BC PsyChologist
t h e j o u rn a l o f t h e b c psych o lo g i c a l a s s o ciati o n
Vo lu m e 3 • Is su e 1 • win t e r 2014 • re l ati o nships wit h a nim a l s
O
DR. PAUL G. SWINGLE PRESENTS
“IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD” WEBCASTS
Do you, or does someone you know, suffer from:
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
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DEPRESSION
ANXIETY
ADDICTIONS
ADHD
EMOTIONAL TRAUMA
FIBROMYALGIA
AUTISM
DEMENTIA
OTHER CONDITIONS
ASSOCIATED WITH
INEFFICIENCIES IN
BRAIN FUNCTIONING
Be our guest and join our free live webcasts “It’s All in Your Head” every second
Saturday of the month from the comfort of your home. Join in and listen to the
neurofeedback expert, Dr. Paul Swingle, as he discusses various neurological conditions,
and learn why many people choose neurotherapy as their treatment method.
Dr. Swingle is the director of Swingle Clinic, which has provided nearly 150,000
neurotherapeutic treatments since 1998. His most recent book “Biofeedback for the
Brain” was published by Rutgers University Press. The book is available at
www.soundhealthproducts.com.
To view the full schedule of topics and to register, visit our EVENTS
page at www.swingleclinic.com
Swingle Clinic, 630-1190 Melville Street, Vancouver BC, Tel: 604-608-0444
contents
5
L e t te r f r o m t h e P r e s i d e n t
7
L e t te r f r o m t h e A s s i s t a n t E d i to r
8
L e t te r f r o m t h e E xe c u t i v e D i r e c to r
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B CPA N e w s
P s y c h o lo g y M o n t h L e c t u r e S c h e d u le
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P u b l i c O u t r e a c h: W h y “ P i e ce o f M i n d ” M at te r s
25
Wo r k s h o p Re g i s t r at i o n F o r m s
Features
13
H o w to E d u c ate y o u r C l i e n t o n M a n a g i n g t h e i r F e a r s
b y St a n P o p o v i c h
15
E q u i n e A s s i s te d P s y c h o t h e r a p y
b y M i ke We b s te r, E d . D. , R . P s y c h .
17
A n i m a l M a lt r e at m e n t & I n te r p e r s o n a l V i o le n ce:
D o T h e y G o H a n d - I n - P aw?
b y Ro n a l d A . L aTo r r e , P h . D. , R . P s y c h .
20
21
Our Assistant Psychotherapists
C o ll a b o r at i n g w i t h a n i m a l s i n h e l p i n g h u m a n s
b y M a r k E . J a c k m a n , M A . , R. P s y c h . &
M a r y L o u i s e Re i lly, P h . D. , R . P s y c h .
P e t s i n t h e T h e r a p i s t ’s O f f i ce
b y Te d Alt a r, P h . D. , R . P s y c h .
BC Psychologist
mission statement
The British Columbia Psychological Association provides leadership for the
advancement and promotion of the profession and science of psychology in
the service of our membership and the people of British Columbia.
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ted Altar, Ph.D., R. Psych.
Assistant Editor
Marian Scholtmeijer, Ph.D.
SUBMISSION DEADLINES
December 1 | March 1 | June 1 | September 1
PUBLICATION DATES
January 15 | April 15 | July 15 | October 15
ADVERTISING RATES
Members and affiliates enjoy discounted rates. For more information about
print and web advertising options, please contact us at: communications@
psychologists.bc.ca
PUBLISHER
Rick Gambrel, B.Comm., LLB.
ART DIRECTOR
Inkyung (Inky) Kang
executive director
Rick Gambrel, B.Comm., LLB.
administrative director
CONTACT US
Eric Chu
#402–1177 West Broadway, Vancouver BC V6H 1G3
604.730.0501 | www.psychologists.bc.ca | [email protected]
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Rukshana Hassanali
ADVERTISING POLICY
The publication of any notice of events, or advertisement, is neither an
endorsement of the advertiser, nor of the products or services advertised.
The BCPA is not responsible for any claim(s) made in an advertisement or
advertisements mailed with this issue. Advertisers may not, without prior
consent, incorporate in a subsequent advertisement, the fact that a product
or service had been advertised in the BCPA publication. The acceptability
of an advertisement for publication is based upon legal, social, professional,
and ethical consideration. BCPA reserves the right to unilaterally reject,
omit, or cancel advertising. To view our full advertising policy please visit:
www.psychologists.bc.ca
DISCLAIMER
The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors, and they
do not necessarily reflect the views of the BC Psychologist or its editors, nor
of the BC Psychological Association, its Board of Directors, or its employees.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT
Ted Altar, Ph.D., R. Psych.
VICE-PRESIDENT
Don Hutcheon, Ed.D., R. Psych.
TREASURER
Marilyn Chotem, Ed.D., R. Psych.
DIRECTORS
Michael Mandrusiak, Psy.D., R.Psych.
Douglas Cave, MSW, RSW, Ph.D.,
R. Psych., MA, AMP, MCFP.
Yuk Shuen (Sandra) Wong, Ph.D., R. Psych.
Murray Ferguson, Psych.D., R. Psych.
Canada Post Publications Mail #40882588
COPYRIGHT 2013 © BC PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
letter from the President
t e d a lta r, ph . d. , r. ps ych .
The President of the BC Psychological
Association. Contact for the Board of
Directors at [email protected]
Amendments 1
Add section 22.1: The rules contained in the most current edition of
Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the proceedings at all
meetings of the BCPA, the board, the executive committee and all other
committees in all cases where they are applicable and where they are not
inconsistent with the Constitution and Bylaws
agree: 132
disagree: 1
D e a r Co l l e ag u e s a n d
Amendments 2
Frie n d s , We anticipate 2014 will be
Add section 22(5): Any change to the BCPA recommended fee schedules
for BC Psychologists shall be voted on by a ballot of the membership, upon
a motion for the said fee change ballot passing at the Annual General
Meeting, with the said motion specifying the proposed change in fees.
agree: 129
disagree: 4
another good year for BCPA to move
forward on our mandate to promote the
Profession of Psychology and Psychology
in BC. To this end, we had asked the
membership to vote on eight amendments
to our constitution. These changes were
needed to update ourselves to the newer
technologies and to help ensure that all
Board Directors are clear on the rules of
good process and debate. An informal
process works best with a small board
of under eleven, but even small boards
need to have reference to rules of process
that cannot be debated or formed ad hoc.
I am pleased to report that all proposed
changes were almost unanimously
approved by the membership as follows:
Amendments 3
Change 22(2) to read: Voting is by a show of hands or ballot. The Chair of
the Meeting or a majority of the members present may move to require a
vote by secret ballot.
agree: 129
disagree: 5
Amendments 4
Add section 30(5): Directors who participate in a meeting by telephone or
video conference shall be considered present at the meeting.
agree: 133
disagree: 1
Amendments 5
Amend 30(4) to read: The President or a majority of Directors, on 7 days
notice, shall convene a meeting of the directors.
agree: 129
disagree: 3
Amendments 6
Amend Section 35 to read: A director who may be absent temporarily from
British Columbia may send or deliver to the address of the society a waiver
of notice, which may be a letter, or email, of any meeting of the directors,
and may at any time withdraw the waiver, and until the waiver is withdrawn,
no notice of meeting of the directors shall be sent to that director; and any
and all meetings of the directors of the society, notice of which has not been
given to that director, shall, if a quorum of the directors is present, be valid
and effective.
agree: 127
disagree: 5
Amendments 7
Amend Section 57 to read: A notice may be given to a member, either
personally, by email, or by mail to him or her at his or her registered
address.
Add section 58.1: Notice sent by email shall be deemed to have been given
on the day after the email was transmitted.
agree: 111
disagree: 22
Amendments 8
Amend section 24(2) to read: The number of directors shall be no less than
6 and no greater than 10.
agree: 132
disagree: 2
BC Psychologist
5
As indicated in our Annual Report which is online for the members,
we have made substantive improvements in cost savings and efficiency.
We have to thank all the staff for their dedication and ideas for these
improvements.
