The Animal Assisted Therapy Diploma course discusses this further: giving information on the effectiveness of animals on human mental, physical and psychological health through Animal Assisted Activities (AAA) and Animal Assisted Therapies (AAT).
While the roles often merge ‘Animal Assistants’ and ‘Therapy Animals’ offer different functions to humans. The Animal Assisted Therapy Course discusses these differences and also how they crossover, whilst explaining what specific animals can offer in terms of assistance.
Students on this "pet therapy" course will discover that animals make great therapists for a number of conditions and for a number of reasons. You will learn how they can aid mental health issues, and how these mental health conditions arise in the first instance.
As humans we have certain needs that must be met for us to be healthy, the absence of which can lead us away from happiness and health, and into mental ill health, which often leads to physical sickness. We discuss the scientific findings that link mental well-being to the presence of animals, detailing exactly animals can do for our health, both physical and mental.
As most of us are aware of guide dogs and hearing dogs for deaf people, the roles of physical assistance animals go beyond these areas. Students will also learn about the legal aspect of therapy animals and how that affects the rights and responsibilities of both animal recipients and the organisations that train them.
Students will learn about dog’s incredible sense of smell and focusing on research into Medical Assistance dogs, these amazing animals which can aid early diagnosis of disease or early detection of chemical changes within the body.
The course emotions and how to understand them, and what their effect on an individual’s well-being are. You will learn how animals can improve our personal emotional responses in order to improve overall health and happiness, leading on to the roles of Pets as Therapy (PAT) animals.
The course discusses autism in detail and how assistance dogs are helping children with the condition, it also details 6 stages of counselling, and outlines what Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is. The use of AAT animals can enhance the therapy experience for clients.
For a more detailed overview of the course see the syllabus.
