Animal Assisted Play Therapy: An Integrative Approach

Animal Assisted Play Therapy presents a comprehensive approach to the inclusion of animals in psychotherapy in general, and play therapy in particular. (Kevin O Connor)

A few months ago I was asked to provide an endorsement for a book by Risë VanFleet, a licensed psychologist, registered play therapist-supervisor, and certified dog behavior consultant with 45 years of experience, and Tracie Faa-Thompson, a specialist social worker in the adoption field and a British Association of Play Therapist, titled Animal Assisted Play Therapy. I've long been interested in the general topic of human-animal interactions and given my research in play behavior by various nonhuman animals (animals,) I was intrigued by the title. I'm glad to have read through the book and asked the authors if they could do an interview about their novel approach to animal assisted therapy. They said they could and here's what they offered.

Source: Courtesy of the editors

"...that’s a huge message of our work—how to really attend to our animals and ensure they are having a good time in the work we are asking of them. Since our work involves lots of play, it is often quite engaging of the animals, but there are times when they say, 'no, thanks,' and we listen to that."

Why did you write Animal Assisted Play Therapy?

We have both been heavily involved in the development of this multidisciplinary field for many years, conducting intensive workshops in North America, Europe, and Australia so far. We found that there was so much material to cover that we wanted to give our workshop participants a jumpstart on the information so that when we were together in person we could concentrate on hands-on, skills-building activities. There was also growing interest throughout the world on what we were doing, and we thought it was time to put our ideas and approaches in writing. I (Risë) had written a book published in 2008 called Play Therapy with Kids & Canines, but we wanted a book that included other species, such as horses and cats, and our thinking and work had evolved quite a bit. We wanted a book that was up-to-date with all we had learned in the interim as well as some points that were not made as strongly as needed in our prior writings. Finally, we thought there was a need for a book that went into specifics about what it means to have mutually beneficial and humane relationships with animal partners in therapy. We are enthusiastic about what we do, and we wanted to share that.

Can you briefly tell readers how you define or conceptualize "animal assisted play therapy" in general, and then how and why you factor in play.

We’ll start with the definition and then share some of our thoughts on this. We have defined AAPT as “the integrated involvement of animals in the context of play therapy, in which appropriately trained therapists and animals engage with clients primarily through systematic playful interventions, with the goal of improving clients’ developmental and psychosocial health, while simultaneously ensuring the animal’s well-being and voluntary engagement. Play and playfulness are essential ingredients of the interactions and the relationship.”

That’s a bit of a mouthful, but AAPT is a blend of key concepts from a variety of fields, such as psychology, psychotherapy, play therapy, ethology, animal behavior, lifespan development, and especially, attachment and relationship theories. At core, we conceive of it as a relationship-based approach to mental health treatment, although its methods can be applied to allied health and education professions as well. Everything is built around relationships – the therapist’s relationship with his/her therapy animal, the therapist’s relationship with the client, and the client’s relationship with the animal, which is facilitated by the therapist. This has far-reaching implications for the way we think about our therapy animals as partners (not therapists—we retain that title!) in our lives and work. We want to create relationships with our therapy animals that are mutually respectful and beneficial, as well as fun and full of choices for everyone. We often talk about how the therapist-animal relationship serves as a “model and metaphor” for the therapeutic relationship with the client, and for all healthy relationships.

Another huge part of AAPT is playfulness. We know that play helps build relationships, and it also adds emotional safety that allows for freer expression of natural behaviors—on the part of the animals, but also of the clients. Therapy can be very hard, sometimes scary work, especially for those who have experienced different types of trauma. Building play and humor into the process makes it easier to face the tough stuff. This is true of all ages, so AAPT is not just for kids – it can be applied with clients of any age.

Theoretically, AAPT has the flexibility to be applied within a number of different theoretical orientations of therapists. It can be adapted creatively and fit into different modes of intervention rather easily, as long as the relationships are forefront and the element of playfulness is allowed and encouraged to create the right climate for therapeutic exploration and change.