I also want to thank the membership for their continuing
support. This is your association and we have endeavored to be
responsive to your needs and to the need of all of us to see the Profession
of Psychology in BC be advanced. Our new Executive Director has proven
himself to be an excellent fit and will serve us well.
Finally, I want to give due recognition and gratitude to our
current board for their dedication and time that they have all volunteered
to the betterment of our association. I also must thank them again
for their confidence in voting to again have me serve this year as the
President. Dr. Don Hutcheon will serve as Vice President and Dr. Marilyn
Chotem remains as Treasurer. Dr. Murray Ferguson, our newly elected
Director, has agreed to be nominated as Secretary but this must first
be voted upon in our January board meeting. Our board meetings are
normally held on the last Friday of every month except for December, July
and August when we normally do not meet unless there is need to do so.
Our committees are structured as follows:
• Continuing Education (C.Ed) Committee (Chair: Dr. Ted Altar)
• Community Engagement Committee (CEC)
(Chair: Dr. Michael Mandrusiak)
• Membership Services Committee (Chair: Douglas Cave)
• Journal Editor (Dr. Marian Scholtmeijer)
Final approval to Print remains with the President
• Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards Committee
(Chair: Dr. Merv Gilbert / Board Liaison: Dr. Sandra Wong)
• Advocacy Committee (Chair: Marilyn Chotem)
• BCPA Awards Committee (Dr. Carol Macpherson)
• Disaster Response Network
(Chair: Dr. Jeanne LeBlanc / Board Liaison: Dr. Sandra Wong)
Volunteers are always welcome and please phone the office if you
are interested. We always need people to sit at our booths at various
conventions or functions.
May all have healthy and productive New Year,
Respectfully,
Dr. Ted Altar
6
Winter 2014
letter from the Assistant Editor
m a ria n S ch o lt m e ij e r, ph . d.
The Assistant Editor of the BC Psychologist.
University of Northern British Columbia Instructor.
D e a r BCPA M e m b e rs ,
This issue of the BC
Psychologist has been of
particular interest and
pleasure to me because my
field of research is our cultural
and legal relationship with
nonhuman animals (see, e.g.,
Animal Victims in Modern
Fiction: From Sanctity to
Sacrifice, 1993). The record
of our relationship with
nonhuman animals is, and continues to be, pretty disgraceful.
It was only recently that naturalists, psychologists, and
then ethologists put the similarities between humans and
other animals on a scientific footing. More work needs to be
done, and ethics and the law certainly need to catch up with
developments in our knowledge of animals. I am pleased,
therefore, to find a running theme in these articles of a kind
and attentive relationship with other animals.
Companion animals have been wonderful
ambassadors for the vast and varied world of other species.
Some people have, for centuries, found joy in simply
observing other animals, and those animals closest to home
lead the way outward to better relations with animals who
are less responsive to us. Indeed, one of the highest pleasures
of watching animals in the wild or in the back yard is self-
forgetfulness. Nothing beats
the thrill of seeing a deer, or
bear, or fox, or squirrel, or
varied thrush, or gecko, or
carp, or even dung beetle
doing what these beings
do unharassed in their
own world. My thought
is that being carried out
of ourselves by observing
other animals is, among
other things, therapeutic.
I am speaking, of course, unscientifically.
Culture perpetuates and capitalizes on irrational
fears of animals. Some people are not yet equipped
psychologically to experience meaningful appreciation
of other animals, and other people cling to destructive
or exploitive attitudes towards animals. As psychologists
have recognized, compassion for nonhuman animals is
an essential component of mental health. We have a long
way to go to correct the attitudes that obstruct progress in
our treatment of animals, but if the articles in this issue
are a sign, psychologists will make a great contribution to
the change that must come.
Peace and love to all sentient beings,
Dr. Marian Scholtmeijer
Editor
BC Psychologist
7
letter from the Executive Director
ri ck ga m b re l , b . Co m m . , LLB .
The Executive Director of the BC Psychological Association.
Contact: [email protected]
O n b e h a l f o f m ys e l f a n d t h e s ta ff
o f BCPA , may I wish you a happy, safe and prosperous
2014.
Since the last edition of the BC Psychologist, we
have hosted two successful workshops and a well-attended
Annual General Meeting, where I had the pleasure to meet
many more of you, the members. I am also pleased to
advise that membership renewals are occurring this year at
an unprecedented pace. I want to take this opportunity to
thank each of you for your membership in BCPA.
In the New Year, we will be offering four more
workshops before the end of June. On February 28, Dr.
Joel Paris will present “The Intelligent Clinician’s Guide
to DSM-5”. This workshop will review the nature of
diagnosis in psychiatry and the history of the DSM process,
describing the strong and weak points of this approach to
classification of mental illness. It will then examine each
of the major groupings of the manual, identify the major
problems, and indicate where DSM-5 has made changes
and where it has not. We do expect this workshop to sell
out. At the time of writing this letter, we are close to a sellout. Register early to avoid disappointment.
On April 25, 2014, Dr. Paul Wong will present
“Meaning Therapy, A new paradigm of integrating healing
with personal growth”. Meaning Therapy (MT) introduces
a new paradigm of integrative therapy that treats the whole
person, rather than mere cognitions or behaviours. It is
integrative, holistic, and evidence-based with the positive
psychology of meaning as its central organizing construct.
As an extension of logotherapy, it will pay special attention
to the existential and spiritual issues that underlie most
personal issues and predicaments. MT will integrate
existential psychology with CBT, narrative therapy, crosscultural psychology, and positive psychotherapy.
Details on our other two workshops will be
available on our website shortly.
February is Psychology Month across the
country, and BCPA has a full schedule of events and
activities planned. We will undertake a large campaign to
raise awareness of the benefits of psychology, including
providing posters, brochures and information to medical
practitioners, hospitals, schools, and service providers
around B.C. We will also present a number of free public
lectures by our members throughout the month.
In May, we will reprise the very successful Piece
of Mind art exhibit in Vancouver. Piece of Mind is an
art exhibition showcasing pieces of work that answer
the question: What does psychological health mean to
you? Artists across the lower mainland are encouraged
to submit their work. Piece of Mind aims to inspire
members of the community, through artistic expression,
to live psychologically healthy lifestyles by adopting
healthy coping skills. Submissions will be available for
public viewing with the hopes of facilitating a platform
that will transfer these pieces of art into pieces of
individual inspiration and motivation. Please call me if
you would like to volunteer to assist with Piece of Mind.
It is a wonderfully creative and rewarding endeavour.
As always, I encourage you to call or email me
if you have any suggestions about what you would like
BCPA to do for you.
I am excited about what the year ahead holds for
BCPA and again wish you a Happy New Year.
Rick C Gambrel, B. Comm., LLB.
Executive Director
8
Winter 2014
BCPA News
u p co min g wo rk s h o ps
T h e In t e l li g e n t clini cia n ’s g uid e t o ds m -5
Presented by Dr. Joel Paris / Friday February 28th, 2014
m e a nin g t h e r a py: A n e w pa r a d i g m o f
in t e g r atin g h e a lin g wit h pe rs o n a l g r ow t h
Presented by Dr. Paul Wong / Friday April 25th, 2014
Please see page 25 & 26 or visit www.psychologists.bc.ca for
more information and registration.
su b mit a r ti cl e s
co n tac t us
s o cia l m e d ia
Want to write for us? We are always looking for writers for the
BC Psychologist or the BCPA blog. The theme for the upcoming
Spring 2014 issue is: Aging. For further details, contact us at:
[email protected]
We publish notices regarding retirement, awards, and deaths of
members. Please keep us informed about your career and life
milestones. If you want a notice to be included in the publication
(100 words maximum) contact us at: [email protected]
J o in us O n lin E!
www.psychologists.bc.ca/blog
www.youtube.com/bcpsychologists
www.twitter.com/bcpsychologists
www.facebook.com/bcpsychologists
Psychology Month Lecture Schedule
fe b rua ry is
Re l ati o n s hip Life Skil l s
psych o l o gy m o n t h .
