This study examined constructions of horses and means staff working with horses parallel to therapy in institutional care ascribes to horses. A narrative method was used and the theoretical framework was social constructionism. A question was asked to the narratives: How can practice in institutional care be understood through these stories? The result showed different pictures of institutional care. Horses seem to provide a multi-faceted therapeutic tool. Through the horses staff could establish relations built on trust with their clients. The stable-environment and the horses provided healthy recreation and a social competence usable for clients in life. The constructions of horses also seemed related to the means ascribed to them in the daily life of the institution. So far there has been little research about animals in Swedish institutional care. If there are animals in institutions they probably fill some kind of function for social work and therefore the phenomena needs to be further examined. Especially as research claim economical and social benefits in using animals in human health care. Animals have been looked upon as trivial but the academic discipline dealing with relations between animals and humans, anthrozoology, has gained respect and is now considered serious.

While there have been many presentations and anecdotal evidence in support of AAT, quantitative empirically validated studies are very limited. Without quantitative empirical studies to support the effectiveness of AAT, it remains an unproven complement to traditional physical and psychotherapeutic practices (Kruger & Serpell,2010). The value and importance of non-empirical literature on AAT,including therapists’ observations, various author’s personal experiences, and unstructured interviews with patients, will be explored in the next section. Empirical literature on AAT, including scientific experiment and controlled research studies, will also be addressed. Finally, a conclusion providing ideas for future directions in research in this discipline will be presented.

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This dissertation serves as a report on the qualitative exploration of best practices in animal-assisted therapy (AAT) with children. The aim of the study was to explore and describe best practices in the field of AAT with children in the Western Cape. The research made use of the case study design, which offered the researcher the opportunity to interact with a small number of individuals and look for patterns in the research participants’ words and experiences. Four participants, who were trained mental health professionals and had offered AAT to children, were selected to participate in the research. A literature review of animal-assisted therapy and best practice provided a theoretical basis for the research. The history of AAT, the uses and benefits of AAT and the animals incorporated in AAT were explored. The term “best practice” and its application in mental health and AAT were also discussed. The verbatim transcriptions of the audiotaped data were analysed and interpreted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and an AAT conceptual framework (brought about by the literature review). Themes were developed from the empirical data and substantiated by the literature review. Five main themes emerged as a result of the analysis. The first theme, Training of the animal-assisted therapist, focused on both the mental health training and the AAT training of the therapist. The second theme, Training of animals incorporated in animal-assisted therapy, revealed the importance of training the animal to be included in AAT. The third theme, Different client populations in animal-assisted therapy, looked at which populations should be included, excluded or included and carefully managed during AAT. The fourth theme, Ethical considerations in animal-assisted therapy, revealed the importance of considering both the child’s and the animal’s welfare. The fifth theme, Regulation of animal-assisted therapy, gave a more in-depth description of the current regulation of AAT in the Western Cape and provided suggestions for the regulation of AAT. Based on the findings of the five themes, recommendations were made for best practice in AAT with children in the Western Cape. / Thesis (MA (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This dissertation serves as a report on the qualitative exploration of best practices in animal-assisted therapy (AAT) with children. The aim of the study was to explore and describe best practices in the field of AAT with children in the Western Cape. The research made use of the case study design, which offered the researcher the opportunity to interact with a small number of individuals and look for patterns in the research participants’ words and experiences. Four participants, who were trained mental health professionals and had offered AAT to children, were selected to participate in the research. A literature review of animal-assisted therapy and best practice provided a theoretical basis for the research. The history of AAT, the uses and benefits of AAT and the animals incorporated in AAT were explored. The term “best practice” and