One way that this flexibility is achieved is to realize that AAPT can be conducted in a nondirective manner in which the client “leads the way,” but it can also be conducted using different levels of structure. Allowing a client to develop their own relationship with the animal might not need too much therapist coaching, while teaching an animal a new behavior might require a fair amount of structure. When deciding on interventions to use, we think about the client’s goals, the personality and interests of the animal, and our own knowledge of what interventions suit both of those.

Source: Courtesy of Risë VanFleet

What are your major messages and suggestions for using nonhumans for human therapy? And, because there are those who say that it's all a one-sided affair that benefits the humans but not the nonhumans, what do the nonhumans get out of it?

Unfortunately, there are far too many examples where animals have been “used” in therapy. Furthermore, our relationships with our companion animals are often one-sided. When we look at the many articles and blogs that are written about animals in therapy, they usually extol the benefits for the humans, and they rarely discuss the impact on the animals. The accompanying pictures show a delighted human and a thoroughly stressed or miserable animal. There have been a few research studies on how animals experience the therapy process, but we need more. We also need studies of the different types of therapy that are conducted. We tend to think of AAT as being all the same, and it just isn’t.

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We both came together through the field of play therapy, but we realized that we thought very similarly about animals and how they should be considered in therapy work. We want there to be benefit for the animal, too. In essence, we are conscripting them into our work, and it is incumbent on us to ensure that they are cut out for the work, enjoy the work, and actually have real choices about whether or not to work, both in the big picture and on a day-to-day basis. We would like all therapists to learn a great deal more than many do about animal ethology and behavior, animal body language, animal play, and most of all, about their own animals’ reactions to what they are being asked to do. Since we are the therapists in the equation, it is our job to ensure that therapy is beneficial for clients, whether or not animals are involved. This means that at any time, if an animal shows signs of stress or even resignation, their involvement is stopped. We try to teach others how to “think like a horse” or “think like a dog,” and to base that on the evidence of what they see from their animal’s communication signals. We want them to view the animals from ethological and empathic perspectives rather than, for example, the prevailing popular “horsemanship” models where the horse’s body language is largely ignored while the proponents of the method impose their own anthropomorphic perspective on what is happening. (Their verbal descriptions might say they are “connecting” with the horse while their behaviors are adding pressure by swinging ropes behind the horse or making them run in circles in a round pen—not at all our idea of connection!)

This is all about empathy, really. We need to apply our ability to see the world through another’s eyes and to be accepting of that—skills that help us be good therapists—to the animals who serve as our assistants. If we don’t do that, the risks to the animals’ welfare are increased substantially. And there are two parts to that empathy – the first step is simply increasing our awareness, at all times, of what is going on with the animal during sessions (but also before and after)—our constant checking in for signs of pleasure or displeasure or fear. The second part is being proactive. We want therapists to see through their animals’ eyes so much that they can anticipate what might be stressful. For example, doorways are often places of stress for dogs, partly because of the diminished space. We need to be aware of how our dogs are negotiating doorways when we are with them, our clients are with them, and even at home when other dogs or people are around. Horses are naturally claustrophobic so attention is needed when walking them through confined spaces. They need a lot of space and often are not given enough from an equine point of view.

So that’s a huge message of our work—how to really attend to our animals and ensure they are having a good time in the work we are asking of them. Since our work involves lots of play, it is often quite engaging of the animals, but there are times when they say, “no, thanks,” and we listen to that. We think that the playful connections help the work be interesting and beneficial for the animals. Having us, as therapists, advocate for their needs, is beneficial as well. Many therapists who go through our program talk about how much more they are understanding their animals and enjoying them on their own terms. (And some of them have lived with animals their whole lives!) When we hear that, we are overjoyed!

We’ll just add that not all animals are cut out for this type of work. Sometimes our workshops or books and articles help people realize that this work is not for their current animals. While this might be disappointing to the therapist, we consider this a success, too! It is better for everyone—client, animal, and therapist—when the needs of the animals are always considered and acted upon.

How do your suggestions differ from other approaches to this fascinating topic?

