Animal Assisted Therapy
According to Intermountain Therapy Animals of Northern Utah, Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) is: "the use of animals to facilitate positive changes in a broad spectrum of therapeutic settings ... to promote physical, emotional, cognitive, and social improvement for people with special needs." Avalon Hills eating disorder treatment program uses three forms of AAT: (1) Animals in the Therapy Room; (2) Pet Rescue & Rehabilitation; and (3) Equine Therapy Activities.
There are two levels of animal-assisted interventions: clinical and contextual.
Clinical-Level Interventions:
- facilitate self-disclosure in clients
- function as indirect self-disclosure from therapist
- reflect client's mood and/or interactional style
- assist in eliciting "diagnostic" information (e.g., ability to form attachments, interpretation of ambiguous stimuli)
- allow indirect discussion of therapeutic issues
- provide opportunities for teaching/learning self-soothing and self-comforting skills
- provide opportunities for positive, non-threatening touch
Contextual-Level Interventions (i.e., just having the animals present):
- promote trust and feelings of safety
- help lessen stress, anxiety, and depression
- improve self-esteem
- improve self-confidence
- decrease self-consciousness
- create more safe & informal, less stigmatized setting
Animals in the Therapy Room
The use of therapy animals has increased dramatically over the last decade, as has the outcome research for AAT. The results are very encouraging in terms of measurable improvements in both physical and emotional well-being stemming from positive interactions with animals. Avalon Hills uses both cats and dogs in formal therapy settings (individual and group therapy). Clinical- and contextual-level interventions (see above) apply in the use of animals in the therapy room.
Pet Rescue & Rehabilitation
Stray and abandoned animals need housing, proper grooming and diet, and basic training and socialization in order to be adoptable. This aspect of the program allows clients to be engaged in meaningful activity that, among other things, reduces self-consciousness and promotes feelings of purpose and self-confidence.
Equine Therapy Activities
The equine activities will involve incremental involvement in learning basic horsemanship skills, including grooming; lunging/leading; riding basics; pasture riding; and trail riding. At each stage, participants will be gaining not only equestrian skills, but also psychosocial skills in communication, self-confidence, nurturing, limit-setting, being in the moment, and self-acceptance. This is a great addition to our eating disorder program.