Presented by Dr. Patrick Myers / Monday February 3rd, 2014
The lectures will take place at Vancouver
Public Library (Central Branch), 350 West
Georgia Street (Alma VanDusen & Peter
Kaye room) from 7:00pm to 8:00pm.
T o p 10 S t r at e g ie s f o r Su pp o r tin g Pe rs o n s wit h
Au tis m S pe c t ru m D is o r d e r
Presented by Dr. Kenneth Cole / Wednesday February 12th, 2014
Cre atin g a Psych o l o g i c a l ly H e a lt h y Wo rkpl ace :
S t r at e g ie s f o r E m pl oy e e s a n d E m pl oy e rs
Presented by Dr. Merv Gilbert / Thursday February 20th, 2014
BC Psychologist
9
Public Outreach : Why “Piece of Mind” Matters
Mi ch a e l M a n d rusia k , Ps y. D. , R. Ps ych .
Michael Mandrusiak received his Psy. D. from Baylor
University and completed pre-doctoral and postdoctoral internships in post-secondary mental health at
the University of Manitoba and the University of British
Columbia, respectively. He has been the chair of the
Community Engagement Committee of the BCPA for
the past three years and hopes to see BCPA strengthen
its community partnerships with other mental health
stakeholders, healthcare professionals and government.
Michael belongs to a group clinical practice in the
Burnaby area, where he treats conditions related to
anxiety and mood disturbance, trauma, stress and
career issues. In addition, he is the Director of Training
and Community Service at the Adler School, which
offers graduate level training in professional psychology.
O u r min d s a r e o u r m os t p ow e rfu l g if t.
T h e y a l l ow us t o fu n c ti o n : e at, b re at h ,
ta s t e , t o u ch a n d fe e l . S o m e tim e s w h e n
o u r fe e l in gs s pir a l o u t o f co n t r o l , w e
h av e d iffi cu lt y co pin g wit h t h e m . T his
d o e s n ’ t h e l p m u ch e it h e r w h e n life is
o f t e n b rie f, r e l e n t l e s s , b e au tifu l a n d
co n fusin g … N o t m a n y t hin g s in life m a k e
s e n s e , b u t in t h os e s m a l l m o m e n t s o f
v u n e r a b l e s e l f e xpre s si o n , t h e re is a
s m a l l cl a rit y.
— Kim b e r ly Nipp, Pie ce o f M in d Su b mit t e r
The BC Psychological Association’s inaugural
“Piece of Mind” exhibit, which was held in May of 2013,
allowed members of the public to answer the question
“what does psychological health mean to you?” Several
creative works of visual art were submitted and ten
submissions were chosen to be displayed in the Moat
Art Gallery at the Downtown Central Vancouver Public
Library for Mental Health Awareness Month. Though
there is much that can be learned to promote the success
of the event going into the future, the opening gala was
well attended, with over 130 member of the public passing
through the exhibit in one evening alone. BCPA is already
well into planning for next year’s “Piece of Mind” event,
which will again be held in the month of May.
10
Winter 2014
While many of BCPA’s members may have heard
of the initiative, what may be less clear is why an event
like “Piece of Mind” is important and necessary work for
our profession and why it is a valuable service to Registered
Psychologists in British Columbia. In answering these
questions, this article attempts to articulate the vision
and purpose of Piece of Mind and BCPA’s other public
outreach initiatives. The goals of the American Psychological
Association’s (APA) public education campaign will be
briefly outlined, before addressing the goals of promoting
psychological literacy and increased recognition of the
professional status of Registered Psychologists. The article
will conclude with a discussion of the importance of
professional visibility.
Pu b li c O u t re ach in Psych o l o gy
While the advocacy efforts of the Canadian Psychological
Association (CPA) have primarily targeted government policy
makers, APA has also invested heavily in outreach to the
general public. Outreach has been defined broadly as the use
of traditional marketing platforms to design programs that
are intended to influence the attitudes and perceptions of
target audiences in order to improve societal welfare (Siegel
and Doner, 1998). APA’s Public Education Campaign began
with the Talk to Someone Who Can Help campaign (APA,
1996) and has more recently included their Mind/Body
Health campaign (Levant, 2005) that focuses on the value of
psychologists in promoting physical and psychological health.
The Pubic Education Campaign (APA, n.d.)
highlights several key objectives, three of which will
be highlighted here. The first, promoting access to
psychologists and psychological services, is strikingly
aligned with a recent report commissioned by CPA entitled
An Imperative for Change: Access to Psychological Services
in Canada (Peachie, Hicks & Adams, 2013). Second, public
education aims to enhance understanding of psychology
as a behavioural science. Third, public education aims to
enhance understanding of the value of psychologists in
clinical, research and organizational settings. At its core, the
campaign aims to help the public understand that psychology
“benefits society and improves lives” and that psychologists
are the mental health professionals best positioned to
translate the latest evidence based research into effective
clinical care (APA, n.d.).
Kanaris (2006) makes the case that public outreach
has many more benefits, both for state and provincial
psychological associations and for their members who
participate in the outreach. One key benefit that is mentioned
and which will be highlighted at the conclusion of this article
is enhanced local and national visibility for the profession.
In addition, Kanaris suggests that engagement in public
outreach has professional benefits for individual members,
such as networking opportunities, increased contact with
other colleagues and increased exposure and promotion
of one’s practice. Useful skills such as media relations and
interviewing skills and public speaking skills can also be
honed through such participation. Last, Kanaris makes
the case that personal benefits, such as the development
of friendships and the opportunity to experience fun and
enjoyable professional activities are important reasons for
getting involved in public outreach. Having briefly examined
the general aims of public outreach, we will now turn to the
role of public outreach in improving psychological literacy.
P s ych o l o g i c a l Lit e r ac y
Mental health literacy is receiving increasing attention in the
literature (for example, Marcus & Westra, 2012; Furnham,
Cook, Martin & Batey, 2011). Mental health literacy was first
defined by Jorm (1997), referring to the knowledge that
individuals have about mental health and mental disorders
and their ability to apply that understanding to manage their
mental health. Since mental health literacy is related to how
our clients understand their mental health and treatment
needs, a preliminary understanding of the literature related
to mental health literacy has important implications that
can be drawn for public outreach. Put another way, in order
to “reach consumers effectively, it is essential to understand
their existing attitudes toward the commodity being
marketed” (Wollersheim & Walsh, 1993, p. 171). For the
sake of our professional brand, this article will use the term
psychological literacy.
A recent study by Marcus and Westra is particularly
relevant, as it involved a national survey that examined the
psychological literacy of 881 Canadian adults. This study had
a particular interest in comparing the beliefs and attitudes
of younger adults (18–24) to those of older adults (25–64).
Young adults were less likely than older adults to believe
that medication was helpful for treating and managing
psychological health problems and also marginally less
likely to see psychotherapy as helpful. Young adults also
believed more strongly that they could manage psychological
problems on their own without professional help and that
untreated psychological problems would not lead to serious
consequences such as suicidality.
There are a few conclusions that we could choose
to take from the above findings. First, older adults may be
the more likely demographic to be interested in accessing
psychological services. However, given that psychological
problems often have their onset in young adulthood and
given that young adults represent the future consumers of
psychological services, it is likely important to target beliefs
and attitudes that are barriers to young adults seeking the
psychological help that they need through public outreach
to target these specific beliefs and attitudes.
Adrian Furnham at the University College
London has conducted extensive research on psychological
literacy, including people’s abilities to recognize
different psychological disorders and their knowledge
of psychological and psychiatric treatment (for example,
Furnham et al., 2011; Furnham et al., 2009). Among
their many findings, Furnham and his colleagues have
shown that recognition of psychological disorders varies
greatly depending on the disorders, with anorexia nervosa,
anxiety disorder, schizophrenia and autism being among
the most widely recognized and Oppositional Defiant
Disorder, Pica, Somatisation Disorder, and Somatoform
Disorder being among the least recognized disorders
(Furnham et al., 2011). Furnham and colleagues reported
“widespread psychiatric illiteracy” (Furnham et a;., 2011,
p. 206). The finding that there were only twelve of ninetyseven psychological disorders that over one third of the
public believed could be cured by treatment suggested that
the public is somewhat cynical about psychological and
psychiatric treatment, though the term “cure” may lead to
some room for interpretation of those findings (Furnham,
et al., 2011). Due to the need for caution in generalizing
UK results to the Canadian context, more information on
the state of psychological literacy in Canada is desirable.
