To begin with.......

This marks the start of my expedition through making a blog that focuses on Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) and the positive effects that an animal can have on someone with a mental illness.
I grew up on a farm so I have always been around animals. I predominately love dogs so this blog will focus more on puppies/dogs over any other animal.
Just under a year ago my boyfriend and I had bought a new puppy we choose to call it Coco (mainly because the colour of her chocolate coat). A month before we had got Coco I had been in an car accident which resulted me ending up with a fractured pelvis and which also meant that I was unable to do much for the following few months. Having Coco took my mind off what had happened and I feel had potentially saved me from becoming depressed.

SO this is how I had come to the topic using AAT as an intervention with individuals that have a mental illness. I wanted to learn and explore more in depth what services are potentially out there and also how AAT essentially works.

I do remember that Animal assisted therapy (AAT) was first introduced to me in class by a fellow occupational therapy student and sparked some interest. I have not personally seen an occupational therapist using this type of therapy but have experienced how a new animal or pet can help someone heal and lift your spirits when you are feeling low. There are many directions that animal assisted therapy can go in. There is animal assisted therapy for: children with cancer, autistic children, and children of military families, elderly in rest homes, and elderly in residential homes, those with physical disabilities and those who suffer from mental health issues.

I initially thought that animal-assisted therapy was a type of animal in a person's life helping them either as a Guide dog or an autistic dog. I had also thought in relation to mental health that AAT would help those who suffer from a mental illness by giving them a distraction from their illness and eventually help them improve their well-being by establishing routines, build relationships by socialising and build empathy.

Mental Ilness *Depression*

Mental Illnesses
To start with I'm going to investigate depression as a mental illness that can benefit from animal assisted therapy. According to Smith et al (2012) "depression varies from person to person, but there are some common signs and symptoms". Symptoms that I have identified are:

Isolation-from friends and family

Decrease in their eating habits- they may eat less or nothing at all

Lack of concentration - unable to hold a conversation because their mind is elsewhere

Changes in their mood – may be angry or overly sad about their outlook on life

Lack of energy and fatigue – they may not want participate in any activities of daily living because they have no energy

This may be due to lack of sleep – they could have irregular sleeping patterns

Reduced participation in hobbies or sports

Lack of self-care – not taking a shower every day, the house may become extremely messy

There are multiple treatment options for those who suffer from depression. The individual themselves who suffer from depression can choose what path they want to follow. Treatments such as psychotherapy (talking therapy), medicines, and alternate therapies-relaxation, yoga, acupuncture and massage can be used in conjunction for treatment. For this blog animal assisted therapy will be the topic of discussion.

LaJoie (2003) had stated from her review findings that there were numerous definitions and mixed terms used when discussing animal-assisted therapy. To make a key definition from these numerous other definitions the Delta Society based in the USA had established a term that could be used widely (as cited in Kruger & Serpell, 2010, p.34). Delta Society defined animal assisted therapy (AAT) as "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 specialised expertise, and within the scope of practice of his/her profession. Key features include: specified goals and objectives for each individual: and measured progress"(p.34).
This means that only those health professionals who are qualified can apply AAT with patients. Through researching AAT I had discovered that there was another element and component called animal assisted activities (AAA) which was also refined by the Delta Society as a less structured and typically consists of predominately pet visitation. It provides opportunities for motivational, educational, recreational and/or therapeutic benefits to enhance quality of life. AAT can also be used by health professions and also requires a lot of volunteers to drive this type of therapy.

Animal Assisted Therapy History

Believe it or not AAT has been recorded to go back as far as the 1700's. Palley et al (2010) had mentioned that the earliest evidence of therapeutic programs using animals took place in the 1790's in the United Kingdom at York Retreat where there were mentally ill patients encouraged to walk through the gardens and interact and care for the animals (p. 199). Serpell (2006) documented that by the 19th century animals were very common place within mental institutions in the UK (as cited in Palley et al, 2010, p.199). The bond between animals and humans has been around for a very long time, it’s not hard to understand why animals help individuals have a certain degree of calmness. Urichuk & Anderson (2003) also had documented more examples of the presence of animals in our lives. They had reported that the Ancient Greeks used hippo therapy which is physical therapy on horseback to rehabilitate injured soldiers. They also had reported that over 5,000 years ago, Egyptians tamed African tabby wildcats to hunt mice and rats for them (p.15). This shows me that there is an immense presence of animals in our lives.


There is an idea that pet animals can be therapeutic and have a socialising factor to them. There have been numerous studies about the effects of an animal in an individual’s life and according to Lockwood (1983) studies have shown that individuals that are seen with animals in public are perceived as being more friendly, approachable, and safe (as cited in Urichuk & Anderson, 2003, p.26). According to Velde et al (2005) from their findings "the human-companion animal bond reveal many physiological and psychological benefits" (p.44). This means by having animal in your life can give you cognitive and physcial improvements to your daily life, they can give you a chance to exercise, and show empathy and happiness all while giving you companionship.

Animal Assisted Therapy - Animal Choices

When I had searched animal assisted therapy on Google images the most frequent animal that was shown was the dog followed by cats in a hospital setting. Pulley et al (2010) found from their research that the "most common animal species used in AAT is the dog, but reports also cited other vertebrate species, such as cats, birds, and fish" (p.201). From this it has lead me to believe that dogs must have a stronger bond with people and also offer us with more than what other animals cannot. From researching animal assisted therapy I had also discovered that there are forms of AAT. One other form is Equine assisted therapy which involves the use of horses. Riding for disabled would represent this type of therapy.

