Staff Perspective: A New Resource for Anyone Interested in Animal-assisted Therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
It’s not often that my role as a Girl Scout Leader overlaps with my job at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP). I find myself referencing my training in various areas of psychology frequently when my Scouts and I talk about the stress of being in middle school or even when thinking about how best to manage behavior issues in the troop. But none of my Scouts, aside from my own daughter, have direct military connections or family members in the field of behavioral health, so my Leader role and my work at CDP have generally stayed pretty separate.
Recently though, I was looking into activities for my Scouts who have always loved anything to do with animals and are actively seeking service opportunities. I came across a local organization, Warrior Canine Connection, that raises and trains puppies to serve as service dogs for veterans. As described on their website, “Warrior Canine Connection utilizes a Mission Based Trauma Recovery model to help Warriors recovering from the stress of combat reconnect with their families, communities, and life.” While familiar with the general idea of animal-assisted treatment for trauma, it was an area that I had never explored in much detail or depth. Knowing that this is an area that would appeal to my Scouts, I decided to do a little reading up on the topic.
I quickly found a very helpful reference in the form of a recently published (Dec 2022) compendium that included information on the inclusion of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) in treatment for PTSD. The text, Animal Assisted Therapy Use Application by Condition was edited by Eric Altschuler, a frequently cited name in the field of AAT, particularly as it relates to PTSD and military and Veteran populations. The text is a practical reference for providers with multiple chapters on the theory and data supporting AAT for patients with PTSD as well as clinical applications of AAT and how to successfully incorporate it into clinical practice. First person accounts from veterans about their healing from trauma with the assistance of AAT are included, adding interest and personal perspectives to support the theory and data. There are also multiple chapters on less frequently discussed AAT applications, including avian-assisted therapy and the use of AAT in patients with heart failure and with geriatric and pediatric populations.
While the primary focus is on the benefits and outcomes associated with AAT, the text also includes interesting information about the “nuts and bolts” of AAT. Several authors touch on specific practices in the development of service animals, including the usefulness of including patients in the process of training and preparing animals for AAT. There is a chapter with information about the practicalities of selecting, training, and pairing service animals with patients and a section dedicated to ethical considerations and safeguards for the welfare of the animals that participate in AAT.
With such a diversity of information and perspectives, Animal Assisted Therapy Use Application by Condition is likely to appeal to a variety of readers: clinicians, researchers, friends and family of service members, veterans, and others impacted by PTSD, animal lovers, and (I can vouch for this one!) Girl Scout Leaders.
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Jenny Phillips, Ph.D., is the Assistant Director of Evaluation for the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD.
References:
Altschuler, E. (Ed.). (2022). Animal Assisted Therapy Use Application by Condition. Elsevier.
It’s not often that my role as a Girl Scout Leader overlaps with my job at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP). I find myself referencing my training in various areas of psychology frequently when my Scouts and I talk about the stress of being in middle school or even when thinking about how best to manage behavior issues in the troop. But none of my Scouts, aside from my own daughter, have direct military connections or family members in the field of behavioral health, so my Leader role and my work at CDP have generally stayed pretty separate.
Recently though, I was looking into activities for my Scouts who have always loved anything to do with animals and are actively seeking service opportunities. I came across a local organization, Warrior Canine Connection, that raises and trains puppies to serve as service dogs for veterans. As described on their website, “Warrior Canine Connection utilizes a Mission Based Trauma Recovery model to help Warriors recovering from the stress of combat reconnect with their families, communities, and life.” While familiar with the general idea of animal-assisted treatment for trauma, it was an area that I had never explored in much detail or depth. Knowing that this is an area that would appeal to my Scouts, I decided to do a little reading up on the topic.
I quickly found a very helpful reference in the form of a recently published (Dec 2022) compendium that included information on the inclusion of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) in treatment for PTSD. The text, Animal Assisted Therapy Use Application by Condition was edited by Eric Altschuler, a frequently cited name in the field of AAT, particularly as it relates to PTSD and military and Veteran populations. The text is a practical reference for providers with multiple chapters on the theory and data supporting AAT for patients with PTSD as well as clinical applications of AAT and how to successfully incorporate it into clinical practice. First person accounts from veterans about their healing from trauma with the assistance of AAT are included, adding interest and personal perspectives to support the theory and data. There are also multiple chapters on less frequently discussed AAT applications, including avian-assisted therapy and the use of AAT in patients with heart failure and with geriatric and pediatric populations.
While the primary focus is on the benefits and outcomes associated with AAT, the text also includes interesting information about the “nuts and bolts” of AAT. Several authors touch on specific practices in the development of service animals, including the usefulness of including patients in the process of training and preparing animals for AAT. There is a chapter with information about the practicalities of selecting, training, and pairing service animals with patients and a section dedicated to ethical considerations and safeguards for the welfare of the animals that participate in AAT.
With such a diversity of information and perspectives, Animal Assisted Therapy Use Application by Condition is likely to appeal to a variety of readers: clinicians, researchers, friends and family of service members, veterans, and others impacted by PTSD, animal lovers, and (I can vouch for this one!) Girl Scout Leaders.
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Jenny Phillips, Ph.D., is the Assistant Director of Evaluation for the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD.
References:
Altschuler, E. (Ed.). (2022). Animal Assisted Therapy Use Application by Condition. Elsevier.