its application in mental health and AAT were also discussed. The verbatim transcriptions of the audiotaped data were analysed and interpreted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and an AAT conceptual framework (brought about by the literature review). Themes were developed from the empirical data and substantiated by the literature review. Five main themes emerged as a result of the analysis. The first theme, Training of the animal-assisted therapist, focused on both the mental health training and the AAT training of the therapist. The second theme, Training of animals incorporated in animal-assisted therapy, revealed the importance of training the animal to be included in AAT. The third theme, Different client populations in animal-assisted therapy, looked at which populations should be included, excluded or included and carefully managed during AAT. The fourth theme, Ethical considerations in animal-assisted therapy, revealed the importance of considering both the child’s and the animal’s welfare. The fifth theme, Regulation of animal-assisted therapy, gave a more in-depth description of the current regulation of AAT in the Western Cape and provided suggestions for the regulation of AAT. Based on the findings of the five themes, recommendations were made for best practice in AAT with children in the Western Cape. / Thesis (MA (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Bakgrund: Studier visar att hundar har en positiv effekt på den fysiska hälsan. De kan också öka det sociala samspelet, minska depression, öka självförtroende och självbestämmande samt reducera ångest genom hundassisterad aktivitet eller hundassisterad intervention. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om hundar inom ramen för omvårdnad på en rättspsykiatrisk avdelning kan påverka patienternas välbefinnande. Metod: För att undersöka patienternas upplevelser användes en kvalitativ studiedesign. För att besvara syfte och frågeställningar gjordes semistukturerade intervjuer som analyserades med en kvalitativ innehållsanalys.   Resultat: Hundar på avdelningen upplevdes både positivt och negativt. De inverkade på välbefinnandet genom att de genererade glädje och välmående men också irritation och ilska. De gav också en känsla av att bli sedd som människa, ökade den fysiska aktiviteten, förbättrade sömnen och påverkade självkänslan och självförtroendet. Vårdmiljön påverkades också genom ett förbättrat klimat på avdelningen. De gav en meningsfullhet i vardagen, en möjlighet till närhet, en känsla av mindre kontrollerande miljö samt att de hade en inverkan på hur patienterna rörde sig på avdelningen. Det identifierades en ståndpunkt för hundar på avdelningen, men också en emot att ha hundar på avdelningen. Slutsats: Resultaten tyder på att det positiva överväger det negativa då majoriteten av resultatet belyser aspekter som ökar välbefinnandet hos patienterna. Hundar inom vården anses därför vara en bra komplementär omvårdnadsform för att som sjuksköterska på en rättspsykiatrisk avdelning. Detta för att kunna utföra god omvårdnad, främja välbefinnande och upprätthålla ett samhällsskydd och samtidigt reducera känslan hos patienten av att vara underordnad och kontrollerad. Det är dock viktigt att beakta olika individers åsikter för att hitta en form som passar. / Background: Studies have shown that dogs have a positive effect on humans physical health. They may also increase social interactions, decrease depression, increase peoples selfconfidence and autonomy and reduce anxiety trough animal-assisted interventions. Aim: The aim of this studie is to investigate if dogs can effect well-being in patients within forensic psychiatric care. Method: To investigate the patients experiences a qalitative reserch method were used. Semi-structured interviews were used to answer to the aim of the studie, and analysed with a content analysis. Result: The patients had both positive and negative experiences regarding the presence of the dogs at the unit. The dogs had an impact on the patients well-being by generating joy as well as anger and irritation. They gave a sense of being perceived as an individual, they increased physical activity, improved quality of sleep and had an inpact on self-esteem and self-confidence. The dogs also had an impact on the health facility environment trough an inprovement of the atmosphere at the unit. The dogs gave sense of mening in the everday life, an opportunity for intimacy, a sense of a less controlling environment and they also had an impact on how the patients moved at the unit. Some where proponents and some opponents to the impementation of dogs at the unit. Conclusion: The results shows that the positive experiences tops the negative because the majority of the results shows aspects of improved well-being. Dogs within healthcare facilities are therefore concidered to be a good complementary form of care for nurses working in forensic psychiatric care. This to perform good nursing care, promote well-being and maintain the civil protection and at the same time reduce feelings of being inferior, subordinated and controlled. It is however important to pay regards to the different idividual opinions and find a resolution that suits best.

