Animal-assisted or Animal-informed? Bringing Client Pets into Clinical Interventions

Animals are ubiquitous, not only in daily life but in social service and healthcare settings. Animal-assisted interventions, which used to be novel, have become commonplace as animals are integrated in social-emotional learning, social support, pain management and mental health applications. But are service providers overlooking potentially useful – and already abundant – human-animal relationships when planning for these interventions? This case-based workshop will explore the integration of client-owned animals in clinical applications, and will help providers determine when – and how – client companion animals may be used to effect clinical dynamics and client outcomes.

Learning Objectives: 1. To differentiate between animal-assisted and animal-informed interventions (Moga, 2019), and the benefits/contraindications of each. 2. To identify opportunities for client-owned animals (past, present, and future) to enhance clinical processes and inter-agency services. 3. To explore the integration of client pets in implicit, explicit, and instrumental activities – both within and between sessions.

This workshop is based on a 2019 publication: "Integrating Clients' Animals in Clinical Practice: Insights from an Animal-Informed Therapist," pp. 253-266 in Kogan and Blazina (Eds.) Clinician's Guide to Treating Companion Animal Issues (Academic Press)