Social Work with Animals and People: An Unexpected Career Path

Until recently, I have been unable to see the connection between my interest in social work and my passion to work with non-human animals. However, I have recently found a career path that will allow me to do just that. I would like to share my journey with others, especially other social workers, because I think it is important for social workers to advocate for all animals, including those who speak languages other than those used by people.

I have discovered Animal Assisted Therapy, also knows as AAT; Equine Faciliatated Psychotherapy, also known as EFP; and Equine Facilitate Experiential Learning, also known as EFEL. The Delta Society, one of the largest organizations responsible for the certification of therapy animals in the United States, defines Animal Assisted Therapy as follows:

“AAT is a goal-directed intervention in which an animal that meets specific criteria is an integral part of the treatment process. AAT is directed and/or delivered by a health/human service professional with specialized expertise and within the scope of practice of his/her profession. Key features include specified goals and objectives for each individual and measured progress.”

Animal-Assisted Activity is defined as:

“A.A.A. provides opportunities for motivational, educational, recreational, and/or therapeutic benefits to enhance quality of life. A.A.A.’s are delivered in a variety of environments by specially trained professionals, paraprofessionals, and/or volunteers in association with animals that meet specific criteria. Key features include the absence of specific treatment goals and [the presence of] volunteers. Treatment providers are not required to take detailed notes and visit content is spontaneous.”

The Delta Society recognizes horses as eligible certification animals. However, interventions that involve horses are usually certified under other agencies that include the following organizations: North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA), Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA), and the American Hippotherapy Associations (AHA). The AHA provides a separate definition for terms related to work with horses: Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) and Hippotherapy. EFP is defined as follows:

“An experiential psychotherapy that includes equines. It may include but is not limited to, a number of mutually respectful equine activities, such as handling, grooming, longeing, riding, driving, and vaulting. EFP is facilitated by a licensed, credentialed mental health professional working with an appropriately credentialed equine professional. EFP may be facilitated by a mental health professional that is dually credentialed as an equine professional (EFMHA, 2003). EFP denotes an ongoing therapeutic relationship with clearly credentialed mental health professional to legally practice psychotherapy and EFP (EFMHA, 2005).”

Hippotherapy is defined as follows:

“Work done by an occupational, physical, or speech therapist who has been specially trained to use the movement of the horse to facilitate improvements in their client/patient. It does not teach the client how to ride the horse. Therapists use traditional techniques such as nuero-developmental treatment and sensory integration along with the movement of the horse as part of their treatment strategy. Goals include improving balance, coordination, posture, fine motor control, improving articulation, and increasing cognitive skills (AHA, 2005).”

The use of animal assisted therapy has been proven to have a beneficial effect on the physical, emotional, and social well being of humans (Fine, 2006). I believe AAT also creates an appreciation for other animals. I plan to obtain my L.C.S.W. and incorporate Equine Facilitate Psychotherapy and Equine Facilitated Experiential Learning into my practice with adults, families, and children. I am especially interested in working with youth at risk.

There is much research in support of AAT in a mental health setting. The psychological benefits of AAT are exemplified in an excerpt from the following article written by Dr. Aubrey Fine, (2006) that describes his first experience incorporating AAT into his mental health practice. The excerpt describes Dr. Fine’s observations of an interaction between his client, Aaron, a child with ADHD, and his first therapy animal, a Gerbel named Sasha.

“Around Sasha he [Aaron] slows down, and she has a calming effect on him. Her nature transforms him. …..He moves so slowly and talks gently. She reciprocates by snuggling and allowing his tender touch. ……I often bring Sasha to Aaron so he can learn to gauge his own activity level and perhaps be in more control. ….She immediately helps him regroup, and once he gets to hold her, his activity level is more in harmony with the others. Holding Sasha is what he needs to have a calmer and more engaged session.”

According to Kruger et al., (2004), one of the most beneficial aspects of using AAT in a mental health setting is the ability of a non-human animal to reduce the stress commonly present in the initial phases of the client-therapist relationship and to build rapport between the client and therapist. Kruger et al. (2004) and Beck et al. (1986) also suggest that other animals may help a client to view a therapist as a kind person and therefore the therapist may appear less intimidating to the client. This is particularly useful for facilitating the discussion of topics that clients find to be difficult.

Katcher and Beck (2006) describe the experience of one particular clinician that depicts an interaction between the clinician, the clinician’s therapy bird, and an eight year old client who had been referred for depressive symptoms. Without getting the therapist’s or the bird’s consent, the child reached out touch the bird, who in turn hissed at the child. The therapist went on to explain that the child needed to get permission from both himself and the bird before touching the animal. The child sadly responded that she “knew what the therapist meant.” The child later revealed that she was being abused by a grandparent.

Barbara Boat, a mental health clinician who works in the area of child maltreatment, also finds non-human animals to be powerful catalysts for discussing difficult topics with clients (Boat, 2006). According to Boat, children will often discuss their pets’ experiences before they will discuss their own. To facilitate this process, Boat reports that she finds it helpful to ask her clients about their animal related experiences. Boat says that she finds that these experiences reveal critical information about the child’s environment and often reveal experiences that may place the child at risk for abuse or neglect (Boat et al., 2006).

The psychological benefits of AAT and EAP are numerous. AAT and EFP also provide physical and social benefits that are too numerous to mention here. For a full disclosure of the benefits of AAT, I highly recommend Aubrey Fine’s excellent book, The Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy.

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is certainly not a traditional social work path, but it is one that excites me and appears to be quite rewarding. I encourage other social workers, especially those just entering the field as I am, to look outside the traditional box of social work to find their own right livelihood.

REFERENCES

American Hippotherapy Association (2005). Frequently asked questions about
hippotherapy. Available at http://www.narha.org/PDFFiles/FAQ_Hippotherapy.pdf.

Beck, A., Hunter, K., and Seraydarian, L. (1986). Use of animals in the rehabilitation of psychiatric inpatients. Psychology Reporter. 58, 63-66.

Boat, B.W. (2006). Clinical approaches to assessing and utilizing animal related
experiences in therapeutic interventions with children, adolescents, and their
caregivers. In A.H. Fine (Ed.) Handbook on Animal Assisted Therapy: Theoretical Foundations and Guidelines for Practice (pp. 243-283). New York, NY: Academic Press.

Delta Society. (n.d.). About animal-assisted activities and animal-assisted therapy.
Available at http://www.deltasociety.org/aboutaat.htm.

Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA). (2003). What is equine facilitated psychotherapy (EFP)? Available at http://www.narha.org/sec_efmha/default.asp.

Fine, A.H. (2006). Incorporating animal assisted therapy into psychotherapy: Guidelines and suggestions for therapists. In A.H. Fine (Ed.), Animal Assisted Therapy (pp. 167-206). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Katcher, A.H., & Beck, A.M. (2006). New and old perspectives on the therapeutic effects of animals and nature. In A.H. Fine (Ed.), Animal Assisted Therapy (pp. 39-48). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Kruger, K.A., Trachtenberg, S., and Serpell, J.A. (2004). Can animals help humans heal? Animal-assisted interventions in adolescent mental health. Available at http://www.vet.upenn.edu/research/centers/cias/pd/CIAS_AAI_white_paper.pdf.