Curriculum-Based Animal-Assisted Therapy in an Acute Outpatient Mental Health Setting
| Autor: | Courtney R. Lincoln, Jody Kashden, Matia Finn-Stevenson |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
congenital
hereditary and neonatal diseases and abnormalities 050103 clinical psychology medicine.medical_specialty Weakness Psychotherapist media_common.quotation_subject medicine.medical_treatment Animal-assisted therapy 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Social skills medicine 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Curriculum media_common Public health 05 social sciences Mental health 030227 psychiatry Psychiatry and Mental health Clinical Psychology Mood Physical therapy Psychological resilience medicine.symptom Psychology |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy. 51:77-83 |
| ISSN: | 1573-3564 0022-0116 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10879-020-09470-8 |
| Popis: | Rigor in animal-assisted therapy (AAT) research is growing, but AAT as an “evidence-based practice” is not yet clearly established. One methodological weakness in the current literature is the lack of a structured, manualized approach to AAT. The Mutt-i-grees Curriculum, founded on the principles of human-canine interaction, aims to enhance children’s resilience, social skills, and self-awareness. This study examined the utility of this manualized curriculum as a supplemental component of a pediatric intensive behavioral health treatment program for children with a range of psychiatric conditions. Patients, psychiatrists, and caregivers completed assessments of children’s (N = 22) symptoms before and after treatment, with analyses investigating the difference in symptoms for patients who received animal-assisted therapy (AAT) as a part of their treatment and patients who did not. Patients also completed mood scores before and after group sessions with and without a therapy dog present. Results indicate that AAT may be an effective adjunct to standard care in a pediatric setting. The success of AAT alongside behavioral treatment led to reduction in symptoms and improvement in mood for patients. These findings support previous research indicating the efficacy of using a manualized curriculum and the advantages of using dogs as part of treatment to supplement behavioral health services. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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