for the purpose of therapeutic gains and improved health and wellness. 

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT), animal-assisted education (AAE), and animal-assisted activities (AAA) are all forms of animal-assisted interventions. In all these interventions, the animal may be part of a volunteer therapy animal team working under the direction of a professional or an animal that belongs to the professional. 

Although AAI, AAA, AAT, and AAE are the preferred terms, you might also hear the terms “pet-facilitated therapy” and “animal-facilitated therapy.” The term “pet therapy” should be avoided, however, because it’s inaccurate and misleading. This term was widely used several decades ago to refer to animal training programs. By contrast, the currently preferred terms suggest that the animal acts as a motivating force to enhance the treatment that’s provided by a well-trained person.

Animal-assisted activities provide opportunities for motivational, educational and/or recreational benefits to enhance quality of life. These activities are delivered in a variety of environments by a specially trained professional, paraprofessional and/or volunteer, in association with animals that meet specific criteria for suitability.

Specific treatment goals aren’t planned for each visit. 

Volunteers and treatment providers aren’t required to take detailed notes or record the results of a visit. 

The visit content is spontaneous and might last only a few minutes. 

The meet-and-greet session occurs as a large group activity, with facility staff providing some direction and assistance. The volunteer group facilitator keeps an informal log about which residents were visited. 

Although the staff are involved in the visits, they don’t set treatment goals for the interactions. Aside from signing the team in and out, the staff keeps no formal records. 

A Community Partner group has a booth at a dog show in order to promote AAI and educate the public about the human-animal bond. 

AAT is overseen by a health and human service provider as part of his or her profession. The animal may be part of a volunteer therapy animal team working under the direction of a professional or an animal that belongs to the professional. 

The professional must incorporate the animal as part of their own specialty. For example, a social worker must incorporate the animal in the context of social work. If the same social worker takes the animal to visit a group of children on an informal basis, the visit would be considered AAA, not AAT. 

AAT is planned and goal directed. Interactions with animals have an end in mind, such as improvement in range of motion or fine motor skills. The goals must be identified and defined before the session, or the session can’t be considered AAT. 

AAT is documented. Each session is documented in the client’s record, with the activity and progress noted. The following are some of the recording documents that are used: 

Care Plan, Habilitation Plan, Treatment Planning. 

Animal-assisted education is a goal oriented, planned, and structured intervention directed by a general education or special education professional. The focus of the activities is on academic goals, prosocial skills, and cognitive functioning, with student progress being both measured and documented.AAE is overseen by a credentialed general or special education teacher. 

AAE is planned and goal directed. While any visit with an animal might be beneficial for a student, unless the goals are identified and defined before the session, the session is not considered AAE. 

AAE is documented. In an educational setting this may mean it is part of a specific lesson plan or has an associated assessment which documents student progress. In special education, it may be part of an Individualized Education Plan. 

Key Features of AAE

Example: A Pet Partners team is invited to a local classroom to make a presentation as part of a unit on responsible pet ownership. 

An elementary school coordinates a reading program for youth with speech impediments to practice reading aloud to animals. The session is supervised by the speech therapist who records student progress. 

In animal-related engagement (ARE), is an engagement opportunity that allows participants to experience the benefits of the human-animal bond by encouraging the remembrance of feelings that are commonly associated with interaction with an animal.

Key Features of ARE

Fills gaps when face-to-face interactions with therapy animals aren’t available.

Activities may include looking at tokens of remembrance of an animal, participating in animal-related crafts/puzzles/games, or virtual therapy animal visits

Examples of ARE

A children’s oncology unit at the hospital coordinates virtual therapy animal visits for patients with delicate immune systems who cannot receive in-person visits.

A counselor is meeting a new client with a history or poor impulse control. They incorporate a robotic animal to simulate a therapy animal session with the client to determine their readiness for an in-person therapy animal interaction.

The Read with Me initiative by Pet Partners is designed to promote literacy and reading engagement among children through therapy animal support. It allows children to read with therapy animals in a safe and educational environment, enhancing their reading skills and self-confidence. The program is free for registered Pet Partners therapy animal teams and aims to create a positive reading experience for children, fostering a love for reading and reducing stress.

See download below defining the differences between Pet Therapy, Emotional Therapy and Service Dogs 

See download below defining the differences between Pet Therapy, Emotional Therapy and Service Dogs 

See download below defining the differences between Pet Therapy, Emotional Therapy and Service Dogs.