AAA/AAT Comparison*    What are Animal-Assisted Activities/Therapy?    (*credit Pet Partners)

AAA (Animal-Assisted Activities) are basically the casual “meet and greet” activities that involve pets visiting people.  The same activity can be repeated with many people, unlike a therapy program that is tailored to a particular person or medical condition.


EAA and EAT (Equine-Assisted Therapy)  used interchangeably when equines/horses are used for activity or therapy visits, like Mane in Heaven!  Because Pet Partners is not animal-specific or equine exclusive, Mane in Heaven uses their broader terms of AAA/AAT.


Benefits of Animal-Assisted Activities/Therapy *


Empathy Studies report that children who live in homes in which a pet is considered a member of the family are more empathetic than children in homes without pets. Children see animals as peers. It is easier to teach children to be empathetic with an animal than with a human. With animals, what you see is what you get. Humans are not as direct. Children can be taught to read an animal’s body language. Understanding what an animal is feeling is easier than determining what a person is feeling because the animal is straightforward and lives in the moment. As children get older, their ability to empathize with animals will carry over into their experiences with people.
Outward Focus Individuals who have mental illness or low self-esteem focus on themselves; animals can help them focus on their environment. Rather than thinking and talking about themselves and their problems, they watch and talk to and about the animals.
Nurturing Nurturing skills are learned. Many at-risk children have not learned nurturing skills through the traditional channel – their parents. By being taught to take care of an animal, the children can develop these skills. Psychologically, when a person nurtures, his/her need to be nurtured is being fulfilled.
Rapport Animals can open a channel of emotionally safe, non-threatening communication between client and therapist. In therapy settings, animalshelp present an air of emotional safety. If a therapist has an animal in his/her office, s/he “can’t be all bad.” The animal’s presence may open a path through the person’s initial resistance. Children are especially likely to project their feelings and experiences onto an animal.
Acceptance Animals have a way of accepting without qualification. They don’t care how a person looks or what they say. An animal’s acceptance is nonjudgmental, forgiving, and uncomplicated by the psychological games people often play.
Entertainment At a minimum, the presence of an animal can be entertaining. Even people who don’t like animals often enjoy watching their antics and reactions. Especially in long-term care facilities, it seems everyone is entertained by animal visits in some way.
Socialization Studies have shown that when dogs and cats come to visit a care facility, there is more laughter and interaction among residents than during any other “therapy” or entertainment time. In an inpatient setting, the presence of animals encourages socialization in 3 ways: Between clients, between clients and staff, and between clients, staff, and family or other visitors.
Something More When they are with animals, some people feel spiritual fulfillment or a sense of oneness with life and nature. This is hard to define or explain. Some well-known authors have described their relationships with animals and nature as part of their sustaining life energy and/or part of their communion and relationship with God. Albert Schweitzer, George W. Carver, and J. Allen Boone (author of Kinship with All Life), among others, express this “something more” in their writing and work.