Dogs make great therapists: Animal-assisted therapy in mental health

There has been increasing recognition of the benefits of animals - particularly dogs - being incorporated into various therapies.  An article was published earlier this year titled “Incorporating animal-assisted therapy in mental health treatments for adolescents: A systematic review of canine assisted psychotherapy.” The authors looked at seven studies involving canine-assisted psychotherapy for young people aged 10 - 19, and found that incorporating dogs into the therapeutic process resulted in number of positive impacts.  These included additional benefits to standard treatments for internalising disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder, and equivalent effects for anxiety, anger and externalising disorders. There were also additional benefits noted including improved engagement with treatment.

Read “Incorporating animal-assisted therapy in mental health treatments for adolescents: A systematic review of canine assisted psychotherapy.”