Bakgrund: Vid demens drabbas individer av olika beteendemässiga, psykologiska och fysiska symptom som påverkar dess möjlighet till delaktighet i aktivitet. Tillsammans med dessa symptom kan en minskad motivation påverka möjligheten till aktivitetsutförande. Tidigare studier påvisar en positiv inverkan av djur på välbefinnandet och aktivitetsutförande. Utifrån arbetsterapeutisk teori ses sambandet mellan upplevelsen och möjligheten till aktivitet som en grund till delaktighet i vardagliga aktiviteter. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva interventioner med hund i relation till personer med demens. Metod: Scoping review design som begränsades till demens, alla åldrar och kön. Inklusionskriterier var: artiklar inte äldre än sex år, på engelska, norska, danska och svenska. Kvantitativa, kvalitativa och grå litteratur via AMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Anthrozoös och fulltext via Google Scholar. Exklusionkriterier var andra typer av sjukdomar eller skador och studier äldre än sex år. Resultat: Vanligaste interventionstypen vid demens är hund-assisterad aktivitet under en längre behandlingsperiod. Interventionerna genomförs 30–60 minuter, 2 gånger i veckan under 6–12 månader via fysisk, sensorisk, social och kognitiv stimulering. Vid behandling av demens kan interaktion med hund främja aktivitetsutförandet via en positiv inverkan på depression och livskvalité. Interventionerna med hund kan motverka förekomsten och uppkomsten av depression och kan främja kognitiv förmåga. Interventionerna främjar i större utsträckning individer med svårare demens, kognitiv nedsättning och oro. De kan även främja delaktighet i dagliga aktiviteter via en minskad förekomst av depression. Slutsats: Vanligaste interventionen är hund-assisterad aktivitet under en längre behandlingsperiod.  Interventioner med hund kan främja social och fysisk interaktion genom kognitiv stimulering. Hundar kan ha positiv inverkan på depression och livskvalité. Hundar kan även ha en positiv inverkan på oro och aktiviteter i det dagliga livet och kan främja kognition vid svårare kognitiv nedsättning och i större utsträckning vid svårare depression och demens. / Background: In dementia people gets affected by different behavioural, psychological, and physical symptoms that affect their ability to participate in activities. Together with these symptoms a decreased motivation may interact on the possibility of occupational performance. Earlier studies indicate a positive effect of animals on wellbeing and occupation performance. Through occupational theory the connection between the experience and possibility to activity are seen as a foundation for everyday activities. Purpose: The aim was to describe interventions with dogs in relation to persons with dementia. Method: Scoping review design, limited to dementia, all ages, and both sex. Inclusion criteria was; not more than sex year old, English, Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish articles. Quantitative, qualitative and grey literature through AMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Anthrozoös, and full text by Google Scholar. Exclusion criteria was other types of diseases or injuries, and studies older than sex years. Results: Most common intervention with dog, during treatment of dementia, are dog-assisted activity during a longer treatment period. The interventions are implemented during 30-60 minutes, 2 times a week for 6-12 months through physical, sensory, social and cognitive stimulation. In treatment of dementia interaction with dogs may promote occupational performance through a positive effect on depression and quality of life. Interventions with dogs may reduce the presence and appearance of depression and may promote cognitive ability. They may promote to higher degree individuals with severe dementia, cognitive disability and anxiety. Intervention with dogs may promote participation in daily activities through a decrease of presence of depression. Conclusion: Most common intervention with dogs are dog-assisted activity during a longer treatment period. Interventions with dogs may promote social and physical interaction through cognitive stimulation. Dogs may have a positive influence on depression, and quality of life. The dogs may also have a positive influence on anxiety and activities in daily living and may also promote cognition in severe cognitive limitation, and to a higher degree with severe depression, and dementia.

In this piece I have attempted to perform descriptive quantitative research in the field of Animal-Assisted Activities and Animal-Assisted Therapies in the Czech Republic. I have placed emphasis on the professional background and dog handling skills of the dog-handler. I tried not only to focus on the impact of dogs on humans, but also to emphasize the importance of the personality of the therapist. I also consider the impact of different personality theories on the personality of the handler/therapist, and the importance of theoretical background and preparation in the given area in which the handler/therapist engages with dogs. Based on the positive respondent reactions, I trust that this research will prove to be of use to people involved in human-animal positive interactions.

