Date of Award

5-2023

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education

Department

Doctoral Studies

First Advisor

Phillips, Julia C.

Second Advisor

Clonan-Roy, Katherine L.

Third Advisor

Hogge, Ingrid

Abstract

To date, most animal-assisted therapy (AAT) research has examined potential outcomes for clients. Though client outcomes are important to study, only a portion of the intervention can be understood when only one piece of the process is examined. For AAT to become a more credible intervention, there needs to be a more holistic and thorough understanding of the practice. Because practitioners’ experiences in providing AAT have yet to be specifically examined, there is a need for this work at the foundational and exploratory level. Additionally, competency models in psychology training and training of other mental health providers identify many important competencies that practitioners-in-training must learn to provide professional services (Bourg et al., 1987; Callan et al., 1986; Ridley et al., 2011; Rodolfa et al., 2005; SoA, 2018). These models include competencies focused on self-reflection, relational skills, individual and cultural diversity, intervention, ethics, assessment, supervision and consultation, and research in particular. Ultimately, understanding more about the roles of self-reflection, and multicultural awareness and cultural humility for AAT practitioners aligns closely with the core competencies and values of the profession; Knowing more about the lived experiences of practitioners helps to lessen a gap in existing literature. Thus, this transcendental phenomenology research study was conducted to better understand the lived experiences of AAT providers and to examine practitioners’ use of specific competencies. Given the participation criteria that handlers must work with a formally registered therapy animal to participate in this study, all therapy animals currently working with their handlers and predominantly referenced in this study were canines. After completing two semi-structured interviews with providers and methodologically coding the data, 10 predominant themes emerged. Overall, it was found that AAT is uniquely influential to therapists and the therapy they provide, and that the broader AAT field could benefit from improved training and standardization. Results also suggested self-reflection is regularly utilized and uniquely called-upon by AAT practitioners. Further, it was found that multicultural awareness is implemented by AAT practitioners and that cultural humility is valued, but that there is room for growth in both realms. Implications for strengthening AAT training, practice, and research are discussed.

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