Due to their focus on comparison of results across age
groups, Marcus and Westra’s (2010) article did not provide
a complete breakdown of how many Canadian adults
endorsed the different beliefs, though this information
would be valuable for directing future public outreach.
Pr o fe s si o n a l S tat us a n d Psych o l o gy
A key challenge for psychologists is “the risk of being
confused with other mental health professionals including
psychiatrists, social works and counsellors” (Dempsey,
2007, 2). While public outreach and marketing can have
financial and professional benefits, Dempsey (2007) also
suggests that psychologists have an ethical responsibility
to provide accurate information to the public about the role
of psychologists. This challenge is particularly pronounced
given indications that psychologists themselves are often
confused about their own identity and that psychologists
share scope of practice with several other professions
(Shealy et al., 2004; Fall et al., 2000). As Fall and
colleagues (2000) succinctly put it, “if the professions
themselves are uncertain about identity issues, think of
the confusion the public must face when trying to choose
among the various discipines” (p. 123).
So what does the public think about psychologists?
Members of our profession may not be surprised that
BC Psychologist
11
psychologists have been found to be perceived as dedicated,
helpful, psychological, scholarly and understanding
(Dempsey, 2007). In an interesting study, Fall and
colleagues (2000) examined consumer rankings that
compared the perceived effectiveness of psychologists,
psychiatrists, doctoral-level counsellors, master’s level
counsellors and social workers for five different clinical
issues (adjustment disorder, psychotic depression, marital
problems, borderline personality disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder). They found that psychologists
tied for first along with psychiatrists and doctoral
counsellors for treatment of PTSD and first along with
doctoral and master’s level counsellors for treatment of
marital problems. They ranked second behind psychiatrists
for treatment of borderline personality disorder and
were tied for second with doctoral counsellors behind
psychiatrists for treatment of psychotic depression. For
treatment of adjustment disorders, they were tied for
second with master’s level counsellors and psychiatrists, all
behind doctoral level counsellors.
Perhaps most concerning in Fall and colleagues’
(2000) findings was the lack of public differentiation
between psychologists and doctoral level counsellors. As
the authors note, “the public seem to equate psychologists
with doctoral-level [counsellors] in terms of confidence
levels” (Fall, 2000, 131). While we must be careful about
generalizing these results from a US-based study to the
Canadian and British Columbian context, they do raise
some concern. Most psychologists are aware that despite
some shared scope of practice, there are many important
differences in terms of training, credentialing and
practice scope between psychologists and doctoral-level
counsellors. In British Columbia, one key distinction
between psychologists and doctoral-level counsellors is
that psychologists belong to a regulated profession. The
College of Psychologists has recently joined with the more
than twenty health professions regulators in BC for a public
outreach campaign designed to increase awareness of the
importance of choosing a regulated health service provider
(Health Regulation, 2013). Interested parties can learn
more about the health regulator campaign, which utilizes
a variety of public outreach tools including bus shelter
and newspaper advertisements and press releases, at www.
bchealthregulators.ca. Given Fall and colleagues’ findings,
these and other public outreach efforts are clearly necessary
and should be encouraged and promoted by psychologists
in BC.
Visib ilit y
This article is intended to provide a rationale for the
importance of psychologists’ engaging in public outreach
initiatives such as the BC Psychological Association’s Piece
12
Winter 2014
of Mind Campaign. Central to the need for outreach, is our
need to share our knowledge and understanding (based
on evidence!) that psychological science and psychological
service providers make a critical contribution to the health
and well-being of British Columbians. As APA’s public
education campaign (APA, 2013) reminds us, psychologists
are the best trained providers to integrate psychological and
behavioural science into delivery of best practice evidencebased care. Gaps in literacy about psychological disorders
and public confusion about the psychologist’s roles suggest
a clear need for public outreach efforts designed to increase
awareness of the important role that psychologists can and
do play in the healthcare landscape.
A final important reason for engaging in public
outreach is to enhance the visibility of our profession for
both the general public and the membership of BCPA
(Kanaris, 2006). Visibility is vital to the other objectives
previously discussed, since any initiatives are unlikely to
influence public attitudes if the public is not aware of them.
Similarly, the public may be less likely to realize that a
psychologist could help them with a particular problem if
psychologists do not generally come to mind. Visibility is
also seen as important for the membership of the profession
itself. Since effective advocacy requires strong associations
with strong membership, initiatives and events that increase
the visibility of the profession and of the association can
serve as a rallying cry for members to get involved and
contribute to the overall profession.
While Piece of Mind may well have humble
beginnings, it has much potential to grow into a successful
public outreach initiative that increases the visibility of
psychologists in British Columbia. Past creative submissions
are stunning and eye-catching and are likely to appeal to
media outlets as creative expressions of the importance
of maintaining psychological health. The staff and
membership of BCPA are learning how to create new and
effective donor and in-kind partnerships in order to grow the
profile of the event and future iterations will seek to create
more tie-ins to capitalize on media exposure. Above all,
we must remain mindful of harnessing the key messages
and core objectives of all public outreach in professional
psychology and passionately sharing a message that we
are very proud about: that psychologists provide evidencebased treatments of choice that provide a huge benefit to the
psychological health and welfare of British Columbians.
Piece of Mind also matters because the public — the
individuals who benefit from psychological services — are
our most powerful allies. While keeping in mind the need
for increased psychological literacy, we can also appreciate
the profound wisdom that comes in the recognition that life
is “brief, relentless, beautiful and confusing” (Nipp, 2013).
And as psychologists, we can help people to understand the
relentless confusion of life and to appreciate life’s beauty.
How to Educate your Clients
on Managing their
A s a pu b l is h e d au t h o r o f a p o pu l a r
m a n ag in g fe a r b o o k , I have struggled with fear
and anxiety for over 20 years. In that time, I was always on
the lookout for helpful information in regards to finding the
answers to my fears. Here are a few tips on what counselors
can look for in helping their clients find useful information
in managing their fears and mental health issues.
1. Quick Reads Are Best — Many people have hectic
schedules and do not have time to read a 300-page book
on managing their fears and anxieties. Always look for
material that will not overwhelm your clients.
2. Non-Technical Information Works Best — The everyday
person does not understand the technical jargon that
many counselors use in writing their books. Always
look for information that your clients can easily read and
understand.
3. Price Is Important — Many people work two jobs
nowadays and many can’t afford anything that is
S ta n P o p ov i ch
Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide
to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity
and Non Resistant Methods”. Stan’s book is very
popular on Amazon with over 230 positive book
reviews and counting. For more information go
to: http://www.managingfear.com/
expensive. Make sure that the informational resources
you provide to your clients can match their everyday
price range.
4. Give Your Clients Many Options — What works for
one person may not work for another. Always look
for information for your clients that provides many
different techniques in how to deal with fear and
anxiety. This will increase your client’s success in
getting the results they need.
5. Let Your Clients Decide — Many professionals may see
something that could be useful but because it doesn’t
match his or her high standards, a professional may
disregard that information. Let your clients make the
choice of what they want to use. Always relate to your
client’s needs.
These are just some of the ways to help your
clients find the information they need in managing their
fears. Always be persistent in finding additional ways to
help your clients.
Pie ce o f Min d is a n initiativ e o f t h e Co m m u nit y
E n gag e m e n t Co m mit t e e (CEC) o f t h e B ritis h
Co l u m b ia Psych o l o g i c a l A s s o ciati o n .
The aim is to inspire the community through artistic expression
to live a psychologically healthy lifestyle. Last year’s event was
held during Canadian Mental Health Week in May. It was a great
success with over 130 people attending the opening exhibition at
the Vancouver Public Library. The exhibition was on display for the
entire month of May and it was a great platform to see inspirational
pieces of art and to discuss mental health issues in the community.
