BIBLIOGRAPHY

Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy

Human-Animal Connection As It Relates to AAP

Here in Israel, there is an emphasis on the academic study of the field of Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy.  For instance, we already have a number of certificate programs in AAP that require extensive study (1100 hours) and field work (400 hours) in academic institutions and hope in the near future to see the establishment of clinical M.A. programs in the area of AAP.  In order to encourage this study, we of the IAAAP have put together a bibliography of professional literature that we hope will help students, researchers and therapists alike to deepen their understanding of the field.  This bibliography reflects only the literature in the English Language.  We hope that with time, each country will invest in the time and effort to translate their literature into English in order to share it with the rest of the world so that we may add it to the bibliography and we may all further the field of AAP through this sharing.

In most of the world, there seems to be much confusion between animal-assisted therapy and animal-assisted activities, and here in Israel we are trying to differentiate between the two. This attempt is reflected in this bibliography, which is concerned solely with the study of Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy.  It is clear that there are many more publications in the area of AAT and related topics, but we tried 1) to include in this bibliography literature of a more serious, academic nature and 2) to prevent redundancy in the more general literature on related topics.

In order to more fully understand the differences between AAP and other animal-assisted interventions, it will be helpful to refer to this document: The Child and the Animal and the Potential Space Between:
A Comparison of Animal-Assisted Education and Animal-Assisted Therapy (Tamar Axelrad Levi and Dr. Michal Motro)

The bibliography has four sections:

Literature Directly Related to Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy

This section reflects the conception of Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy as held in Israel.  In this section the reader will find articles, chapters and books containing descriptions of research, clinical methodologies, theoretical background, clinical work with various client populations, impressions of therapists, and more.

Doctoral Dissertations in AAP and Related Subjects

This section shows that there is an interest in the world of higher education in the field of AAP and the human-animal connection as it benefits both mental and physical human health.

Literature on the Human-Animal Connection With Implications for Therapy and Introductory Material on AAT for the Lay Person

This section reflects the IAAAP's view that there is a need to understand the human-animal connection in order to understand the foundations of AAT in general and AAP specifically.

Literature Concerning the Link Between Animal Abuse and Child Abuse

Research in the area of this link provides an opportunity for understanding the background of the maltreatment of children, both in terms of the abuser and of the abused, and therefore has many implications for the therapy for both.

In order to download the bibliography, press here.