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.
