Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy: Theoretical Foundations and Guidelines for Practice
Fine, Aubrey H. (ed.) (2006).
Amsterdam: Elsevier; 534 pages. $69.95. ISBN 9780123694843.
This book includes four chapters focused on children and animals. “Animals in the Lives of Children” by Gail Melson and Aubrey Fine documents the pervasiveness of animals in the form of family pets, animals in classrooms, wildlife in zoos and nature centers, and animal characters in print and visual media, and it reviews different theories that seek to explain what their presence might mean for development. “A Four-Year Trial of Animal-Assisted Therapy with Public School Special Education Students” by Aaron Katcher and Susan Teumer reports the results of an animal-assisted therapy and nature study program at a farm that students visited for two hours a week. Problem behaviors and diagnostic symptoms declined significantly when children were in the farm program in comparison to school classrooms, and this decrease was maintained from year to year. “Clinical Approaches to Assessing and Utilizing Animal-Related Experiences in Therapeutic Interventions with Children, Adolescents, and Their Caregivers” by Barbara Boat explains why it is important for therapists to assess children’s animal-related experiences and to include interventions on behalf of pets as part of interventions for children in abusive families. “Animal Abuse and Developmental Psychopathology” by Frank Ascione, Suzanne Barnard, Susan Brooks and Julie Sell-Smith reviews the relation between animal abuse and family violence, discusses how cruelty to animals by children and adolescents can be identified and treated, and describes two model programs. Other chapters in this handbook provide general reviews of the contributions of animal companionship to human well-being, guidelines for good practice in the use of animals in therapy, strategies for humane education, and methods for assessing the impacts of the use of animals in therapy.
Reviewer Information
Louise Chawla is a professor in the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado.