Animal-assisted Therapy

Ahhh! Animals! On today's podcast, we're talking to Jocelyn Nand, executive director of the Family Counselling Centres in Alberta. Her work includes animal-assisted therapy with the help of her co-therapist (and dog!), Watson. We'll talk about the work that she does to help a variety of clients deal with emotional dysregulation issues, impulse control, behavioral struggles, anxiety, low self-esteem, as well as work with those who have sensory struggles. We'll also discuss our impact on the mental health of animals and how positive reinforcement when training pets can go a long way. The key moments in this episode are: 00:01:29 - Jocelyn Nand's Background and Interest in Animal-Assisted Therapy 00:05:42 - Impact of Watson (the dog) in Therapy Room 00:08:33 - Clients Who Benefit from Animal-Assisted Therapy 00:13:07 - Other Animals in Animal-Assisted Therapy 00:14:34 - The Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapy 00:16:37 - Pet Preferences and Personality 00:18:10 - The Impact of Mental Health on Animals 00:22:07 - Training Animals for Therapy 00:27:47 - Integrating Animal-Assisted Therapy into Counseling 00:29:04 - The Therapist's Attachment to Her Therapy Dog 00:31:29 - Utilizing Watson's Strengths in Therapy 00:32:55 - Challenges and Limitations of Animal-Assisted Therapy 00:36:11 - Misconceptions and Ethical Considerations in Animal Therapy 00:42:44 - The Role of Animals in Grief and Loss 00:45:19 - Resources for Animal Therapy 00:46:18 - Becoming an Animal Therapist DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-Episode-010-Animal-assisted-therapy-Transcript.pdf Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com Follow: @BraaainsPodcast Music: @_Deppisch_ Design: Perpetualnotion.ca Mixing/ Mastering: Tony Bao Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast