For those who want to take up a profession in the world of veterinary care, it may be interesting to specialize in Pet therapy, a type of assistance methodology that is becoming increasingly popular in our country.
In 1961 a book entitled "The dog as co-therapist"In which the author, the child neuropsychiatrist Boris Levinson, for the first time introduced the concept of pet therapy, reporting the excellent results obtained in some experimental therapies with autistic patients, in which various forms of interaction with animals had been associated with traditional psychotherapy.
Levinson set out the theoretical basis of these empirical observations in a subsequent 1969 book, postulating that the animal performed a mediating function between the professional and the patient, improving active participation in the therapeutic process. In other words, the animal provides the child with an opportunity to project his inner world outside, giving the therapist valuable opportunities for interaction, especially in the care of autistic patients. Levinson also found that take care of an animal in general, it calms anxious states, compensates for emotional gaps, helps manage stress and provides a valuable aid in the treatment of depression.
Today Pet therapy is a technique that enjoys extensive scientific awards and which finds application in many psycho-socio-assistance areas such as for example in retirement homes, psychiatric wards, drug addiction recovery communities.
The animals that can be used are many: dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, horses, dolphins. The choice of the most suitable animal for a certain type of patient and a certain type of therapy is based on specific assessments of specialist medical personnel, which considers the patient's psychological, physical and relational needs, the behaviors and needs of the various animals and the most suitable environment in which to initiate this relationship.
The professional figure who performs this assessment must have skills and knowledge of animal behavior, or be an ethologist or a veterinarian or a trainer; in short, someone who is an expert in the habitual behaviors of various animal species and the patterns of interaction with human beings.
Some books to deepen the subject:
- Giovanni Ballarini, Animals friends of health: taking care of oneself with pet therapy, Milan, Xenia, 1995
- Giuliana Proietti and Walter La Gatta, Pet therapy, Milan, Xenia, 2005
- Elide Del Negro, Pet therapy: a natural method: a rehabilitation and psychoaffective rehabilitation program, Milan, F. Angeli, 1998
- Roberto Marchesini, Laura Corona, Animal assisted activities and therapies: the zooanthropological approach to pet therapy, Bologna, Apeiron, 2007
Sources: Wikipedia.org