I think the real strength of our way of working, which we have shared through the AAPT book as well as our online courses and workshops, is this focus on the need for animals to have a “voice and choice” in the work. We are not the only ones who pay attention to this, but I think we have developed some unique hands-on skills for therapists to learn that enhance their ability to really do this. Most of the time, the animals are off-lead so they are free to move away if bored or stressed. We train therapists to a high level of fluency in understanding body language so they are more likely to develop an accurate understanding of what their animals are communicating. We also ask them to think about the environment. Many a trainee has come on our courses with preconceived notions of how they are going to work with their chosen animal in their school, care home, or agency, and go away with a whole different view that considers what the animal needs to be able to fully and comfortably participate in the sessions. Many people ask me (Tracie) if Risë and I will bring my horses to other parts of the UK so they can host the training in their venue. The long and short answer is “no.” If we were to take the horses somewhere else, they wouldn’t be who they are, their stress levels would be high, and they wouldn’t enjoy the experience. And like all of us, they need to be in a state of safety and relaxation to play. While a modern, well-appointed stable and arena might be ideal from the human perspective, the horses are most at ease in their own fields and terrain.

Of course the other major difference is in the use of play. While others certainly use playfulness in some of their work, because we are both qualified play therapists with many years of experience, the application of various types of play interventions is more systematic. Whenever we think about a session and what to do, we think about the client’s treatment goals, the interests and capabilities of the individual animals involved, and how to make it a playful experience that allows for emotional safety for all. We facilitate the sessions in lighter ways as well, although we take the problems of the clients very seriously. We know that people (and animals) are capable of exploring and learning very readily when pressure and expectations are reduced. We are creating a social environmental climate that offers safety, fun, and learning opportunities.

Who is your major audience?

We think that many of the ideas and principles in the book can apply to anyone who lives and works with animals. The sections on the type of relationships and how to build them are useful for virtually anyone who lives with animals. Overall, though, the major thrust of the book is for therapists, and that includes mental health, allied health, and education professionals. We have been very pleased with the reception our ideas and trainings have had, and now for this book.

We welcome animal professionals, too, though. They have a lot to offer us, once they understand more about how this is a rather different way of approaching therapy animals. We have had animal trainers, ethologists, behaviorists, and veterinarians in our workshops, and that mix of ideas leads to a very rich experience for all of us!

What are some of your current and future projects?

We have lots of ideas going forward. We have rolled out our certification program for therapists and supervisors after many years of testing it. We want to be able to say that people not only have gone through certain training and supervision, but that they have actual competence in AAPT – that they are GOOD at it. Our next step is to roll out Instructor training. We can’t keep up with the interest in AAPT—a good problem to have! — and we want more people available to conduct some of the introductory trainings. We need people with skills in AAPT, but also skills in working in these respectful, positive, fun ways with animals. We want to continue building a community of people interested in this because there are potential roles for many.

We also hope to spin off the certification program so that it is independent of the training programs. Good certification programs operate this way, and we are nearing the point where we can do this in the next 2-3 years. We also want more research to be done on this approach. There have been some preliminary studies, and even a study that showed how well our program develops competence and confidence in therapists, and there are now a few more studies underway. We are starting some university collaborations that will help with the research process, too.

Finally, we are working on more materials for therapists who are trained in AAPT–more ideas for interventions, more online courses to further their development, and ways to share what we all are learning. We just started a newsletter that contains features and ideas, too. There is no shortage of ideas as we continue to try to help people involve their animals in their work in ways that respect the animals while making such a difference in the lives of clients. We have always worked slowly and with input from others because we want to get it right!

Is there anything else you'd like to tell your readers?

We are grateful for the input of many people and many animals in developing this work. We have learned, and continue to learn, from people in many different fields, as well as animals in many actual fields! We hope that more from the broader arena of Animal Assisted Interventions will benefit from the many important concepts and details we have included in our recent book, as well as in dialogue with us in our social media groups and live skills-building workshops. We are hoping that some small conferences are in our future, too, so we can pull on the talents and lessons learned from this diverse community of people interested in AAPT.

Thank you very much Risë and Tracie. I learned a lot from the book and this interview and I am thrilled that the well-being of the animals is given so much attention, as it should. Both the animals and the humans have to get something positive out of the interactions and the relationships that are formed. I hope your book enjoys a broad global audience and many others adopt your point of view.