J o in us in pl a n nin g t his y e a r ’s e v e n t.
Email us at: [email protected].
Visit: http://mypieceofmind.ca
BC Psychologist
13
CAREERS
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Hypnosis Training
Workshop
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February 8 & 9th 2014 UBC Robson Square
This workshop will provide the basic skills of
clinical hypnosis, including demonstrations
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Simultaneously, intermediate/advanced skills in
hypnosis utilization will be provided to the
experienced hypnotherapist in areas such
as hypnosis for acute and chronic pain
management, anger control, & challenging life
transitions. Visualization techniques to
enhance hypnosis, rapid induction techniques
and integrating hypnosis into your
medical & dental practice is also covered.
For more details visit www.hypnosis.bc.ca
Or call 604 688 1714
Register before Jan. 8th for Early Bird Rate
WORK SAFE
AT WORKSAFEBC, we’re an award-winning employer
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Join our team and be part of a dynamic organization.
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well as five years’ experience providing psychological/
neuropsychological assessment and treatment services.
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WorkSafeBC is an inclusive and accessible employer committed to
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Equine Assisted
Psychotherapy
mik e w e b s t e r,
e d. d, r. p s ych .
Dr. Webster has
practiced as a police
psychologist for over 35
years. He specializes in Crisis
Management and works with law
enforcement agencies both domestically
and internationally. He has consulted on
a number of high profile crises including
Waco Texas, Jordan Montana, Lima Peru,
and Gustafsen Lake British Columbia.
F o r h u n d r e d s o f y e a rs human animals
have been in a relationship with the horse that surpasses
riding them for transport and employing them as workmates
(Frewin & Gardiner, 2005). With its roots deep in history
and mythology, the horse has come to represent strength and
grace, spirit and valour. Most of us are unwittingly placed
under the spell of these mysterious creatures of beauty and
brawn.
In addition to the emotion that the horse evokes in
us, there seems to be specific equine characteristics that are
of central importance in its success as an animal therapist.
The horse exhibits an inconsistent contrast of power and
fear. Our recognition of this contrast provides us with the
opportunity to gain insight into self, horse, and the dance
that is played out between the two. A mutually satisfying
relationship will only derive from the trust and respect that
each has for the other. When relating to an “unmanageable”
horse, the best place to find the source of the problem is often
in our own lack of insight and thoughtfulness (Kersten &
Thomas, 2003).
The horse will not judge us; it has no expectation
or prejudice. It doesn’t care how popular, how successful, or
how handsome we are. It reacts only to the immediacy and
intent of our behaviour. The animal is big and strong,and
always demands our respect. The horse’s presence can be
intimidating; around it we must become mindful. The
creature provides us with opportunities to conquer our fear,
increase our confidence, and to enhance our self esteem.
Unlike dogs and cats, who also act as animal
therapists, the horse is a prey animal. It constantly scans
its environment for signs of threat and danger. Its hypervigilance is very apparent and well documented. The
horse can sense fear in a nearby herd-mate and
immediately take flight. Its ability to read another
animal’s (including the human animal) emotions
and intent can be regarded as its apex survival
mechanism. “Even the most secure horse knows that
any two legged creature conveying the gestures of one
emotion in order to hide another is either up to no good
or delusional enough to be a danger to self or others”
(Kohanov, 2001).
The horse is a “truth teller”. It exhibits immediate
non-verbal feedback. It has the innate ability to mirror our
emotion and non-verbal communication. If we wish to
get close, we must be able to read and modulate our own
emotions, to create congruence between what we feel and
what we reveal. The choreography we create is composed
of the immediate feedback of the horse, our change of
behaviour, and the development of a mutually trusting
relationship. As our messages become clearer to the
horse, we are able to get closer, strengthen the bond, and
ultimately generalize our new learnings to our own kind.
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is in the
process of becoming recognized internationally as an
effective treatment strategy for several different patient
populations, from combat veterans to psychiatric inpatients. The written history of animals being used in
the treatment of mental health appeared as early as 1792
(Triveldi & Perl, 1995). A long history of anecdotal reports
on the benefits of animal assisted therapy, and a discussion
of the growth of the method through the 1970s and 1980s
can be found in Burch (1995). The use of companion
animals in psychotherapy first appears in the peerreviewed psychological literature in the mid-1900s. Several
empirically based studies assessing the impact of animals
on the quality of human life are described by Fine (2000).
The bulk of the literature supporting animal-assisted
therapies seems to be based on case studies, surveys, or
theoretical papers and is often published in languages
other than English (Vidrine et al, 2002).
Much of the above noted work can be described
as a routine therapeutic process with one or more
companion animals included in the consultation room.
These studies produced positive results in the treatment
of both psychological and physical symptoms in various
populations, when companion animals were incorporated
into the therapeutic milieu. (Brickel, 1980–1981; Beck, et al
1986; Folse, et al 1994; Mason & Hagan, 1999; Marr, et al,
BC Psychologist
15
2000). Equine Assisted Psychotherapy has been applied to
a variety of psychological problems (Taylor, 2001; Tramutt,
2003; Tyler, 1994; Vidrine, et al, 2002; Zugich, et al, 2002).
Much of this work, while encouraging, is qualitative in
nature.
Several quantitative studies have shown positive
results. Mann and Williams (2002) demonstrated a
statistically significant reduction in overall symptoms
(including mood disorders, behavioural disorders, and
psychotic disorders) in an adolescent population using
an equine assisted approach. In 2004, P.M. MacDonald
discovered two programs that produced statistically
significant results. The first reported increased self
esteem and greater internal locus of control; while the
second yielded decreases in hostility and global aggression.
These findings were consistent with those of Bowers and
MacDonald (2001) who reported significant decreases in
depression. Reduced recidivism rates in juvenile offender
populations have been reported by Mann (2001) and
Myers (2002) following the incorporation of EAP into
more traditional programs. Levinson (2004) described the
benefits of EAP with Attention Deficit Disorder, outlining
extended periods of focusing when either grooming or
leading the horses. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy was
shown to be effective in a mental health intervention with
children who had experienced intra-family violence (Schultz,
et al, 2007). Klontz et al (2007) reported reductions in
psychological distress and enhancements in psychological
well-being that were significant immediately following
treatment, and stable at a six month follow-up. Finally, in a
study examining externalizing, internalizing, maladaptive,
and adaptive behaviours. Trotter et al (2008) described
statistically significant improvements in seventeen behaviour
areas using an equine assisted counselling approach.
Although most of us are irresistibly drawn to this
majestic creature of magnetic beauty and awesome power, I
have refrained from waxing eloquently about the animal’s
nomadic spirit and how we humans have bonded with it to
form a “single herd of mutual influence and cooperation”
(Kohanov, 2001). I am well aware that, at this moment, EAP
lacks a history of solid research support. I am also aware
of the reluctance of government funding sources to devote
monies to what they consider “alternate therapies”. I do
believe however, that the EAP research that does exist has, at
the very least, strong face validity and justifies further study.
In the case of horses as co-therapists, I think it is important
to remember that at one time the concept of gravity was
considered to be outside the reigning paradigm as well.
references
Beck, A.M., Seraydarian, L., & Hunter, G.F. (1986). Use of animals in the rehabilitation of psychiatric inpatients. Psychological Reports, 58, 63–66
Bowers, M.J., & MacDonald, P.M. (2001). The effectiveness of equine facilitated therapy with at—risk adolescents. Journal of Psychology and the Behavioural
Sciences, 15, 62–67
Brickel, C.M. (1980–1981). A review of the roles of pet animals in psychotherapy and with the elderly. International Journal of Aging and Human
Development, 12(2), 119–128
Burch, M.R. (1995). Volunteering with your pet: How to get started in AAT with any kind of pet. New York: Howell House.
Fine, A.H. (2000). (Ed.) Handbook of animal–assisted therapy: Theoretical foundations and guidelines for practice. USA: Academic Press.
