Letter of Intent: Animal-assisted Therapy and Domestic Violence Interventions. CAAP Final Project Requirement. December 16, 2006.

Transcription

1 Letter of Intent 1 Running head: CAAP FINAL PROJECT Letter of Intent: Animal-assisted Therapy and Domestic Violence Interventions CAAP Final Project Requirement December 16, 2006 Tessa Burns Supervisor: Dr. Dawn McBride

2 Letter of Intent 2 Letter of intent: Animal-assisted Therapy and Domestic Violence Interventions Problem Statement Even in the 21 st century, domestic violence continues to be a serious problem. As a society we are just beginning to develop understanding and awareness of the complexity of the issue (Department of Justice, 2006). We are starting to recognize the physical effects of domestic violence as well as the emotional consequences to both the victims and their children (Department of Justice). Since domestic violence has such a significant effect on the individuals in violent situations, in addition to the health and criminal system, it is not an issue that can be ignored (Department of Justice; Roberts & Roberts, 2005). Importance of Project Domestic violence does not discriminate. The issue is widespread, affecting both men and women (Department of Justice, 2006). According to the General Social Survey of Victimization (GSS) from 1999 in Canada, it was found that eight percent of women and seven percent of men had reported at least one violent incident with an intimate partner in the last five years (as cited in Department of Justice). However, the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR2) found that, in 2000, 85% of spousal abuse cases involved female victims and 15% involved men (as cited in Department of Justice). Not only are women more likely to be the victims of spousal abuse, the violence that these women experience is often more severe than the abuse suffered by men (Department of Justice). The threat of domestic violence is also the largest health threat to women between the ages of 15 and 50 (Roberts & Roberts, 2005). Since there is an estimated 8.7 million women who are victims of domestic violence in the United

3 Letter of Intent 3 States (Roberts & Roberts), interventions geared towards female survivors of abuse will be the focus of this paper. Supporting Literature Many communities offer counselling services for women in abusive relationships. These services are designed to offer women safety, support and counselling (Sullivan, 2006). One intervention that is commonly found in domestic violence programs is group counselling (Sullivan). Group counselling can benefit survivors of domestic violence by providing emotional support and education about abuse and its dynamics (Sullivan). The purpose of the current project is to explore the value of using animal-assisted therapy in group counselling for survivors of domestic violence. Literature on Animal-Assisted Therapy Animal-assisted therapy is an intervention that is growing in popularity around the world (Chandler, 2005). Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) can be used strategically in the formal therapeutic setting in conjunction with most theoretical frameworks and most styles of intervention (Chandler). AAT does not replace therapy but instead is considered an adjunct in the therapeutic setting (Chandler). It can also be used in a variety of settings, including individual or group settings, and can be incorporated with a diversity of people (Chandler). The main difference between the use of AAT and other therapeutic tools is that with AAT, the therapist introduces a living creature that is capable of interacting with the client (Mallon, Ross, & Ross, 2000). Foundations of AAT There are many advantages to using animals in therapy. In many cases, an animal is viewed as easier to trust than the human therapist perhaps because pets do not judge or lie

4 Letter of Intent 4 (Chandler, 2005). It is also believed that the therapy animal makes the client feel safe because in general people naturally form relationships with animals (Chandler); the perceived safety can help clients feel more comfortable exploring sensitive issues and concerns (Chandler). The animal also provides the client with a substitute for other human relationships (Hart, 2000). This can help the client feel love and comfort, which may allow the client to feel safer and also share more in the sessions (Hart). Animals also provide unconditional love that may help foster the relationship in therapy as well as encourage more disclosure (Fine, 2000). For example, inmates have often developed patience and trust where previously they were unable to trust or form relationships (Schwartz, 2003). Though there are many possible species that could be used in AAT, dogs will be the focus of this current project. Dogs were chosen because they are the most common animal used in AAT (Granger & Kogan, 2000). Dogs are more often used in AAT than other animals because of their perceived affectionate and supportive demeanor (Hart, 1995). Dogs, for the most part, are also viewed as non-judgmental because their affection does not depend on the status and appearance of the humans they are interacting with (Hart). Though the use of dogs in the treatment of domestic violence has not been previously explored, there are many areas where dogs have been used in counselling. Dogs have been particularly helpful in counselling abused children because in touching the animals, the children feel less lonely and are able to relax in the session (Brook, 2006; Odendaal, 2002). Observations of the interactions between the child and the dog can also be useful to ascertain the level of attachment that the child has experienced and how the child has been nurtured (Brook, 2006). If the child has not been properly nurtured then the dog provides the child with an opportunity to feel loved and safe (Brook). The children experience intimacy by being able to touch and hug the

