Pleasant Sense Farm
Sustainability. Therapy. Connect.
Animal Assisted Therapy
What is Animal Assisted Therapy?
Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a form of therapy involving the participant, therapist, and the animal. When used in Occupational Therapy, it works to achieve goals through the involvement of animals.
AAT is only beneficial if the client has an interest in animals. The therapist introduces animals into the therapeutic environment to facilitate change, achieve functional goals and promote positive outcomes. The involvement of an animal can create a trusting and safe environment, decrease anxiety and improve engagement in interventions.
Why use animals in therapy?
Animals help us to understand ourselves better. They often role model or mirror human’s emotions and behaviours which help us increase our mindfulness and self-awareness.
So in therapy, they can be used as a bridge for social interactions which eventually lead to relationships with others. Having animals in a session may help to make a person feel more comfortable within the therapeutic and social environment.
Just being in the presence of a friendly animal has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety. Animals provide participants with a sense of safety and comfort during the sessions, which then promotes rapport within the therapeutic relationship between therapist and client.
What can Animal Assisted Therapy help with?
Animal Assisted Therapy is very flexible and sessions can be tailored to the individual's goals. It is suitable for adults and children with almost any kind of disability, mental health illness, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or chronic illness.
AAT can help participants with the following:
- Regulating emotions (including anxiety, depression, anger, and stress)
- Social and communication skills
- Trauma and grief
- Non-verbal communication
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- ADHD and Sensory Processing
- Confidence and trust
- Community engagement
- Promote self-worth
- Understanding and respect for living beings.
The aim is to create an environment for human-animal interaction that feels relaxed and non-judgemental. This allows Participants to nurture their social abilities and well-being. Spending time with the animal also provides participants with a sense of peace and companionship, purpose and love.
What animals can be used for therapy?
Depending on the needs of the participant, many different animals can be used in animal assisted therapy.
We use Pleasant Sense Farm in Mount Pleasant, South Australia, for our Animal Therapy services. We use the following animals:
What does a therapy session at Pleasant Sense Farm involve?
An animal assisted therapy session at the farm usually involves a series of sessions with Adrian and a suitable animal. For example, an autistic child might feel more comfortable interacting and communicating with the donkey. The child might then learn how to apply these social and communication skills in family and other relationships.
However, it is much more than simply spending time with the animal! It also involves specific therapeutic goals, strategies and outcomes.
Experiences during a session can include walking, brushing, petting and caring for an animal, as well as processing the experience of trying to achieve the task.
Depending on an individual child’s needs, the therapy usually involves 6-12 sessions.
NDIS and Animal Assisted Therapy
The NDIS refer to this as ‘Animal Assisted Interventions’. The below link is a summary of the evidence for the effect of animal-assisted interventions on child and family outcomes.
You can contact the NDIS to find out whether you can include the cost of Animal Assisted therapy in your child’s NDIS plan. Animal Assisted Therapy can be covered by the NDIS if you can prove the treatment is related to the participant’s disability and that it is likely to be of benefit to them.
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Referrals
If you would like to make a referral for Animal Therapy, services at Pleasant Sense Therapy, you can either:
Pleasant Sense Farm acknowledges the traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. Pleasant Sense Farm pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
