An Exploratory Study of Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) in Social Service Agencies

Abstract

This exploratory survey of social service professionals investigated the use of animal-assisted interventions (AAI) within various occupations and settings. Forty one participants from social service agencies responded to an electronic survey. Sixty eight percent of respondents indicated they are providing AAI with the most common type being animal-assisted activities (AAA). Forty one percent of respondents indicated they have received some training in AAI with hospital and residential treatment settings having the most training. Individuals with mental illness and physical disabilities are the largest groups receiving AAI. Many benefits were noted with the implementation of AAI including increased social interaction, decreased stress and decreased depression. The most commonly cited barrier to implementation of AAI was liability concerns. Future research detailing how social service agencies overcame barriers would be valuable for others who wish to implement AAI.

Keywords:

• Animal-assisted intervention
• animal-assisted therapy
• animal-assisted activities
• animal-assisted crisis response
• social service