“Animals As Facilitators of the Core Conditions” – An Experiential

Workshop

Kathryn Kimbley, MSc (MBACP)

Director & Counsellor

HumAnima CIC

• What are the Core Conditions?

• What is Animal Assisted Therapy?

• PCT + AAT = ???

- Techniques

• Conclusion

What are the Core Conditions?

• “The first element could be called genuineness, realness, or congruence.[...]

• The second attitude of importance in creating a climate for change is acceptance, or caring, or prizing–what I have called ‘unconditional positive regard.’[...]

• The third facilitative aspect of the relationship is empathic understanding.”

from Carl R. Rogers. Way of Being. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1980, p.115-116

What is Animal Assisted Therapy?

The formal definition of animal-assisted therapy is:

"AAT is a goal-directed intervention in which an animal that meets specific criteria is

an integral part of the treatment process. AAT is directed and/or delivered by a

health/human service professional with specialized expertise, and within the scope of

practice of his/her profession.

AAT is designed to promote improvement in human physical, social, emotional,

and/or cognitive functioning [cognitive functioning refers to thinking and intellectual

skills]. AAT is provided in a variety of settings and may be group or individual in

nature. This process is documented and evaluated.“

From Standards of Practice for Animal-Assisted Activities and Therapy, Pet Partners

(formerly the Delta Society)

PCT + AAT = ??? • Focus can be shifted – away from their condition thus enabling them to work harder & longer

• AAT offers nurture and affection through physical contact and comfort

• AAT offers UPR

• AAT is FUN!

• *AAT may enable the client & therapist to develop their therapeutic relationship more quickly & deeply. (Chandler, 2010)

• Trust can develop quicker as a result of the client observing the therapist’s interaction with the therapy animal (Schneider, 2006)

• The client may be able to reach goals & objectives that they would otherwise be unable to thanks to the assistance of the therapy animal (Fine, 2006)

• AAT can reduce stress allowing for quicker, greater recovery

• AAT can increase motivation – clients are more likely to attend & participate because of their desire to spend time with the therapy animal

“Each time you begin to talk

about your husband, you start

scratching Flossie’s ears a little

harder”

Congruence

• “[...] the dog’s honesty springs from an inability to lie. The dog’s honesty does not arise out of any moral superiority but rather from the fact that he is incapable of dishonesty.”

• There is no intention to deceive

• Imagine being a dog...

• “[...] within a meaningful relationship, intimacy is closely linked to the degree of honesty within ourselves and the other. In our relationships with dogs and other animals, the barrier to complete honesty lies only in us.”

• “Accepting the dog’s gift of complete honesty is not easy. It requires we understand our own feelings & that we can make the distinction between what we project onto our dogs & what movie is actually showing at their theater.”

From Clothier, S (2002) “Bones Would Rain from the Sky”, Warner Books, New York

“Thou are true & honest as a dog”, Sir John Davies

Immediacy & Mindfulness • “Dogs do let us know that our mental flies have

come undone, though we don’t always care to hear the message.”

• “Incapable of deceit, unable to understand the future, the dog lives in the now & expects that we will meet him there.”

From Clothier, S (2002) “Bones Would Rain from the Sky”, Warner Books, New York

• Who lives best in the moment...?

Empathy • Custance & Meyer (2012) “Empathic-like responding by

domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) to distress in humans: an exploratory study”, Animal Cognition, 15:5, pp 851-859

• Ramiro M. Joly-Mascheroni et al. (2008) “Dogs catch human yawns”, Biology Letters, 4:5, pp 446-448

• Silva & de Souza (2011) “Canis empathicus? A proposal on dogs’ capacity to empathise with humans”, Biology Letters, 7, pp 489 - 492

“Fruits & Veggies”

• The rules of the game are simple - the only words the "trainer" can use when speaking to his "dog" are fruits or vegetables.

• These words have no meaning until the "trainer" has assigned value to each word. The challenge is that the "trainer" needs to be sure that the "dog" understands what each word means.

Adapted from Clothier, S. (2002)

UPR anyone...?

Unconditional Positive Regard • UPR = “Unconditional Love”

• By offering the “Core Conditions”, counsellors are simultaneously offering UPR; clients increasingly trust themselves and move toward becoming more self-actualized. Clients free themselves from the past, distort less in the here-and-now, and experience greater self-acceptance as they progress through person-centered counseling (Tudor & Worrall).

• “The presence of an animal during counseling offers additional opportunities for transference. Animals are among the best therapeutic transitional objects:

- They are affectionate and responsive, unlike a toy or blanket, and unconditionally accepting and nonjudgmental, unlike most humans. As transitional objects, therapy pets combine the best therapeutic attributes of both toys and humans while avoiding the obvious limitations that toys and humans may present“ (Chandler, 2005, p. 6).

Conclusion

• We experience the Core Conditions from our companion animals on a day-to-day basis in a plethora of ways

• Including AAT in Counselling offers another way of including the Core Conditions in Counselling

• Interaction with animals can offer an opportunity to learn from them self actualisation

• Further exploration

References • Chandler, C. (2005) “Animal Assisted Therapy in Counselling”, Routledge

• Chandler, C.(2010), “Matching animal-assisted therapy techniques & intentions with counseling guiding theories”, Journal of Mental Health Counseling

• Clothier, S. (2002) “Bones Would Rain From the Sky”, Warner Books, New York

• Custance & Meyer (2012) “Empathic-like responding by domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) to distress in humans: an exploratory study”, Animal Cognition, 15:5, pp 851-859

• Fine, A. [2nd Ed] (2006) “Handbook of Animal Assisted Therapy: Theoretical Foundations & Guidelines for Practice”, Academic Press

• Pet Partners (formerly the Delta Society), “Standards of Practice for Animal-Assisted Activities and Therapy”

• Ramiro M. Joly-Mascheroni et al. (2008) “Dogs catch human yawns”, Biology Letters, 4:5, pp 446-448

• Rogers, C. R. (1980) “Way of Being” Boston, Houghton Mifflin, p.115-116

• Schneider, M. S & Harley, L. P. (2006) “How dogs influence the evaluation of psychotherapists”, Anthrozoos, 19:2, pp 128 – 142

References cont.

• Schoen, A. M. (2001) “Kindred Spirits”, Broadway Books, New York

• Silva & de Souza (2011) “Canis empathicus? A proposal on dogs’ capacity to empathise with humans”, Biology Letters, 7, pp 489 – 492

• Urichuk, L. & Anderson, D. (2003) “Improving Mental Health Through Animal Assisted Therapy”, The Chimo Project, Canada

HumAnima CIC

67 Clark Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV3 9PA

www.humanima.co.uk

www.humanima.wordpress.com

info@humanima.co.uk

Mob: 07971933221

Facebook: HumAnima CIC

Twitter: @HumAnimaCIC