Animal-Assisted Interventions: Entering a Crossroads of Explaining an Instinctive Bond under the Scrutiny of Scientific Inquiry

Transcription

1 Animal-Assisted Interventions: Entering a Crossroads of Explaining an Instinctive Bond under the Scrutiny of Scientific Inquiry Animal Assisted Intervention International Conference Denver, Colorado September Dr. Aubrey H. Fine Professor CA Poly State University Pomona ahfine@csupomona.edu

2 AAI: At a Crossroads As a developing field, AAI is at a crossroads of adjusting to the professional standards/expectations for evidence-based findings.

3 Modern Interest in AAI: A Serendipitous Beginning Boris Levinson s discovery that the mere presence of his dog, Jingles, in therapy sessions seemed to alleviate much of the anxiety and resistance previously exhibited by his young clients (Fawcett & Gullone, 2001).

4 My Personal Beginning: Reflections of an emerging field

5 My Involvement utilizing AAI How It all Began: Sasha

6 Evolution of HAI The Emergence of Anthrozoology 1970s-1990s Development of university centers focusing on HAI HAI Scholarly conferences Peer-reviewed journals Scientific organizations focused exclusively on human-animal interaction research (e.g., International Association of Human- Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO), 1992; International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ), 1991

7 Changes in 2000s New organizations focusing on the future and multidisciplinarily nature of AAI- e.g. AAII New courses and degree programs for both undergraduate and graduate study Additional journals publishing articles in HAI More organizations becoming interested in HAI HAI (e.g. APA, AOTA) Human-Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI))

8 Professionals praise AAI in their own disciplines What is missing? Scientific Evidence Evidence is comprised of more anecdotal comments than genuine empirical support (Herzog, 2011)

9 The Need for More Empirical Evidence: The Empirical Evidence is Very Bleak 1. Wilson and Netting (1983) reviewed HAI studies related to older persons. They conclude that the early call for evidencebased interventions has largely gone unheeded by HAI researchers. 2. Beck & Katcher (1984) reviewed animal-assisted therapy studies, and went one step further and divided the existing literature by the types of research design used. The majority of studies on animal-assisted therapy fell into the category of hypothesis generating studies. 3. Barba (1995) reviewed 52 research papers from the period of 1988 to1993. Barba concluded that there was increased knowledge of the impact of HAI even though most studies were non-experimental.

10 4. In 1998, Garrity and Stallones (Garrity & Stallones, 1998) identified 25 empirical HAI studies from scientific literature between 1990 and Sixteen of the 25 studies (all noted in the bibliography) were correlational research and generally cross-sectional in nature while only five were experimental in nature with appropriate designs to address causation. 5.Friedman (2000) suggested that future studies should address potential interactive factors such as gender and other demographic variables in determining the health effects of human animal interactions.

11 The Need for More Empirical Evidence: More than Puppy Love Nimer and Lundahl (2007) conducted a meta-analysis of AAI studies. They concluded that the field of AAI requires: More carefully designed research studies Studies identifying best practice protocols Explanations of the mechanisms that facilitate changes in clients behavior

12 Bridging Science with Practice Scientific understanding of AAI made healthy steps forward since NIH workshop on benefits of pets in 1987 Similar meeting held in 2008 addressing the need for more stringent research. Two other meetings followed. Since that meeting, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has partnered with Waltham Center to fund large AAI studies (20 HAI studies have passed NIH peerreview and received funding).

13 Conceptualizing the Human-Animal Bond and its Health Benefits - Natural affection and compassion Familial Love (Storge) Social Support - Support and companionship - Heart rate - Cortisol Attachment Biophilia - Extension of attachment theory to animals - Oxytocin - Love of living systems - Instinctive bond

14 AAI Defined Animal-Assisted Interventions Animal-Assisted Activities Animal-Assisted Therapy Animal-Assisted Education Animal Support Animal-Assisted Crisis Response Therapy Animal Hospital Visit Therapy Animal Nursing Home Visit Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy Animal-Assisted Social Work Animal-Assisted OT/PT Therapy Animal-Assisted Reading Program Humane Education Training organizations for animals to work alongside healthcare, social service, or educational professionals AAA for At-Risk or Delinquent Youth Animal-Assisted Speech Therapy Therapy Animal University Campus Visit during Exams Professional- Paraprofessional AAT Service Model

15 Disciplines within AAA, AAT, AAE & AS Within each form of animal-assisted intervention or animal support program, there are multiple ways of incorporating the animal into treatment. Animals roles can range from simply being present for support (e.g., hospital & nursing home visits) to being very active and engaged (e.g., physical therapy) Professionals and volunteers need to be educated about the roles animals play in various disciplines No matter which discipline of AAI, clients and animals should be safe and having fun- they should want to be there!

