The Clinician’s Guide to Animal-Assisted Therapy Program Design

For allied health professionals, clinical psychologists, practice managers

The Gap Between Intention and Practice

There is a growing demand for complementary therapies, such as the inclusion of animals in therapeutic practices. In response, some well-meaning clinicians simply bring a well-behaved pet into their clinic. Unfortunately, there is a large distance between 'I have a lovely pet, I think I'll bring her to work with me to help the clients', and a well-structured, goal-directed treatment program which incorporates animals to achieve therapeutic outcomes. Bringing a pet into the clinic without sufficient planning may create risks to all parties, leading to an unsafe environment and compromising animal welfare. There is always some degree of risk when introducing any animal into a workplace supporting vulnerable clients. Furthermore, there may be animal welfare concerns if the animal is not comfortable in that environment or around new people.

To mitigate the potential risks to human safety and animal welfare, and enhance client outcomes, we need to carefully, thoughtfully design a structured, compliant, and ethically sound program.

Animal Selection and Species-Specific Welfare

When I talk to clinicians about setting up an animal-assisted program, the first question they ask is usually: what species should I get? Or, if they are planning to work with dogs, they give me the canine version: what breed should I get?

If I could give a quick answer to these questions, this would be a very short article!

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question. There is no species, or breed, that is going to be a reliable worker every time. I can give you some tips about what to look for, though.

Some published guidelines recommend working only with animals from domesticated species, such as dogs, cats, horses, small mammals, and livestock animals. These species have been bred to live among humans. However, some clinicians and therapy programs work with non-domesticated species, such as bearded dragons or tarantulas. Whichever species you work with, the individual animal’s personality and comfort level with humans, including unfamiliar humans who may be very stressed and vulnerable, is important for therapy work.

There is no dog breed that comes with a guarantee of success as a therapy dog. Some breeds and lines may be more pre-disposed to have desirable traits for therapy work, but individual variation means that we cannot say that a specific puppy will be a therapy animal down the track.

Regardless of species or breed, look for an animal with a relaxed temperament, who recovers quickly after being startled, and who is happy to meet new people and spend time in new environments. Depending on the nature of the work, different traits may be useful. For instance, in psychotherapy, a very calm animal may help keep the client calm during difficult conversations. In occupational therapy, a more energetic animal may help the client better engage in the physical tasks they are working on.

Selecting the right animal for this work is important for human safety, but it’s also a key part of protecting the animal’s welfare. We must honour our duty of care to working animals, who give us so much. Be sure to check out the welfare needs of your chosen species, but some general tips are:

Make sure the environment is appropriate for the animal, avoiding spaces that are too hot or cold, too light or dark, too noisy, or without sufficient ventilation.
Make sure that the animal always has somewhere to go that is just for them. It might be an enclosure, crate, or bed, but when the animal is in there, everyone knows that they are taking a break and are not to be disturbed.
Make sure they get the right kind, and amount, of food that is appropriate for their species. If treats are incorporated into the therapy program, the animal’s meals that day may need to be smaller.
Ensure that the animal gets enough exercise and physical activity and check regularly to make sure that they are not showing signs of injury or illness.
Allow the animal to have appropriate interactions with their environment, other animals, and people, depending on the species requirements. Give them agency (i.e., choice) in whether, and how, they interact with others, including clients. Never force an animal into an interaction with a client, even if the client really wants to.
Therapy work can be intense for the client, for the therapist, and for the animal involved. Respect that the animal will probably be affected by the work and do everything you can to help them manage the stress inherent in the job. Regular breaks during the day will be necessary for relaxation and potty trips.

For more information about animal welfare, check out the Five Domains of Animal Welfare model. And remember, what works for one species may not work for another. The needs of a cat will be different than the needs of a dog. Beyond that, what one cat needs will be somewhat different from what another cat needs. Know your species and know your individual animal.

Bottom line: The animal is a participant, not a tool, and their welfare must be built into the clinic's standard operating procedures.

Risk Management and Compliance

Risk management is a key, but sometimes overlooked, component of any successful animal-assisted therapy program. It is critical to protect the client, the clinician, the animal, and the business. When designing your own program, there are several details to consider:

Zoonotic disease control and hygiene protocols: in human-animal interactions, the risk of zoonotic diseases, which pass between humans and animals, is always present. Have your animal vaccinated as recommended by your veterinarian and ensure that the animal is free of external and internal parasites. Ensure that everyone washes their hands thoroughly before and after interacting with animals. Use surface disinfectants to clean areas where the animal has been but be sure that the cleaning agents will not cause a negative reaction in the animal.
Specialized insurance requirements: Be sure to check with your insurance provider about what they will cover if you decide to implement an animal-assisted therapy program. If yours is not on board, look for providers who will cover animal-assisted therapy as part of an existing therapeutic modality.
Informed consent: If you’re considering starting an animal-assisted therapy program, you probably love animals. And, statistically speaking, most of the people you know also love animals. However, this is not true for everyone. Nobody should be forced into an interaction with an animal, so an informed consent process, before the client is ever exposed to any animal, is critical.
Allergy and phobia screening for the wider clinic: If you work in a larger clinic and some of the clinicians are not doing animal-assisted therapy, be sure that there are animal-free spaces in the clinic where people can wait and not worry about being exposed to an animal.

Structuring the Therapeutic Program

Once you’ve nailed your animal selection, animal welfare maintenance, risk management, and insurance compliance, you’re all set, right?

Well, there is one other thing. You want the animal-assisted therapy program you designed to be effective in meeting client goals, right?

Merely having an animal in the room may sometimes be sufficient to help a client meet their goals, especially if that goal is to calm down enough to be able to engage in therapy. But there are also other powerful ways that an animal can be purposefully integrated into the therapeutic process. In psychotherapy, for instance, animals can help people practice grounding and have been employed in EMDR for trauma therapy. For occupational therapy, they can help by playing games with the client that have therapeutic ends, and clients can perform tasks like buttoning or zipping the animal’s jacket, to develop fine motor skills. The fun of doing these things with the animal can provide a stronger motivation than trying to do it alone.

There are many ways that an animal can be integrated into a therapeutic program, so including plans for what the animal will do in your animal-assisted program design will help ensure that the program is as effective as possible. And don’t forget that you’ll want to have some sort of evaluation plan in the design to measure these outcomes.

Why You Can't Download a Template for This

While the concept of animal-assisted therapy is almost universally appealing, the application is highly specific to the individual clinic's layout, the clinician’s existing qualifications and therapeutic approach, the client demographic, and the chosen animal. With so many variables at play, it is no wonder that animal-assisted therapy program design is so complex. Navigating the ethical guidelines and legal frameworks takes hundreds of hours of research, time which a practicing clinician usually doesn't have. I have done this work, and I can synthesise my knowledge in a way that helps you design an animal-assisted therapy program that is effective, safe, animal welfare-forward, and ethical.

Ready to introduce animal-assisted therapy to your practice safely and ethically? You don't have to build the framework from scratch. I help health professionals design customised, compliant, and welfare-focused animal programs.

Explore my consulting services for clinicians and practices here.