Animal and occupational therapy intervention
Maggie Bracher shares how she has been introducing workshops on companion and assistance / therapy animals to a university programme .
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A nimals are widely accepted as valuable companions to humans . In recent years , pet ownership , more commonly of dogs , seems to have increased in popularity , particularly during COVID-19 lockdowns .
There have also been an increasing number of publications promoting the introduction of animals within therapeutic interventions .
Meredith et al ( 2022 ) discuss the value of attachment bonds between pet dogs and their owners . They suggest that occupational therapists may provide support for clients to care for their dogs and may also facilitate the relationship and bond between owners and their pet dogs .
Slatter et al ( 2012 ) also iidentify the importance of pet ownership for homeless people and suggest that occupational therapists can have a role in supporting this .
In 2015 , as lead for the ‘ Design for Occupation ’ module in the University of Southampton ’ s BSc Occupational Therapy programme , I introduced workshops on companion animals and therapeutic / assistance animals .
Year one : companion animals
A workshop on companion animals in the first year of the BSc programme encourages students to identify the personal benefits and challenges of owning a pet . Students meet my own dogs as pets , and carry out activity analyses on a range of tasks associated with pet care .
When possible , students visit a local animal rescue centre to learn about the reasons for breakdown in pet ownership . They then use a case study and occupational analysis to identify the occupational therapy role in enabling a pet to remain with a client , where it is in the welfare interests of both client and pet .
As part of the first-year workshop , advice is provided on how to manage the presence of pets , particularly dogs , when visiting clients in the community . The rationale for this is based on anecdotal evidence of colleagues being bitten or feeling threatened by dogs during community visits with clients .
The advice has been developed in collaboration with Jules Brittan , a dog trainer and behaviourist , and covers single and
54 OTnews July 2023