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Once I have graduated, I would like to work with adolescence, young adults, and adults that may have psychotic disorders (e.g. schizophrenia). The first line of treatment for many psychotic disorders is antipsychotic medication. A psychiatrist would prescribe antipsychotic medications. In severe cases, hospitalization may be required. Implementing CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is a form of therapy that may be used and there is also family therapy. Both are said to be effective when trying to manage psychotic symptoms. There is also increasing research suggesting that animal-assisted therapy can contribute to the improvement in general well-being of people with schizophrenia. There are other options for treatment, but for this paper, I am focusing on just one.

One treatment that has caught my attention is Pet-facilitated therapy (PFT), or animal-assisted therapy. PFT involves bringing animals to a group or individual with the hopes of providing a positive therapeutic or health effect. Local resources such as Sage Social Services, the San Antonio Health, and Therapy Animals of San Antonio offer animal assisted therapy as a treatment tool for physical and emotional therapy. Being able to pet a cat or dog or even to interact with a horse may let people enjoy moments of life or just enjoy the company without the fear of judgment. Animals can give us joy on many levels. The interaction with them helps us to forget our worries and pains, to better connect with those around us, and enjoy the simple act of being alive.

With PFT, a licensed mental health professional will team up with an animal professional and that animal, to provide metaphorical learning experiences. This is in addition to traditional talk therapy, or even as the sole mode of therapeutic intervention, participants of PFT learn about themselves and their relationships with others by engaging in activities involving animals such as horses or dogs and then talking about or processing feelings, behaviors at the end of the session. Sessions carry on over three stages for physical and psychological health improvement. Stage One: the patient has a session with the therapist but without any animal involved so that the therapist can properly asses the needs of the patient. Then, during the next session, the animal is introduced to the patient and interactions between the animal and client begin. These interactions would include activities such as being acquainted with the animal. Stage Two: Developing the bond between the animal and the patient. This is done by developing motor skills such as feeding the animal, going for walks, carrying the animal or grooming the animal. During another session, the use of verbal skills is used to strengthen the bond (using verbal commands such as stay and sit). Therapists use animals as a form of motivation for the client. Positive social interactions with animals is then interpreted and generalized to positive human interactions. Stage Three: the therapist monitors the improvement with animal interaction and human interaction and evaluates if there is a positive social connection between the animal and patient. Patients are then given the power and independence with the freedom to make choices for the animal. These sessions will allow the client to practice dealing with frustration, anger, stressors, fear and problems with relationships in real time, creating metaphors to situations found in the client’s everyday life.

What I would like to focus on is how animal assisted therapy will benefit patients with schizophrenia. Anhedonia is a negative symptom and a core phenomenon in schizophrenia and defined as the inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable, e.g. exercise, hobbies, music, sexual activities or social interactions. Like other negative symptoms, anhedonia responds poorly to current medications and psychosocial interventions. Which is why treatment of anhedonia is problematic. Interactions with pets or other animals has been widely recognized as a pleasurable and beneficial to the well-being and health of a person. There have been studies that show improvement in the use of leisure time and a trend towards improvement in motivation when using PFT (animal assisted therapy (AAT)). PFT may contribute to the psychosocial rehabilitation and quality of life of chronic schizophrenia patients (Nathans-Barel, et. al, 2005). Animal-assisted activity can promote significant improvements in self-esteem, control over activities of daily living, and other psycho-physiological aspects among inpatients with schizophrenia (Cheng, et. al, 2009). This form of therapy has the potential to be a successful part of treatment for people with a variety of physical or psychological needs.

Training and certification for therapy animals and mental health professionals are the first steps to take, Therapy Animals of San Antonio offer such training and support. The animal needs to be approved by a professional veterinarian before becoming an AAT. Then there is a test to take that checks the skills and ability of the animal and handler to react in therapy sessions. The last step is the submission of the Registration Application. Once approved, the animal and their owner are certified to assist in therapy in hospitals, retirement homes, and other places with the overall goal to improve a patient’s social, emotional, or cognitive functioning.



















References

Animals and your health: Pet-facilitated therapy. (2013, September 10). SAHealth. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from http://sahealth.com/your-health/?/28329/Animals-and-Your-Health- -Pet-Facilitated-Therapy

Chu, Cheng-I,PhD., M.B.A., Liu, Chao-Yin,R.N., B.S., Sun, Chi-Tzu,R.N., B.S., & Lin, Jung,R.N., M.B.A. (2009). The effect of animal-assisted activity on inpatients with schizophrenia. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental Health Services, 47(12), 42-8. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/225535212?accountid=7122

Nathans-Barel, I., Feldman, P., Berger, B., & Modai, I., Silver, H. (2005). Animal-Assisted Therapy Ameliorates Anhedonia in Schizophrenia Patients. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 74, 31-35.