16 Various Disciplines of AAT AAT is not just in the domain of psychotherapy Speech and Language Therapy Social Work Physical Therapy Professional-Paraprofessional Service Model

17 What Makes a Good AAI Professional? It is important for therapists, educators, and human service professionals to gain knowledge and skills in animal handling, training, evaluation, welfare, etc.

18 Demystifying the Mechanisms within AAI As the field continues to grow, there is a need to demystify the value of human-animal interactions and to clarify the impact of animals in a therapeutic environment.

19 Understanding The Process of Therapy Client: Background and Needs Understanding #1 #3 Outcomes #2 Therapeutic Goals

20 The Value of of Partnering with Trained Therapy Animals Motivation Presence of the animal can enhance the treatment process (Lange et al., 2006/2007)

21 Why HAI is important: Motivation There is a growing body of evidence indicating that the opportunity to interact with therapy animals can help motivate clients to comply with the therapeutic process, to engage with their therapist, and to retain that motivation overtime (Barker & Wolen, 2008; Kale, 1992; Mallon, Ross, Klee & Ross, 2010).

22 Methods and Mechanisms of AAT Enable rapport-building with therapist

23 Animal-Assisted Therapy: The Hook The strongest buy in to this form of intervention is that working with animals is novel and fun.

24 The Relationship between the Clinician and the therapy animal There needs to be a harmony where the two work as one It is like a DANCE WITH GINGER AND FRED

25 Fine (2006) suggested that a gentle animal may help a client view the therapist in a more endearing manner.

26 Dogs have been bred to coexist with their human counterparts Dogs ability to understand our behavior. Horowitz suggests that dogs have a predisposed ability to inspect our faces for critical information, for reassurance and for guidance.

27 Where do we want to be in 10 years? If the clinical community wants to increase the stature of AAI to a more critically accepted evidence-based approach, more scientific evidence is needed to convince the skeptics. Practice and research must come together in order to add support, proof, and credibility to the position that Equine- Assisted Interventions work

28 Why EBTs Matter Professional accountability and efficacy Evidence-based treatments are the benchmark for most fields Enhances the opportunity for replication We need to document that the therapy works and why

29 Developing a Road Map for the Future: Areas to Consider As a field, how can we internally collaborate with all major professional organizations to develop a united presentation on the various benefits of AAI Fine more financial partners that can help support future growth and directions Defining what is best practice and guideline to assure quality Pathway to new leadership and new agents for change

30 The Field Must Guard from Opportunists People that see HAI as a trendy market to engage in People and groups that are poorly trained People not being sensitive to animal welfare

31 The Field Must Be Ready for the Future Credentialing and Certification Future Direction and Roles in HAI/AAI e.g., Jury Dogs, Roles of Animals in Disasters Development of Specialized Protocols and Specialized Training Animal Welfare

32 Specialized AAI Protocols Protocols should ideally be tailored to the specific needs of special populations e.g., Children with ADHD or ASD, or persons with Alzheimer s

33 Training and Certification in AAI Professionals wanting to incorporate animals into their practice need: Training in their discipline (e.g. psychotherapy) and psychopathology or physical challenges of the specific population Thorough understanding of the tools in AAI Official training and certification program would help ensure consistency and competency in AAI practice

34 Continuing Education Certification Need for continuing education on AAT/AAE/AS on a number of levels e.g., Weekend workshops, webinars, readings, etc. Better animal welfare education, program development, intervention skills with canine co-therapists, etc.

35 Who Should Be Offering CEUs? Organizations? Credentialing Body? Universities?

36 Standards for Who Call Themselves Animal-Assisted Therapists Standards for a human-animal team to work in a degreed/licensed position are different than standards from a volunteer team (activity level, duration, intimacy, etc.) Other Professional Issues Liability insuranceprofessional recognition

37 Animal Welfare Concerns AAI is traditionally focused on human end of the equation Critical that appropriate attention be given to the welfare of the therapy animals Research has revealed stressors that can occur when therapy dogs are not carefully monitored when working e.g., Younger therapy dogs show more behavioral challenges than older therapy dogs (King, Watters, & Mungree, 2011) Measurements throughout the session may help identify risks and develop effective strategies to protect the animals

38 Public Policy Changes Legislators, insurance companies, health care organizations, and policy makers in general need to view AAI as a legitimate therapeutic approach or the field will remain stagnant Some recent legislative advancements e.g., An Act Concerning Animal Therapy was passed following the Sandy Hook shootings and helps direct volunteer training for a canine crisis response team AAI needs to continue to gain recognition within the public sector to reach full therapeutic potential

39 Cycle for AAI Enhancement Needs assessment for funding research & development Collaboration and Consultations with Stakeholders Building knowledge of AAI and EBT s for policy makers, health planners and service providers Improve dissemination of best practice policies and treatments for various for health care orgs

40 Changing the past is impossible- but changing the future isn t

41 Science sometimes has a hard time explaining medical ambiguities and everyday miracles

42 Something to think about Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. - Albert Einstein