Animal-Assisted Play Therapy: Meeting Clients' Therapeutic Goals One Paw at a Time! (Moser - POS#055630 - HS)

Course overview

Have you ever considered practicing Animal Assisted Play Therapy (AAPT), but are unsure if it's the right fit for your practice? Maybe you are interested, but you're intimidated and don't know where to start. Or, you already bring your animal to work, but are not confident in your ability to implement appropriate AAPT interventions. If you answered yes, this Animal Assisted Play Therapy (AAPT) program is for you! While integrating animals into therapy provides significant value to the therapeutic process - from beneficial hormonal release in both the client and the animal, to building trust, emotional regulation, and positive attachment with our clients - it is unwise and potentially hazardous without proper training. AAPT requires a complex set of skills, such as knowing how to: Properly select and prepare your animal for therapy: Determine if your animal and client are the right fit for each other; Align client's therapy goals to the appropriate AAPT interventions; and Detect signs of stress and resignation in animal's body language. Watch Tara Moser, LCSW, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor and Certified Animal Assisted Play Therapist Supervisor, in this recording and learn to successfully integrate animal-assisted therapy with play therapy. Under Tara's expert guidance we will focus on the therapist-animal-client relationship, use of humor and play to enhance therapy, and well-being of your client and animal. We will discuss how AAPT is grounded in well-established theories and practices in terms of child development, clinical intervention, play therapy, family therapy, and humane animal treatment. Tara will help you take your practice to the next level as she teaches you how to align client's therapy goals to the appropriate AAPT interventions for improved outcomes with: Trauma and attachment Anger and aggression Social-emotional regulation Social-communication skills Empathy and patience Anxiety and depression Trust and building rapport Impulsivity and self-control Boundaries, stress and fear Through case studies, video demonstration and dynamic discussion you will end this recording with the skills and confidence to integrate dogs, cats and various other animals into your practice.