The aim of this study was to examine the use of animals in the therapy of neurotic disorders under the settings of mental hospitals. First part of this work desribes neurotic disorders and their therapy with a particular emphasis on AAT (Anima-Assisted-Therapy, pet therapy) and its subdivisions (hippotherapy, canistherapy, etc.) Principals of AAT are explained. Further, contraindications and possible risks are mentioned and the inherent possibility of animal misuse is discussed. The theses include basic guidelines and methods used in AAT and concludes with practical observations made by psychotherapists from the Czech mental hospitals.

Estudos publicados a partir da década de 60 evidenciam o potencial terapêutico da participação de animais de estimação em situações clínicas. Desde então, as pesquisas e as práticas das denominadas Terapia Assistida por Animais (TAA) e Atividade Assistida por Animais (AAA) estão em amplo crescimento. A presente pesquisa analisa 12 registros filmados dos encontros realizados a partir da parceria entre uma escola de educação especial e um canil. Os encontros aconteciam num sítio, a freqüência era semanal e os horários eram fixos. Participaram quatro adolescentes com síndrome de Down. A narrativa dos encontros entre esses adolescentes e cães numa situação estabelecida tem por objetivo a elaboração de uma reflexão teórica cujo propósito é considerar o uso de um enquadre diferenciado que inclui a presença do cão como recurso. A lente sob a qual tais fenômenos são analisados e compreendidos é a psicanálise de D. W. Winnicott. A investigação psicológica dos encontros evidencia a necessidade de levar em consideração o contexto humano oferecido pelos profissionais e as relações interpessoais estabelecidas. Pode-se observar que a maneira de se relacionar com o animal apresenta-se qualitativamente diferente das relações essencialmente humanas e das com objetos inanimados. Destacando a complexidade dos fenômenos observados entre as pessoas e os animais, percebeu-se que os cachorros interagiam com as pessoas não a partir das intenções ou sentimentos destas, ou ainda por meio de um discurso representativo: o cão reagia ao fato, ao comportamento humano, a comunicação ocorria de forma não-verbal. Outra possível função dos cachorros foi a de despertar diferentes aspectos do self, manifestados pelos adolescentes em suas atitudes, ações e verbalizações, facilitando a expressão de sentimentos. A análise também revela que a maneira de ser do cachorro – através de suas ações de atender ou não aos comandos, de se deixar manipular ou não, de ser uma presença constante e segura, de ter uma inteireza e continuidade de ser – sugere a emergência de maior espontaneidade por parte dos adolescentes. Por fim, são tecidas reflexões teóricas que sustentam a possibilidade de uma clínica winnicottiana com enquadre diferenciado que inclui o cachorro como recurso. / Studies that have been published since the 1960s suggest the therapeutical potential of the use of pets in clinical situations. The research on and the practice of the called Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) and Animal Assisted Activity (AAA) have become more and more popular ever since. The present research analyses 12 filmed meetings that aim at promoting such interaction between dogs and four adolescents with Down Syndrome, carried out by a special education school and a kennel. These weekly meetings took place in a small farm and had been previously scheduled, always at the same time. The description of these meetings between the adolescents and the dogs in an arranged situation aims at elaborating a theoretical reflection which has the objective of taking into account the use of a differentiated setting that involves the presence of the dog as a resource. The lens under which such phenomena are analysed and understood is the W.D.Winnicott psychoanalysis. The psychological investigation of the meetings explicits the need to take the human context offered by the professionals and the interpersonal relationships that take place into account. It is clear to notice that the way the adolescents relate to the animals is qualitatively different from the way they do in exclusively human relationships or even in their relationships with inanimate objects. It’s important to highlight that, among other complex phenomena that we observe in the relationship between people and animals, the communication between them is non-verbal: the dogs react to the human behaviour and not to their intentions, feelings or discourse. Also, the dogs have an important role in awakening different aspects of the self, acted out by the adolescents in their attitudes and speech, which makes the expression of their feelings easier. The analysis also shows that the dog’s behaviour– – whether or not responding to the commands of the adolescents, permitting or not being handled by them, of being a constant and safe presence, as well as its wholeness and continuity of being - suggests the emergence of more room for the adolescents’ spontaneity. Finally, some reflections that support the possibility of a winnicottian clinic with a differentiated setting that have the dog as a resource are presented.