Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT)

Bramble and Laurel Therapy Dogs

Just like the term counselling, which is a very broad term for a myriad of roles, so the term Therapy dog also covers a wide range of helping activities.

There is a physiological and psychological process that happens in our brains when we are close to or pet an animal. So, from the well trained and widely socialised therapy dog, who with a handler makes visits into hospitals, schools and colleges or to disaster sites and to victims of crime and violence to the differently trained service dog that can smell specific illness or alert the onset of a seizure in their owner.

For my dogs, the nearest comparison I could make would be with equine therapy where you have a horse and handler, therapist and client. The handler’s role is to look after the welfare of the animal, to look out for signs of tiredness or stress and to be alert to anything that could be of danger to them to ensure the animals safety.

The therapist role is to ‘hold’ the client in the therapeutic process, much like in play therapy or expressive therapy except here the medium, rather than being inanimate is a live being who is responsive and focussed upon the client. The greatest difference in our situation is that I am both therapist and handler and I have had to plough my own furrow to pioneer this work as I have been unable to find any full training here in the UK. Part of my training was in gaining a qualification as an Animal Assisted Therapy Practitioner and in time spent working with professional dog trainers and behaviourists and under clinical supervision, and the ongoing day to day learning through observation, reflection and experience over the last seven years. I have stalked therapists in America where this work is much further ahead than here, spent hours in clinical supervision reflecting on the work in the counselling room. I have given hours to writing up the theory which is firmly embedded in the PC Approach.

AAT operates on many of levels within one-to-one client work.

The dogs help lower emotional barriers as the therapist is perceived as more approachable and trustable because of the visible closeness of the relationship between therapist and animal.

The dogs may become a social lubricant as they instigate interactions and provoke reactions in clients. Their very presence in the room can lower client tension and reduce the sense of feeling on the spot or scrutinised.

They can support clients physically giving comfort or reassurance as they get in touch with deeper edge of awareness feelings. This would be unhelpful in the relationship dynamics were it to come from the therapist.

For some clients it can feel easier to tell the animal things that they have never verbalised before.

Above and beyond this I am able to observe how my dogs respond and interact with clients, giving me a much greater insight to the client’s inner world and experiencing.

The dogs themselves, express their empathy and understanding as they approach, seek a cuddle or to interact at specific moments through the therapeutic hour. I observe again and again how clients know that the dogs have understood and are being directly responsive.

Bramble and Laurel are nine-year-old female Cockapoos with three years training and over six years’ experience working alongside me in my counselling practice. They are Therapy dogs in its truest sense as over and above their socialisation and obedience training, they are specifically trained to tune into and respond in therapeutic ways to the specific issues of trauma, depression and anxiety.

They of course show affection and interest to interact with clients who are not traumatised or anxious, but demonstrate specific behaviours towards clients who are. This is both supportive and facilitative to the client in the counselling process. We three are so closely bonded, and have a continual communication where they follow my cues and I follow theirs, which they communicate to me through their body language.

Their training began at 8 weeks old under guidance of an experienced professional dog trainer and behaviourist. A lot of time has been invested in them being widely socialized to a broad range of people, other animals and environments.

They were socialised from 6 months old into the counselling room environment by the generosity of many of my supervisees. Here they learned that this is a different environment and a place of work where they remain attentive to the client and to me.

Their development included regular visits for 18 months into a special provision school as part of their training and socialising process. They took to it easily as they wandered the classroom, taking time for a cuddle or to shake paws for a treat, or enter into a game. Since then, they have gone from strength to strength, working regularly in a number of main stream, but mostly special provision schools.

Bramble and Laurel’s ability to pick up on mood and to respond empathically is uncanny and finely tuned. Over time we have developed our communication and I have learned to trust and understand their responses and reactions towards clients and they have learned to trust and understand my lead. Gradually it emerged that they each responded to different and very specific needs and were each rewarded for this which encouraged them to do more. The effect has been quite profound.

All this said, I wasn’t quite prepared for the therapeutic impact of these two little beings on my life. The everyday time spent outside, the funny antics and hilarious moments at home and on our walks (They make me laugh out loud every day), the never-ending supply of cuddles and affection and their constant joy every single time they see me even when I’m having an ‘off’ day. They have done much to improve my health and quality of life and the experience of learning to work together as a team is utterly awe-inspiring, fascinating, humbling, and moving and another wonderful learning curve which I didn’t expect this far into my working life.

Hens, Bees

Here at The Orchard the AAT doesn’t end at therapy dogs. We have seven characterful rescue hens. These friendly movie stars not only give us a steady supply of tasty free-range eggs, but provide us with hours of interactive fun. They like nothing more than having visitors in their super-sized run, especially if they come bearing edible gifts. How they love a gossip and even a cuddle for those who want physical contact. I have watched many a young person develop in confidence and self-esteem as they master handing these birds and spending time with them. Even sitting and watching their interactions and hearing their chatter can help us unwind, slow down and find our grounding.

Similarly, to sit awhile and watch any one of the bee colonies coming and going from their hive has an amazingly calming and soothing effect. Bees work as though they are a single organism with every last bee moving to the greatest good of the colony. After a while you can see them communicating and their mesmerising dance as they come and go. I have many a client that chooses to have their counselling session down in the shelter of the bee garden, listening to the gentle hum of the bees and the whisper of the trees with the grasses of the meadow joining their gentle sway to the rhythm of nature.

Wildlife

And as we have spent the last three years restoring and replanting native trees and flora, so we get many a glimpse of wild fauna, birds and insects. Along with dragon fly’s, moths and butterflies, we have owls and bats, we get to sit back and watch buzzards soaring overhead and have a heron who regularly visits and even the occasional deer.