5 Letter of Intent 5 dog (Brook). The interaction between the dog and the child also provides more information regarding how the child relates to others (Brook). Finally, dogs have been found to have a calming effect on the child in order for therapy to progress more smoothly (Hart, 2000). Because of the previously mentioned benefits to children, it is hypothesized that dogs could also be useful in the treatment of female domestic violence survivors. Similar to the effects on children, the dogs could help counselors determine the amount of attachment to others that the woman has experienced in her life. It may also be useful for the survivors to experience healthy attachment by experiencing the hugs and touches with the animal. The calming effects of the dog may help the client feel more inclined to explore deeper issues. It is also believed that the use of dogs may help the women set up boundaries and serve as a starting point to discuss appropriate ways of interacting with others (Fine, 2000). The dogs may also help the women discover their abilities to be loved and admired appropriately because the dogs do not judge an individual based on the individuals past (Fine). The dog does not judge the woman for being in an abusive relationship. Procedures The following project will contain five chapters that will explore the use of dogs in counselling with survivors of domestic violence. The first chapter will be an introduction to the project and will include a glossary of important terms. This chapter is not expected to exceed three pages. The second chapter will outline the methods used to complete the literature review and will explain the search engines and keywords explored; this chapter will be less than three pages. The methods will outline how searches were completed on PsycARTICLES, PsycBooks, PsycINFO, Social Sciences Abstracts (Wilson) and SocINDEX with Fulltext. Keywords and

6 Letter of Intent 6 subjects to be explored will include family violence, domestic violence, battered women, spouse abuse, domestic violence survivors, treatment, intervention, domestic violence programs, animalassisted therapy, dog psychology, and human-animal bonds. Searches will also be done through the University of Calgary library catalogue and the World Wide Web, looking particularly at the Canada Department of Justice website as well as the Delta Society website and the Green Chimneys website. The articles and books reviewed in this project will be more recent covering from 1990 to February Only English language articles and books will be used. The articles may be either qualitative or quantitative in nature. Articles on AAT will cover any use of this treatment modality, not limiting AAT uses with family violence or domestic violence. The project will follow the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists as well as the expectations of Campus Alberta. The third chapter will explore the issue of domestic violence through a review of recent literature. Several topics will be included in the chapter including, but not limited to, gender differences of domestic violence and the psychological impact of domestic violence. This chapter will be approximately five pages in length. The fourth chapter will examine the uses of AAT, both historically and currently. This chapter will be approximately 10 pages in length. The fifth chapter will be the largest chapter and will form the rationale for the use of AAT in treatment programs for abused women. Specifically, a case will be made to integrate therapeutic dogs into group counselling for female survivors of domestic violence. This chapter is expected to be approximately 15 pages.

7 Letter of Intent 7 Finally, the sixth chapter will synthesize all the information and address the benefits and limitations of the project. It will also include suggestions for future research. This chapter will not exceed three pages. In conclusion, the project is anticipated to be approximately 40 pages in length, not including references. The paper will be broken down into six chapters that will introduce AAT as a potential counselling tool for therapist to help survivors of domestic violence. The project will critically evaluate the possible use of AAT as an adjunct to current practices. Potential implications The current project seeks to propose and critically evaluate the use of AAT in interventions with survivors of domestic violence. Both the methodology and AAT suffer from limitations that need to be acknowledged. In order to effectively implement AAT as a new intervention, these limitations must be considered. First, AAT has never been used before with survivors of domestic violence. Much of the research to date has applied AAT to treatments with seniors or children. Adults have been treated with AAT, though most of these individuals are incarcerated. Therefore, the current project will be proposing the use of AAT with survivors of domestic violence, which has not been done before. Therefore, it will be imperative to critically evaluate the use of AAT to determine its suitability with this population. Second, the opinions of survivors of domestic violence will not be solicited. The opinions of the survivors of domestic violence would be helpful to ascertain whether AAT would be capable of meeting their needs. In addition, the opinions of therapists who currently use AAT will also not be solicited. Since these therapists have experience using animals in therapy, they could be a useful resource to determine if they believe that the current proposal is feasible.

