Animal-Assisted Therapy
Through the Lens of
Occupational Therapists
Presented by: Vicky Chin, Laura Cole, Lisa Eisenberg
Faculty Advisor: Claudia Peyton, Ph.D.
California State University, Dominguez Hills
Need for Qualitative Study
○  Need for study
○  Lack of insight into the perspectives of OTs who use Animal
Assisted Therapy (AAT)
○  Current literature does not capture the essence of OTs’
experiences with AAT
○  Results can be used to increase evidence-based practice in the
area of AAT
○  Why a qualitative study?
○  Examine phenomenon in depth and gain a greater understanding
of the experience of OTs using AAT
Research Questions
○  How do occupational therapists describe
the experience of using AAT during their
practice?
○  What are some activities that an OT utilizes
during sessions involving an animal?
○  How do OTs use AAT as an intervention
with clients?
○  Why do OTs choose to use AAT?
Literature Review - Benefits of
AAT with various populations
●  Psychological and emotional benefits
o  Increase in feelings of competence, self-worth, and selfesteem as well as emotional resilience
●  Cognitive and mental health benefits
o  Pet ownership increases problem solving and decision
making skills
●  Social participation
o  Autistic children display a marked increase in the amount
of social interaction while in the presence of a therapy
animal
●  Physiological and physical benefits
o  Decrease in physical pain when physically interacting
with an animal
Research Method
●  A transcendental phenomenological approach
o  Phenomenology is the science of describing how one
perceives, senses, and unfolds consciousness and
experiences
●  A phenomenological study describes the meaning
of a specific lived experience (phenomenon)
across several individuals
o  Transcendental phenomenology, a subset of
phenomenology, similarly focuses on the lived
experiences of a phenomenon, however the method of
analysis is less a composite of researcher interpretation,
and more a synthesis of the interviews reflecting
authentic experiences
Participant selection
●  A snowball technique (in which one subject gives the researcher the name of
another subject, who in turn provides the name of a third, and so on) was used to
recruit participants through the use of a key informant
●  The research study included six participants and the inclusion criteria of the
participants for the study included licensed and practicing occupational
therapists who have used AAT in at least three intervention sessions
●  Interviews were held in person, on the telephone, and through video conversation
platforms
Method of Data Collection
●  Semi-structured interviewed
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60 minutes
Open ended questions
Informal and interactive process
●  Interview questions were slightly modified
after interviews when appropriate
●  Transcripts were transcribed and analyzed
●  Member checking to validate analysis
Method of Data Reduction and Analysis
●  Phenomenological method used to reduce
and analyze data to find overarching themes
o 
o 
o 
o 
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Epoche (bracketing)
Horizonalization (significant statements)
Meaning units (derived from significant stmts)
Clusters of meaning
Structural descriptions
●  Trustworthiness and credibility
o 
Each researcher read transcripts individually,
identified common themes, and discussed
discrepancies until consensus reached
Findings:
Observed human and animal interaction
○  Animal’s presence
○  “She’s a huge motivator. I have kids that aren’t really interested in her, but
the mere presence of her really helps with calming to say your anxiety and
willingness to participate. And then I have other kids that have really
blossomed and come out of their shell with the use of her.”
○  Markedly observable changes
○  “It was night and day with this kid. The increased eye contact and with the
little speech that he has, as long as he’s sitting next to the dog, he’s willing
to talk to me and reciprocate.”
○  Connectedness
○  “and [Meika] was all about him and he said, ‘I think she can tell I have
autism, she loves me!”
Findings: Job Fulfillment of OT
●  Facilitation of positive growth
o  “He was like puddy in my hands when
we introduced the animals to him, it
was just amazing.”
o  “I took a ton of pictures, it almost
brought me to tears it was so cool.”
●  Excitement
o  “I learn every day. I like that part of it.
I learn more what the animals are
capable of.”
o  “I think my favorite aspect is the
newness of it and to keep exploring
the interconnectedness between
yourself and the animal, and how you
can get the animal to do things that
you didn’t think were possible”.
Findings:
Special Bond Between OT and Animal
○  Intimate personal connection with
animal
○  “She’s a huge motivator to come to
work. I wake up and it makes it really
fun, rather than just work.”
○  “I love her. She is mine.”
○  Protective instinct over animal
○  “He was banging her on the head and poking her
eyes.”
○  “Oh my gosh, this kid is going to kill my dog.”
Discussion
○  Limitations of the study
○  Efforts were made to reduce bias through bracketing, but some
degree of bias may still exist
○  Findings are limited to the participants involved in the study
○  The analysis was limited to the 3 researchers who did the data
analysis
○  Questions for future research
○  More research needed to explore the specific methods of
interventions used by OTs with measurable outcomes to determine
its effectiveness among a particular population
○  Need for exploration on which animal(s) are best for specific
populations and settings
Concluding thoughts...
●  Our results indicate that the incorporation of animals in occupational therapy is
a method that positively impacts the lives of individuals.
●  Every participant was effusive with enthusiasm about this field of work that
they saw making significant differences in the lives of others.
●  Such substantial statements indicate a need for further research and more
widespread knowledge about this therapeutic approach in occupational
therapy.
“So, to me, occupational therapy needs to wake up and realize that – and I’m
not saying that every OT should work with animals but where it’s appropriate
to work with animals, the other disciplines are going to do it, an OT would be
missing a very good opportunity because I think we are suited to do it.”
--Participant
Questions?
Comments?
Student Research Day 2015
References
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Student Research Day 2015
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Student Research Day 2015
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Student Research Day 2015