The integration of animals into the therapy setting by psychotherapists
has been a growing trend. Psychological problems treated include
emotional and behavioral problems, attachment issues, trauma, and
developmental disorders. An influential 1970s survey suggests that over
20 percent of therapists in the psychotherapy division of the American
Psychological Association incorporated animals into their treatment in
some fashion. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the number is much higher
today. Since Yeshiva University psychologist Boris Levinson popularized
the involvement of animals in psychotherapy in the 1960s, Israel has
come to be perhaps the most advanced country in the world in the area of
animal-assisted psychotherapy (AAP). This is true especially in the
areas of academic training programs, theory-building, and clinical
practice. Great effort has been put into understanding the mechanisms
behind AAP, as well as into developing ethical guidelines that take into
account the therapist's responsibility toward both client and animal.
This book exposes the world to the theory and practice of AAP as
conceived and used in Israel. It emphasizes evidence-based and
clinically sound applications with psychotherapeutic goals, as
differentiated from other animal-assisted interventions, such as AAE
(animal-assisted education) and AAA (animal-assisted activities), which
may have education or skills-oriented goals. Not just anyone with a dog
can call him-or herself an animal-assisted therapist. This volume
demonstrates not only the promise of animal-assisted psychotherapeutic
approaches, but also some of the challenges the field still needs to
overcome to gain widespread legitimacy.