8 Letter of Intent 8 However, the opinions of others would be beyond the scope of the project so they were not sought. It is advisable that future research should look into documenting the opinions of both certified animal-assisted therapists and survivors of domestic violence. Thirdly, there is a limitation to the actual intervention. Due to the nature of animals, there are special considerations that must be taken into account before implementing AAT. The use of dogs in therapy can be problematic because there are individuals who either do not like dogs or who are fearful of them (Mallon, Ross, & Ross, 2000). There are also other individuals who are allergic to dogs, which would prevent them from working with these animals (Mallon et al., 2000). Since dogs cannot be used with all survivors of domestic violence, the effectiveness is somewhat limited because not all women who have survived domestic violence will be able to make use of this approach. Because of the previous limitations noted, careful considerations must be made before using AAT with survivors of domestic violence. More research in this area is warranted determine the utility of this approach with survivors of domestic violence, by seeking the opinions of domestic violence survivors. Also, future research could delve into the effectiveness of this approach, by questioning therapists who use animals in therapy. Survivors of domestic violence are a unique group so their needs should be carefully considered before implementing a new approach to interventions. These limitations will be extensively addressed in the project.

9 Letter of Intent 9 References Brook, S.M. (2006). Animal-assisted psychotherapy and equine-facilitated psychotherapy. In N.B. Webb (Ed.). Working with traumatized youth in child welfare (pp ). New York: The Guilford Press. Chandler, C.K. (2006). Pawsitive pets: Working with your pet as cotherapist. In G.R. Walz, J.C. Bleuer, & R.K. Yep (Eds.). Vistas: Compelling perspectives on counseling 2006 (pp ). Alexandria: American Counseling Association. Chandler, C.K. (2005). Animal assisted therapy in counseling. New York: Routledge. Hart, L.A. (1995). Dogs as human companion: A review of the relationship. In J. Serpell (Ed.). The domestic dog: Its evolution, behaviour and interactions with people (pp ). New York: Cambridge University. Department of Justice Canada (2006). Spousal abuse policies and legislation: Final report of the Ad Hoc Federal-Provincial-Territorial Working Group reviewing spousal abuse policies and legislation. Retrieved on October 9, 2006 from reports/spousal.html. Fine, A.H. (2000). Animals and therapists: Incorporating animals in outpatient psychotherapy. In A.H. Fine (Ed.). Handbook on animal-assisted therapy: Theoretical foundations and guidelines for practice (pp ). San Diego: Academic. Frieze, I.H. (2005). Hurting the one you love: Violence in relationships. Belmont: Thomson Learning. Granger, B.P. & Kogan, L. (2000). Animal-assisted therapy in specialized settings. In A.H. Fine (Ed.). Handbook on animal-assisted therapy: Theoretical foundations and guidelines for practice (pp ). San Diego: Academic.

10 Letter of Intent 10 Hage, S.M. (2006). Profiles of women survivors: The development of agency in abusive relationships. Journal of Counseling & Development, 84(1), Hart, L.A. (2000). Psychosocial benefits of animal companionship. In A.H. Fine (Ed.). Handbook on animal-assisted therapy: Theoretical foundations and guidelines for practice (pp.59-76). San Diego: Academic. Humphreys, J. & Lee, K. (2005). Sleep disturbance in battered women living in transitional housing. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 26(7), Lewis, C.S., Griffing, S., Chu, M., Jospitre, T., Sage, R.E., Madry, L., & Primm, B.J. (2006). Coping and violence exposure as predictors of psychological functioning in domestic violence survivors. Violence Against Women, 12(4), Mallon, G.P., Ross, S.B., & Ross, L. (2000). Designing and implementing animal-assisted therapy programs in health and mental health organizations. In A.H. Fine (Ed.). Handbook on animal-assisted therapy: Theoretical foundations and guidelines for practice (pp ). San Diego: Academic. Odendaal, J. (2002). Pets and our mental health: The why, the what, and the how. New York: Vantage. Robertiello, G. (2006). Common mental health correlates of domestic violence. Brief Treatment & Crisis Intervention, 6(2), Roberts, A.R. & Roberts, B.S. (2005). Ending intimate abuse: Practical guidance and survival strategies. New York: Oxford University. Schwartz, B.K. (2003). The use of animal-facilitated therapy in the rehabilitation of incarcerated felons. In B.K. Schwartz (Ed.). Correctional psychology: Practice, programming, and administration (pp ). Kingston: Civic Research Institute.

11 Letter of Intent 11 Sullivan, C.M. (2006). Interventions to address intimate partner violence: The current state of the field. In J.R. Lutzker (Ed.). Preventing violence: Research and evidence-based intervention strategies (pp ). Washington: American Psychological Association.