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MORE THAN JUST A FRIEND - The significance of animals in the social work practice

This is a qualitative study based on interviews held with three professionals working in the field of Animal Assisted therapy. The study looks at the effect of Animal Assisted therapy in work with people experiencing different issues or health problems, mainly children and young adults. The purpose has been to get an understanding of the work and the different relations that occur in sessions using animals and how the participation of an animal in the session can be beneficial in the healing process. The results have been related to previous research and analysed using the Attachment theory and the Self-Determination Theory.Animals are known for spreading calmness and help with self-esteem, things that can be very useful in work with humans. The animals become a bridge to create a relationship and a trust between caregiver and client which leads to faster being able to get started with the therapeutic work. In the field of social work the caregiver will come in contact with people with all different sorts of history and need for help and support. This study shows positive effects of Animal Assisted therapy in multiple different settings and target groups. This should be reason enough for the method to be a solid part of the social work practice. Despite this, the method is not as established as the caregivers in the field would have wished. They all report seeing great advantages in using animals in their work and a high recovery rate with their clients. This is also seen in the studies made in the field.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mau-25919
Date January 2018
CreatorsHansson Ferreira, Emelie
PublisherMalmö universitet, Fakulteten för hälsa och samhälle (HS), Malmö universitet/Hälsa och samhälle
Source SetsDiVA Archive at Upsalla University
LanguageSwedish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeStudent thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text
Formatapplication/pdf
Rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

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