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What is animal-assisted therapy?
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) means using animals to help people. It does not mean doing therapy on animals. Many professionals use animals in their work, for example in counselling, physical rehabilitation and education. There are also less structured ways to include animals in working with people, such as animal-assisted activities (AAA). Collectively, this work is known as animal-assisted interventions or AAI. More...
What are the benefits of AAT?
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a relatively new field of scientific investigation. There is a strong push by professionals and universities to build upon the evidence base that supports animal-assisted interventions (AAI's). Research began formally in the 1960’s when pioneering psychiatrist Boris Levinson discovered accidentally that his clients related to his dog. More recently research has focused on the social, physical/physiological and psychological benefits of human-animal interaction and companionship. More...
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