Courses Infomation

Animal-Assisted Interventions from Christina Strayer Thornton

Animal-Assisted Interventions Incorporating Animals in Therapeutic Goals & Treatment from Christina Strayer Thornton

Faculty:Christina Strayer Thornton

Duration:5 Hours 45 Minutes | Format:Audio and Video

Archive : Animal-Assisted Interventions from Christina Strayer Thornton

Outline:

Brief Overview

Human-animal emotional bond
Therapy animal vs. service animal vs. emotional support animal
Animal-assisted therapy vs. animal-assisted activities
Handler vs. therapist

Mindfulness of Animals and How it Helps the Human Brain

The neuroscience of the human-animal bond
Why zebras don’t get ulcers
Animal-assisted interventions without an animal

The Legal Landscape

Four federal laws that impact animal-assisted interventions
Client rights and when not to involve an animal
Informed consent

Evidence-Based Interventions and Treatment Goals/Outcomes:

PTSD, Trauma, Anxiety and depression
- Tapping technique via petting
- Breathing techniques to relax and calm
- Empower self-efficacy
- Increase socialization
- Increase motivation and goal setting
- Mindfulness exercises with animals
Attachment Disorders and Conduct Disorder
- Strategies to build trust and strengthen the therapeutic alliance
- Structured play to share emotions/cognitions
- Identifying with therapy animal’s narrative
- Animal commands to develop norms of behaviors
- Interventions that provide emotional support and enhance quality of life
Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD
- Social skills via role play and conversing with the therapy animal
- Animals as mirrors to internal states
- Improve sensory sensitivity through AAT
- Increase confidence in clients
- Animals facilitating relaxation strategies
- Impulse control via body cues/narratives

Pairing AAT with Other Evidence-Based Therapies

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Solution Focused Therapy (SFT)
Gestalt Therapy

Components of Animal-Assisted Intervention

Protocol for introducing animal and client
Interaction techniques for client and animal
Closure, documentation and secure liability insurance

Become an Animal-Assisted Therapist

Animal qualifications/characteristics and choosing your therapy animal
Tools to assess therapy animal’s temperament, limitations and stress levels
K-9 training and AAT certification programs
Compassion fatigue: your therapy animal as a support system
Telemental health: Incorporate your animal in distance video-conferencing

Description:

Neuroscience of the human-animal emotional bond
Pairing AAT with other evidence-based therapies
Interventions and treatment goals for:
- PTSD, anxiety and depression
- Attachment disorders, trauma and conduct disorder
Telemental Health and ATT

Are you in need of an effective intervention to help build rapport with your clients who otherwise take many sessions to trust you and feel safe before disclosing? Animals can bridge the trust gap and accelerate the therapeutic alliance.

Join Christina Strayer, Ed.D, LPC, CCTP, AAT, DCC, and learn animal-assisted therapy activities and interventions that produce amazing results for your clients diagnosed with attachment disorders, trauma, anxiety, depression, PTSD, conduct disorder, ADHD and autism. You will receive specific examples of animal-assisted therapeutic goals and strategies to:

Build social interaction, feelings of safety, security and trust
Decrease hyperarousal, impulse control and dysregulation
Empower self-efficacy and quality of life
Promote motivation and goal setting
Increase positive communication skills and empathy

This seminar also includes the latest research outcomes, solid foundational knowledge about the human-animal emotional bond and up-to-date information about relevant laws. You will also discover very practical information and resources to help you implement your own animal-assisted interventions.

Salepage : Animal-Assisted Interventions from Christina Strayer Thornton