Animal assisted therapy
Location
CoLab, OCB 100
Start Date
28-4-2017 11:00 AM
End Date
28-4-2017 12:45 PM
Document Type
Poster
Description
In animal-assisted therapy (AAT), animals are incorporated in a variety of therapy settings for both physical and mental conditions. Typically, it is a long and documented process to achieve a specific outcome for patients who suffer from a physical, cognitive, or emotional disability in their life. The purpose of this project is to explore the role of animals in different therapy sessions through a literature review and direct experience via service learning. A review of the published literature suggests that AAT does help achieve such desired outcomes to various degrees. The service learning component was completed at Heartland Therapeutic, a local organization that uses horses specifically as AAT animals. During AAT at Heartland Therapeutic, patients—typically children and teenagers—are given simple instruction in horse back riding and grooming. Patients arrived displaying various levels of enthusiasm and comfort but appeared to be happy and relaxed by the end of the session.
Animal assisted therapy
CoLab, OCB 100
In animal-assisted therapy (AAT), animals are incorporated in a variety of therapy settings for both physical and mental conditions. Typically, it is a long and documented process to achieve a specific outcome for patients who suffer from a physical, cognitive, or emotional disability in their life. The purpose of this project is to explore the role of animals in different therapy sessions through a literature review and direct experience via service learning. A review of the published literature suggests that AAT does help achieve such desired outcomes to various degrees. The service learning component was completed at Heartland Therapeutic, a local organization that uses horses specifically as AAT animals. During AAT at Heartland Therapeutic, patients—typically children and teenagers—are given simple instruction in horse back riding and grooming. Patients arrived displaying various levels of enthusiasm and comfort but appeared to be happy and relaxed by the end of the session.
Comments
The faculty supervisor on this project is Nancy Holcroft, Biology.