Folse, E.B., Minder, C.C., Aycock, M.J., & Santana R.T. (1994). Animal–assisted therapy and depression in adult college students. Anthrozoos, 7(3), 188–194
Kersten, G. & Thomas, L. (2003). Why horses? In L. Thomas and G. Kersten (Eds.). Equine Assisted Mental Health Resource Handbook USA: Eagala Inc.
Kohanov, L. (2001). The Tao of Equus: A woman’s journey of healing and transformation through the way of the horse. California; New World Library.
Klontz, B.T., Bivens, A., Leinart, D., & Klontz, T. (2007). The effectiveness of equine assisted experiential therapy: results of an open clinical trial. Society and
Animals, 15, 257–267
Levinson, F. (2000). Equine facilitated learning: A natural way to improved mental health,successful relationships, and balance in one’s life.
Retrieved 04/10/13. www.wayofthehorse.org/Articles/equine-fac-learning.html
MacDonald, P.M. (2004). The effects of equine facilitated therapy with at-risk adolescents: A summary of empirical research across multiple centers and
programs. The Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society (CIAS). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.
Mann, D.S. (2001) In L. Thomas, Horse play can be therapeutic: Equine assisted psychotherapy. Retrieved 04/10/13.
www.strugglingteens.com/opinion/horseplay.html
Mann, D.S., & Williams, D. (2002). Equine assisted family therapy for high risk youth: Defining a model of treatment and measuring effectiveness. Journey
Home Inc. Walsenburg CO.
Marr, C.A., French, L., Thompson, D., Drum, L., Greening, G., Mormon, J., Henderson, I., & Hughes, C.W. (2000). Animal–assisted therapy in psychiatric
rehabilitation. Anthrozoos, 12(1), 43–47
Mason, M.S., & Hagan, C.B. (1999). Pet–assisted psychothatpy. Psychological Reports, 84, 1235–1247
Myers, L. (2002). In L. Thomas, Horse play can be therapeutic: Equine assisted psychotherapy. Retrieved 04/10/13.
www.strugglingteens.com/opinion/horseplay.html
Schultz, P.N., Remick-Barlow, G.A., & Robbins, L. (2007). Equine assisted psychotherapy: A mental health promotion/intervention modality for children who
have experienced intra–family violence. Health and Social Care in the Community, 15 (3), 265–271
Taylor, S.M. (2001). Equine facilitated psychotherapy: An emerging field. Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester VT.
Tramutt, J. (2003) Opening the gate: Cultivating self awareness and self acceptance through equine assisted psychotherapy. Unpublished Master’s Thesis,
Naropa University, Boulder CO
Triveldi, L., & Perl, J. (1995). Animal facilitated counselling in the elementary school: A literature review and practical considerations. Elementary School
Guidance and Counselling, 29 (3), 223–233
Trotter, K.S., Chandler, C.K., Goodwin-Bond, D., & Casey, J. (2008). A comparative study of the efficiency of group equine assisted counselling with at—risk
children and adolescents. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, Vol. 3 (3).
Tyler, J.J. (1994). Equine psychotherapy: Worth more than just a horse laugh. Women and Therapy, 15 (3/4), 139–146
Vidrine, M., Owen-Smith, P., & Faulkner, P. (2002). Equine facilitated group psychotherapy: Applications for therapeutic vaulting. Issues in Mental Health
Nursing, 23, 587–603
Zugich, M., Klontz, T., & Leinart, D. (2002). The miracle of equine therapy. Counsellor Magazine, 3 (6), 22–27
16
Winter 2014
Animal Maltreatment & Interpersonal Violence:
r o n a l d a . l at o rre , ph . d. , r. ps ych .
Dr. LaTorre is a Registered Psychologist who
practices in the fields of clinical and forensic
psychology. He is also a Registered Exotic Feline
Handler with the Feline Conservation Federation.
F o r t h e cus t o m o f t o rm e n tin g a n d kil lin g
o f b e a s t s wil l , by d e g re e s , h a rd e n t h e ir
min d s e v e n t owa rd s m e n . —J o h n L o ck e
Keith Hunter Jesperson1 was born in Chilliwack. As
young as age 5 or 6, he captured and tortured animals and
enjoyed the feeling he got when he took their lives.
Kayla Bourque2 was born in Romania and adopted
as an infant into a family in Prince George. She captured,
tortured and killed animals from the time she was 4 or 5.
Mr. Jesperson attempted to kill another child when
he was 10 years old; Ms. Bourque attempted to kill a child
when she was 16.
Mr. Jesperson attempted to become an RCMP
constable but failed to complete the training. Ms. Bourque
was enrolled in criminology and psychology at Simon
Fraser University and on her way to becoming a forensic
psychologist at the time she was arrested.
Mr. Jesperson killed his first human in 1990, a
vulnerable, possibly retarded woman using drugs and
prostituting herself. He was nicknamed the Happy Face
Killer for the many letters he sent to the media and signed
with a happy face. He is a serial killer who admitted to killing
over 100 people, likely a highly inflated number, and he
remains in custody in an Oregon prison.
Ms. Bourque intended to pursue a similar path and,
when arrested, had a “kill kit” in her university residence.
She bragged about and recorded her killing and torturing
of family pets. She was in jail for 7 months for the abuse of
animals and was released with 43 conditions in January of
2013.
1
Information about Keith Jesperson is gleaned from various sources
in the public domain including the book: Olsen, J. (2002) I: The Creation of a
Serial Killer. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
2
Information about Kayla Bourque is gleaned from various sources
in the public domain including Excerpts from Proceedings, Reasons for
Sentence of the Honourable Judge M.O. Maclean, Provincial Court of British
Columbia, Court file NO. 225268-4-C, 28 November 2012 and Information to
Obtain a Search Warrant, RCMP Police File: 2012-10260, 12 April 2012
In a play on her own name Kayla Bourque, she
dubbed herself Killa Beserk but, on the Vampire Freaks
webpage, she called herself Murdererotica. Blogs have
referred to her as “Vancouver’s cutest psychopath”.
It is remarkable that both the Happy Face serial
killer and the Killa Beserk serial-killer-wannabe have
histories involving significant torture and killing of
animals.
One of the earliest acknowledgments that animal
maltreatment was linked to societal violence might be
found in John Locke’s 1705 treatise on education: “…for the
custom of tormenting and killing of beasts will, by degrees,
harden their minds even towards men” (Locke, quoted in
Lockwood and Ascione, 1999, p.5).
Psychology and psychiatry turned their
attention to the importance of animal abuse after animal
maltreatment became a cornerstone of what would be
termed the Macdonald triad. Macdonald (1963) reported
that, in 100 men and women who had threatened homicide,
there was a pre-existing history of a triad including
childhood fire setting, enuresis past five years of age and
cruelty to animals.
Research specifically on the triad has shown less
than robust results; some studies with large samples have
failed to replicate the triad completely. Nonetheless, Heller,
Ehrlick and Lester (1984) found that, while the triad did
not stand up to replication, there was a correlation between
one member of the triad, past animal cruelty, and being
charged with a violent offense. Langevin (2003) found fire
setting and animal cruelty more common among sexual
killers than among other sexual offenders.
In their review of extant literature, Petersen and
Farrington (2009) concluded that, while studies have
significant methodological shortcomings, there does
appear to be a link between childhood cruelty to animals
and subsequent domestic violence, child abuse and elder
abuse. Even when alcohol abuse and antisocial traits were
controlled, there remained a link between animal abuse
after age 18 and interpersonal violence (Febres, 2012).
The link between abuse of animals and the
battering of one’s intimate partner does not appear to
respect gender; both men and women who abuse their
partners have a higher reported incidence of animal abuse
(Febres, Shorey, Brasfield, Sucosky, Ninnemann, Elmquist,
Bucossi, Andersen, Schonbrun & Stuart, 2012).
BC Psychologist
17
Animal abusers also appear more prominent
among those who have bullied their peers Schwartz,
Fremouw, Schenk and Ragatz (2012).
Flynn (1999) earlier found that college students
who reported childhood or adolescent abuse of an
animal were significantly more likely to support corporal
punishment and more likely to approve of a husband
slapping his wife. This finding may suggest that there is an
underlying attitude among animal abusers that condones
the use of violence generally and may even be a precipitant
of interpersonal violence. A major limitation in this field
has been the absence of a good longitudinal study.
