by Agathe
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The first written documents concerning the presence of animals with sick people date back to the 1790s. In other words, this is not a recent practice, and the benefits of animal presence have been known for a long time. Nevertheless, the practice only began to spread in the 1950s, and has been professionalized for some 20 years now.
Animal assisted therapy brings together a range of Animal-Associated Activities (AAA), with different aims: educational, social, therapeutic, playful etc. and are based on the triangular relationship and positive interactions between a qualified professional, a trained animal and a beneficiary. All this is fostered by the mediating qualities of the animal partner, who contributes to the professional-beneficiary relationship, and offers numerous possibilities for accompaniment.These aims will depend on the basic training of the intervener (educator, psychologist, doctor, occupational therapist, animator).
Interventions with animal care partners are defined within the framework of a personalized support project, according to the needs defined in advance with the beneficiary, his/her relatives and the multidisciplinary team. They are part of the person's individual project.
This is not a practice that can be improvised!
The animal-assisted therapy practitioner creates and carries out activities designed to awaken, maintain or improve the cognitive, physical, psychosocial and/or emotional capacities of the beneficiary.
The axes of support determine the Activity Associating the Animal and they can be cognitive, sensori-motor, social or even psycho-affective.
Animal mediation is aimed at all people - children, teenagers, adults and the elderly - in situations of disability, dependency, physical or psychological suffering, social, educational or family difficulties, or any other problem affecting their daily lives.
Whatever the species, animal partners must be selected, trained and evaluated for the practice of animal assisted therapy.
The animal's gentleness, curiosity, naturalness and non-judgmental presence enable the person to connect with his or her emotions, making it an ideal therapy partner.
The animals most frequently associated with animal mediation activities are equines (horses or donkeys), dogs, cats and other pets (rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, chickens/birds).
If you would like more information on this practice, please visit the website of the Adrienne and Pierre Sommer association, which promotes the human-animal relationship: https://fondation-apsommer.org
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