To me, animals have always brought tremendous enjoyment and comfort. Through my life I rarely was alone because I often had a critter companion to accompany me. Dogs, cats, chickens, lamas, rabbits, horses, cattle, pigs, lizards, fish . . . each creature introduced me to a new perspective on how differences exist in this world. The relationships with my pets are mutually nurturing. I provide for their care and my pets reciprocate unconditional love. I maintain a tremendous respect towards the animals that have come and gone on my path.

Pets provide us with an opportunity to be in relationship that better prepares us for human interactions. For persons who have not been treated well by humans, relationships with animals are often a safer avenue to explore. Animals are very perceptive to human energy, particularly prey animals such as horses and rabbits. Interactions with animals provide an opportunity for increased self-awareness and exploration with a nonjudgmental audience. These relationships are more easily formed and maintained then the complex relationships that occur with humans that can disguise their intentions. Humans have been known to hide feelings, thoughts and motive where animals authentically react to their experience providing an immediate, direct and honest response.

As a child I wanted to be a veterinarian. Incorporating Animal Assisted Therapy into my professional counselling practice is a perfect bridge of my love for animals and my passion to support people on their healing journey. By definition Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) incorporates human-animal interactions into a formal therapeutic process. AAT is considered a counselling theory adjunct to existing psychotherapy. I use AAT in my practice when I think incorporating an animal “or co-therapist” would be beneficial in serving my client’s counselling goals. For example an animal can support a client to feel comfortable in session. Using a certified animal in session when a client feels distrustful can support the client in feeling more comfortable to engage in therapy. Motivation, increased empathy, self-esteem enhancement, and decreased anxiety are just a few of the benefits of AAT. Counselling sessions with AAT interventions are particularly enticing for young people that love animals. These co-therapists are captivating and people quickly engage forgetting that they are in a therapeutic setting, in addition the client can be assured that the co-therapist will never breach confidentiality 🙂