The condoning, enabling and even encouragement
of violence toward animals, women and children has
long historical roots. It is exemplified by the Old English
proverb quoted in Ascione & Arkow, (1999):
“A spaniel, a woman and a walnut tree:
the more they’re beaten the better they be.”
Historically, both animals and women were
considered “property” under the law and early legislation
aimed at protecting either was really more focused on
protecting a man’s property than on any concern for the
welfare of either (Stevenson, 2008; Zileny 2007).
Zilney (2007) identifies the formal beginning
of animal welfare as the establishment of the Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in England
in 1824. Remarkably, the legislation for the prevention of
cruelty to animals predated legislation for the protection of
children. It was only in 1884 in England that the secretary
of the Royal SPCA helped form the National Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Up to then, children
were forced to work in coalmines for longer hours that were
the pit mules.
While having a slower beginning, concerns about
battered women and battered children have come to the
forefront while their battered animal companions lost
ground. There does, however, appear to be new hope. It
appears psychologists and psychiatrists are increasingly
turning their attention to the maltreatment of animals.
For the first time in its history, the American
Psychology-Law Society included a session on animal
maltreatment at its 2013 convention in Portland, Oregon.
The DSM-5 (2013), in addition to retaining physical cruelty
to animals as being a symptom of Conduct Disorder and
zoophilia now an “Other Specified Paraphilic Disorder,”
has added “Animal Hoarding” as a kind of quasi disorder.
Specifically, the DSM-5 identifies Animal
Hoarding as a “special manifestation” of Hoarding
Disorder. The DSM-5 states: “Animal hoarding can be
defined as the accumulation of a large number of animals
and a failure to provide minimal standards of nutrition,
18
Winter 2014
sanitation and veterinary care and to act on the deteriorating
condition of the animals (including disease, starvation
or death) and the environment (e.g., severe overcrowding,
extremely unsanitary conditions) (DSM-5, 2013, p. 249).
Those criteria bear little resemblance to the criteria
for Hoarding Disorder. Animal Hoarding as defined by
the DSM-5, and in reality, is really more a special case of
animal maltreatment than it is a special manifestation of
Hoarding Disorder. But inclusion of animal hoarding in the
DSM-5 signals the rise of animal maltreatment awareness
in psychiatry and psychology.
With 97% of the population considering pets as
part of the family (Risley-Curtiss, Holley & Wolf, 2006) and
more children likely to grow up in homes with a pet than in
homes with both parents (Melson, 2001), it is not surprising
that animal maltreatment is a social issue increasingly
attracting the attention of psychologists and other mental
health professionals. It is encouraging that the BCPA Forum
previously raised the issue of the mandatory reporting of
animal abuse and it is encouraging that this issue of the BC
Psychologist is devoted to human-animal relations.
references
Ascione, F.R. & Arkow, P. (Eds.) (1999) Child abuse, domestic violence, and animal abuse: Linking the circles of compassion for prevention and intervention.
West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5. (5th ed.) (2013) Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.
DiLillo, D. (2009) Is animal cruelty a “red flag” for family violence: Investigating co–occurring violence toward children, partners and pets. Journal Interpers.
Violence, 24:1036 – 1056.
Febres, J. (2012) Adult animal abuse among men arrested for domestic violence. Thesis presented for the Master of Arts degree, University of Kentucky,
Knoxville.
Febres, J. Shorey, R.C., Brasfield, H., Zucosky, H.C., Ninnemann, A., Elmquist, J., Bucossi, M.M., Andersen, S.M., Schonbrun, Y.C., & Stuart, G.L. (2012)
Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 27, 3115 – 3126.
Flynn (1999) Animal abuse in childhood and later support for interpersonal violence I families. Society and Animals. 7: 161 – 172.
Greenspan, L. (Ed.) Martins Annual Criminal Code 2007. Ontario: Canada Law Book.
Heller, M.S., Ehrlick, S.M. & Lester, D. (1984) Childhood cruelty to animals, firesetting and enuresis as correlates of competence to stand trial. Journal of
General Psychiatry. 110: 151 – 153.
Lockwood, R. and Ascione, F.R. (Eds.) (1999) Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence. West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Press.
Macdonald, J.M. (1963) The threat to kill. American Journal of Psychiatry, 120:125 – 130.
Melson, G.F. (2001) Why the wild things are: Animals in the lives of children. Cambridge, MA: Harvard university press.
Petersen, M.L. & Farrington, D.P. (2009) Types of Cruelty: Animals and childhood cruelty, domestic violence, child and elder abuse. In A. Linzey (Ed.)
The Link between Animal Abuse and Human Violence. Portland, Oregon: Sussex Academic Press.
Schwartz, R.L., Fremouw, W., Schenk, A. & Ragatz, L.L. (2012) Psychological profile of Male and Female Animal Abusers. Journal of Interpersonal Violence,
27, 846 – 861.
Risley–Curtiss, C, Holley, L.C. & Wolf, S. (2006) The animal-human bond and ethnic diversity. Social Work. 51: 257 – 268.
Sprinkle, J.E. (2008) Animals, Empathy, and violence: Can animals be used to convey principles of prosocial behaviour to children? Youth Violence & Juvenile
Justice. 6: 47 – 58.
Stevenson, R. (2009) Legislative reform to the animal cruelty offences in the Criminal Code: Will Bill C-373 really help animals in Canada? 35th Annual
Meeting of the Western Society of Criminology, Sacramento, CA.
Zilney, L.A. (2007). Linking animal cruelty and family violence. Youngstown, NY: Cambria press.
Coming to Vancouver!
April 4-5, 2014
EMOTIONALLY FOCUSED FAMILY THERAPY:
Restoring Family Bonds
Use the power of emotion and attachment to
understand the systems in which your clients
live. Four dynamic, experienced EFT trainers will
bring EFFT to life. Instruction, video examples
and experiential exercises.
For more information and to register go to:
http://vc.ca/events.php
Don’t work directly with families?
Your individuals and couples are strongly impacted
both by their past and present family life. Regardless
of the population you work with, this systemic and
attachment-based workshop will enrich your clinical
work.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY CENTRE
Co-sponsored by
Vancouver Couple & Family Institute
and Clinical Psychology Centre, SFU
BC Psychologist
19
Our Assistant Psychotherapists
Collaborating with animals in helping humans
M a r k E . Jackm a n , m a . , r. ps ych .
&
M a ry L o u is e Re il ly, ph . d. , r. ps ych .
Mark Jackman and Mary Louise Reilly are
psychologists in private practice, married to each other,
and conduct psychotherapy at their secluded country
office in North Saanich, BC. They specialize in couple
and family therapy, cognitive therapy, clinical hypnosis,
and health psychology. Prior to private practice, Mary
Louise taught university courses for ten years, and
Mark worked as a counselling psychologist in education.
I sit in o u r s t u d i o o ffi ce , surrounded
by nature on seven acres in Saanich, BC. Suddenly there
is a bang on the glass French doors. There is Mo’ chuisle
(Irish name sounds like “macushla”), our black-and-tan
American Cocker Spaniel, knocking to come in. It is a
very emotional and delicate moment in therapy, but the
little spaniel is clearly insistent. First I apologize for the
interruption. Then I ask the client if they like dogs. Yes.
And would they like to meet Mo’ chuisle? Yes. Mo’ chuisle
comes flying in and jumps on the client’s lap. She is so
happy and energetic that the client cannot help but play
with her. After only a minute or two, Mo’ chuisle runs to
the door to be let out. The intervention is over.
Each of us experienced Mo’ chuisle’s therapeutic
interventions often in her short but amazing life. Every
time she showed up, the client needed her. Mo’chuisle
knew. No matter where she was roaming on the seven
acres, she would be there at the right moment. On each
occasion, the client would laugh, or cry, or say something
like, “Perfect timing! That is just what I needed!” On one
occasion, a client was in an emergency state remembering
a trauma and her breathing was severely contracted.
Mo’chuisle burst into the room and jumped on her lap.
