Pets for the Rescue
To get through stressful situations at home, our parents have relied on our stuffed animals and our pets for comfort since we were young. To whom do we most often turn when we need comfort? Our pets. We had a pet every day, whether it was a cat or a dog.
If you are passionate about helping animals and people with their problems, you might consider becoming a pet-assisted or animal-assisted therapy therapist. Animal-assisted therapy and other practices are the broad term “pet therapy.”
Animal-assisted treatment (AAT) is a method that uses animals to help people with heart disease, cancer, and other health problems.
When it first began
AAT was adopted by Dr. Sigmund Freud in the 1930s, when he began using his beloved dog Jofi during his psychotherapy sessions. Jofi was able to sense stress in people by being close to them.
Boris Levinson, respected child psychotherapist, found that a nine-year old nonverbal boy interacted with Jingles while they were sitting together in psychotherapy sessions back in the 1960s. The same results were seen in other children, too.
The certification scheme was created by the Delta Society in 1989. This well-known animal education group is known as Pet Partners. Later, he authorized Pet-Oriented Child Psychotherapy and became recognized as the “father of AAT.”
Animal therapy has been used since the 1990s. This is an optimistic view that is rapidly gaining in popularity. Over the next ten years, the number of therapists or therapy assistants is expected to grow by 27% faster than that of the national average.
A 2011 CDC survey found that more healthcare facilities offer alternative medicines to patients. These pet-assisted activities boost a client’s quality of life by offering comfort, inspiration, education, fun, or entertainment.
Twelve therapy dogs were used to comfort the schoolchildren who witnessed the horrors of Uvalde in May.
How It Works
These companion therapy animals alert people to imminent dangers and help them take action to prevent it from happening. This is to help these people manage or reduce their symptoms, if possible.
Animal therapy is a form of animal therapy that creates a bond between people and animals. This helps to calm the patient. This can help to alleviate boredom, increase movement and activity through walking and play, decrease loneliness, provide companionship and improve mood.
Pet therapy is generally less stressful and results in more stable mental and emotionally states.
Calm Paws, Healing Hands
Following a session of pet therapy, patients will feel happier, have a wider smile, and feel more energetic. It reduces anxiety, despair, pain, and weariness for people who have health issues. There are many benefits to AAT for your physical and mental health. It reduces anxiety and stress levels, blood pressure, aggression, and boosts self-esteem.
It reduces despair and isolation, strengthens your immune systems, increases social support and trust, increases dependability and encourages constructive verbal conversations.
Numerous objectives in animal therapy rely on the patient’s needs and the therapy’s target. These include comfort and security, decreasing pain levels, improving assisted or independent movement or motor skills, encouraging social and behavioral skills and self worth, and increasing motivation to participate in activities such as exercise or social interaction.
A peaceful animal can enhance the atmosphere. Sometimes, a therapist might plan a special intervention where the client and the animal work together to accomplish a predetermined goal.
A therapy animal can help seniors, children, and teenagers communicate better and may reduce anxiety and resistance.
Research has shown that pet therapy can reduce stroke risk, heart disease, depression, and improve patient satisfaction, energy levels and self-esteem. Children can participate in pet therapy procedures without the need to anesthesiz or take other medications.
Who can benefit from AAT?
According to research, animal-assisted treatment has been proven beneficial to people suffering from various mental health conditions and disorders.
- Stress
- Anxiety and Phobias.
- Depression, Isolation, and Loneliness
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
- Addiction to drugs and dependence on medication
- Bipolar Disorders and Mood Disorders
- Schizophrenia and Other Cognitive Disorders
- Emotional and behavioral issues in children
- Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
- There are some medical conditions such as Cancer
- High blood pressure and Cardiovascular Disease
- Fatigue and Grief
- Chronic Illness and Chronic Pain
- Pain after an Operation
- Learning disorders and Epilepsy
- Heart failure
- Recovery following a stroke, or any other condition that results in the loss of motor skills.
- Head injury
- Psychotherapy resistance
- Sexual Disorders
- Tic Disorders
- Trauma
AAT also helped veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder, children who needed dental work and residents of long-term care homes.
Loan a Paw
If you are interested in becoming a pet therapist, you will need to train your dog and get a certificate. Dogs need basic training in order to be able to interact with different environments and have good manners. A training course is offered by your local Petco to help prepare your dog for AKC Canine Good Citizen Test.
Therapy dogs must be at the least one year of age, social, kind, patient, self assured, and relaxed in all conditions.
They enjoy interacting with people and don’t mind being touched, petted, or snuggled.
If your house pet is already trained, there are not any formal requirements for certification, training, registration or documentation. An observer evaluates the dog’s manners, disposition, and handler abilities.
The dog handler must be present during three visits to patients in the hospital after passing the handling test. If they pass the test and provide the necessary papers, the handler is considered a member of the treatment team.
Are you interested in becoming an animal-assisted therapist or a veterinary technician? Many universities offer online distance learning certification programs. You may need to take up to a year to be certified.
Source: Pet Helpful
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