Animal-Assisted Interventions in Health Care Settings - (New Directions in the Human-Animal Bond) (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Growing literature around the benefits of animal-assisted intervention (AAI) spurs health care professionals and administrators to start new programs. Yet the trend also raises questions of how best to begin and run successful AAI programs-under what circumstances, with what staff, and within what guidelines.

Animal-Assisted Interventions in Health Care Settings: A Best Practices Manual for Establishing New Programs succinctly outlines how best to develop, implement, run, and evaluate AAI programs. Drawing on extensive professional experiences and research from more than fifteen years of leading the Center for Human-Animal Interaction in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, the authors discuss both best practices and best reasons for establishing AAI programs. For thorough consideration, the text explores benefits from a variety of perspectives, including how AAI can improve patient experience, provide additional career development for staff, and contribute favorably to organizational culture and to the reputation of the facility in the surrounding community.

Developed for administrators as well as for volunteers and staff, Animal-Assisted Interventions in Health Care Settings includes practical, case-based examples for easy comprehension and offers an accompanying online user-friendly template that can be adapted to develop practice-specific training, evaluation, and procedure manuals.

Review Quotes

"This publication is the extremely helpful compilation of practical experience gained over decades and the underlying research that supports the book's claims. It brings together important aspects of the actual therapy animal visits with a good grounding in program development and management. With its focus on acute care settings, it is possible for anyone to apply the principles in this guide and adjust them appropriately for the population and venue while recognizing the critical importance of client safety and animal welfare. We're delighted this resource is available."

About the Author

Sandra B. Barker is a professor of psychiatry and Bill Balaban Chair in Human-Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). She is director of the VCU School of Medicine Center for Human-Animal Interaction. Barker has more than 25 years of direct experience in human-animal interaction research and animal-assisted intervention practice.

Rebecca Holloway is a volunteer coordinator at the Center for Human-Animal Interaction and a master's of health administration candidate at VCU. Holloway has considerable experience in volunteer recruitment, retention, and management. She also has a background in dog training, and has served as a research assistant on several animal-assisted intervention studies.

Randolph T. Barker is a professor emeritus in the VCU School of Business and a fellow and professor at the Williamson Institute for Health Studies. Barker has extensive experience in management and program implementation. He serves as affiliate faculty senior research associate and administrative volunteer in the Center for Human-Animal Interaction.