Today's Use of Animal Assisted Therapy and Mental Health

From researching and investigating AAT there is a sense that this type of therapy heavily relies on volunteers to make this intervention to work. Wedgefarth (2003) described 'social-lubricant' and an 'ice breaker' as terms to describe the effects that an animal has on an individual (as cited in Urichuk, 2003, p.42). AAT can be used for treating either depression or other mood disorders. An animal can reduce and essentially force the individual that owns the pet to stare clear of the symptoms of depression such as isolation, change in patterns of behaviour, reduced activity and lack of self-cares. According to Thompson (2011) the president and CEO of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Peter Ashenden had stated that he benefits greatly from having his own pet around him. Thompson had also mentioned the advantages of having an animal in your presence for those who have either depression or other mood disorders such as the pet forces the individual to be active every day, keeps the individual from becoming socially withdrawn, and grants ongoing companionship for that individual. I had thought of a few other advantages such as keeping an individual carry on their daily routines, often adults who are depressed can be fixated on themselves and have low self-esteem and self-worth so the animal could take the focus off them and keep them occupied, and also could reduce anxiety that stems from depression and the other mood disorders. These all would be key therapeutic uses of AAT.

Depression can often be a flow on affect from another type of illness/disease or injury, those individuals who are in a rest home, hospice or hospital can benefit from regular visits from an animal. These animals that come into individual’s lives can provide affection, unconditional love, lift the individual’s spirits dramatically and have a share special bond. The YouTube clip that is located in the YouTube page is a great example of how animal assisted therapy can work within different types of settings.



As a third year OT student I have the knowledge that it is important for the client and therapist to build rapport to benefit the client’s outcome of OT intervention. For an individual that is isolated and refuses to communicate, often an animal could be a 'ice breaker' and break down this communication barrier. Chinner & Dalziel (1991) viewed AAT in terminally ill residents and stated “animal-assisted therapy increased patient-staff interaction, eased patient-visitor relations, and provided temporary happiness, comfort and entertainment" (as cited in Velde et al, 2005, p.44). A client's activities of daily living (ADL's) are very important in OT intervention. If the client is struggling to have some sort of routine in their day, using the pet dog as a tool to establish routine again would benefit both the client & the pet. The client will have to feed, exercise and clean the pet so this will keep the client busy and also give them reminders that they need to do the same for themselves. Using the pet as a tool in the client rehabilitation would also either maintain or improve their quality of life and occupational performance positively.

Allenby (2009) mentioned that "Dr Albert Scheitzer, a leading expert of animal therapy, believes that animals have an important role to play in the future of health care". Allenby also mentioned the need for future research and evidence that looks at specific, task related, AAT interventions & outcomes. It has been difficult to find AAT in relation to OT maybe because there has not been many OT's who have used this type of therapy in New Zealand. Also according to Cipriani et al (2002) they also "failed to locate any comprehensive survey research involving occupational therapist that identified if they used AAT, or their perceptions of the potential use of AAT in their practice" (as cited in Velde, 2005, p. 43). From gathering a better understanding of AAT there was a common factor in researching, the more common place where AAT was carried out was in the long-term settings such as nursing homes. According to Banks & Banks (2002) an experimental study of AAT in the long-term facilities showed a decrease in loneliness in the nursing home residents, it showed more interaction between residents & with interaction towards the ATT program (as cited in Velde et al, 2005, p.44).

Interesting Study

Amongst the same article written by Velde, Cipriani and Fisher there was an interesting study which was conducted in a long-term rest home and looked at the residents and if they had benefitted from having animal-assisted therapy introduced to them and if it had improve their quality of life in any way. These residents were participants of occupational therapy already. The residents ranged from having developmental disabilities, physical disabilities and psychiatric disabilities. Ferrese, Forster, Kowalski and Wasilewski (1998) had interviewed the occupational therapist and occupational therapy assistants in Pennsylvania that worked in this rest home to identify if there were any improvements in the residents from using animal-assisted therapy (p.45). It was Morse & Field (1995) who had identified key themes within this study they are:

Motivation is increased with animal interaction

Residents benefit physically from intervention

Animals promote reminiscence and alertness

AAT enhances emotional well-being

Residents display improved social interaction

AAT provides opportunity for nurturing

AAT created a home like environment

(as cited in Velde et al, 2005, p.45)
Garland, Hayik, Hachonis, McDonough & Johnson (1997) had researched the resident’s emotional response to the AAT program. They found four common results from the residents, the included 'brightening your day', 'bringing up memories', 'getting my mind of things', and 'making the family feel better' (as cited in Velde et al, 2005, p.46).
This study helped me gain insight and understanding from a residents perspective of the impact that AAT can have on those who are in long-term residential care. It was also good to find research that is from an occupational therapy perspective. It has been difficult to find information that is related to AAT and OT.
Within this article there was discussion in relation to the connections between AAT and OT. With the knowledge of occupational therapy intervention, AAT can be utilised in conjunction with OT to have a positive outcome for the client. According to Velde et al (2005) "to be occupational therapy, the intervention must focus on the use of meaningful occupations that promote an individual's quality of life" (p.47). Feeding, grooming, socialisation and exericse will all be meaningful occupations that clients carry out during thier daily life.

Guidelines for Animal-Assisted Therapy

Experts in animal-assisted interventions (AAI) have compiled guidelines for working with animals in health care facilities; they are referred to as the 'Working Group'. These guidelines are intended for the audience for the human health care workers.
Here a few guidelines that the Working Group (2008) has stated to use within health care facilities:

Hand hygiene practices

Facility management of programs for animal visitation

Determining suitability of animals for AAI programs by temperament

Health screening of animals

Dietary guidelines for all animals

Training and management of animal handlers

And many more (p.79-84). To look more in depth at these guidelines visit: http://www.deltasociety.org/document.doc?id=659