Instantly, the client began sobbing and the somatic tension
released. On another occasion a client was unable to leave
an unhappy relationship. While holding Mo’ chuisle, she
understood her attachment anxiety, clinging tightly to
all relationships since being adopted as an infant. Then
she could let go. On other occasions clients recalled how
important their animals and pets had been to them as
children, how animals loved them when humans were
20
Winter 2014
unable to. These clients could now take the risk of opening
their hearts more in their human relationships.
Dogs have been assistant psychotherapists at least as
far back as Freud, according to the dog expert Stanley Coren,
Ph.D. He noted that Freud brought a series of dogs into his
sessions, because he believed that dogs had a special ability
to sense character and gave him valuable information about
his clients. It is likely that many animals have this ability. A
year ago we were given a 12 year-old wise cat named Rumi,
who has also become our assistant psychotherapist. Rumi
knows loneliness well, having been in a rescue shelter for
three years before the previous owner adopted him.
People love being around dogs, cats, horses, and
working animals, and other pets because animals remain
connected to what we have lost: the ease and flow of natural
laws. Animals remind us of a way of being connected with
nature and our true nature. They rest when they are tired.
They do not have cognitive schemas that drive them to
perfectionism, OCD, proving their worth, success, outer
beauty, or high achievement. They don’t need life to be
fair. They don’t have to be right. They may get in all sorts of
trouble out of curiosity or intelligence, but not out of egotism
or entitlement! They have all the same emotions we have,
including shame and humiliation. Often people think they
can belittle an animal with no consequence. How often have
we been walking the trails to witness a dog owner berating
or punishing the animal for not following the owner’s orders
perfectly?
Animals love to serve us. Sometimes that means
taking on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and even
physical illness. They can carry our pain — such incredible
service. They are connected to emotional intelligence, and
can sense human emotions even when the person lacks
awareness. This ability can reduce anxiety and depression.
Animals know false emotion from true. Animals do not
judge or criticize, allowing us to feel safe with them.
We are excited about developing our practice with
assistant psychotherapists in the animal realm. We hope
to learn how to cooperate with animals whose families and
couples need help, as a therapeutic modality. We believe our
assistant psychotherapists will help us to create more happy
couples and families. Why not? We were trained by a very
smart cocker spaniel.
references
Coren, S., & Walker, J. (1997). What Do Dogs Know? New York: Free Press.
Pets in the Therapist’s Office
t e d a lta r, ph . d. , r. ps ych .
The President of the BC Psychological
Association. Contact for the Board of
Directors at [email protected]
If yo u pi ck u p a s ta rvin g d o g a n d m a ke him
pr os pe r o us , h e wil l n o t b it e yo u. T his is
t h e prin cipa l d iffe re n ce b e t w e e n a d o g
and a man.
— M a r k T wain , Pu d d ’ n h e a d Wil s o n
The terms “pet therapy” or “animal assisted therapy”
has come to refer to a variety of practices and includes having
friendly cats or well-trained dogs visit or stay in care homes
for the elders, or visit rehabilitative centres, hospitals, prisons
and schools for educative purposes. Therapists may even
suggest for a child a relationship with a dog of their own, or
refer a child to a centre where they may learn to ride horses.
Exploiting the idea of animal assisted therapy, some marine
centres with captive dolphins recruit children and adults with
emotional or intellectual difficulties to swim with these poor
entrapped beings. General enjoyment of people with animals
by itself is not animal assisted therapy (Kruger & Serpell,
2010). In this article I will focus only on the simple practice
where some therapists may have their personal companion
animal(s) present in a therapy session with some clients for
the purpose of facilitating a therapeutic process or outcome. I
will assume that proper pet advocacy and care would here not
be an issue.
B rie f His t o ry
The therapeutic relationship of non-human animals for
humans is one of those neglected histories due to the
inability of one side to speak our language. This is not to
say that non-human animals don’t communicate or have an
emotional and cognitive life. They are conscious beings who
are subjects of a life like us. Our exploitation of non-human
animals has prevented us from having a more compassionate
and healthier relationship with the non-human world. We are
the species whose myopic self-interests put all life in jeopardy,
including, ironically, the life our own species. Maybe one of
the few salubrious relationships we have with the non-human
world is that of our relationship with pets.
One of the first therapeutic relationships was
seen with the use of dogs at the ancient Greek shrines
of Asclepius (god of Medicine) who were trained to lick
people at the anatomical site of their ailment or injury
(Serpell, 2010). This idea of the healing power of a dog’s
tongue persisted into the Christian era, as in the case of
St. Roch who was thought to cure some plague sores when
his dog licked those sores. In the fifteenth century there
was recommendation to Elizabethans to be healed by the
close companionship of a lap dog like a “Spaniel Gentle”.
Unfortunately, this idea was suppressed by the Papal
Inquisition and cats in particular became one of the many
victims during two centuries of paranoia about witches
and their familiars. Nevertheless, the idea did not become
completely suppressed and the practice of pet keeping
remained and the salutary effects of such could not but be
recognized. The philosopher, John Locke, for example in
his famous treatise on education, recommended pets for
children to develop their sense of compassion and social
responsibility.
Children should from the beginning be bred up in
an abhorrence of killing or tormenting any living
creature; and be taught not to spoil or destroy any
thing, unless it be for the preservation or advantage of
some other that is nobler. . . .I cannot but commend
both the kindness and prudence of a mother I knew,
who was wont always to indulge her daughters, when
any of them desired dogs, squirrels, birds, or any such
things as young girls use to be delighted with: but
then, when they had them, they must be sure to keep
them well, and look diligently after them, that they
wanted nothing, or were not ill used For if they were
negligent in their care of them, it was counted a great
fault, which often forfeited their possession, or at least
they fail’d not to be rebuked for it; whereby they were
early taught diligence and good nature. And indeed, I
think people should be accustomed, from their cradles,
to be tender to all sensible creatures, and to spoil or
waste nothing at all.
(Locke, 1699, section 116).
It was not until the late eighteenth century that
the York Retreat in England, started by William Tuke,
documented in 1792 the use of non-human animals for
the therapeutic benefit of the in-patients. The York Retreat
was one of the first enlightened centres for “moral therapy”
that held that benevolence and salubrious living conditions
would help the “mad” far better than imprisonment
and medical punishment (blistering, sudden cold water
immersion, prolonged immobilization, etc.). Part of the
BC Psychologist
21
program of restoring self-worth and self control was
allowing patients the dignity to wear their own clothes, be
free of manacles, do gardening and be allowed to walk the
grounds that were populated by small domestic animals. It
was thought that the small animals served to help socialize
patients and provide comfort. This practice was taken up
at Bethlem hospital in England which also attempted to
increase patient morale further by allowing some pets to
stay on the ward. Florence Nightingale also recognized
the value of pets and indeed her first patient was a dog
whose leg was badly hurt from boys throwing stones at
the poor creature. The owner was going to hang the dog
but Florence Nightingale managed to bring the dog back
to health. In a footnote to her Notes on Nursing (1880)
she noted the social comfort and rehabilitative end of a
companion animal:
A small pet animal is often an excellent companion for
the sick, for long chronic cases especially. A pet bird
in a cage is sometimes the only pleasure of an invalid
confined for years to the same room. If he can feed
and clean the animal himself, he ought always to be
encouraged to do so. (p. 103)
Franklin Lane, Secretary of the Interior,
suggested in 1919 using dogs with psychiatric patients
at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington. Pawling Army
Air Force Convalescent Hospital used pets for recovering
veterans in 1942.
Pe t A s sis t e d T h e r a py
It has been noted that Freud himself became a dog lover in
1928 and he would have his pet dog sit in on his sessions.
Unfortunately, Freud was devastated with Lün-Yu was
run over by a train some fifteen months later. After seven
months of grief, Freud was ready to accept another dog,
Jofi, Lün-Yu’s sister. Freud observed how his beloved dog,
Lün-Yu, would have a calming influence on his patients
and also on himself, particularly when he was undergoing
operations for his mouth. He wrote to his colleague and
friend, Marie Bonaparte, about Jofi: “I wish you could have
seen with me what sympathy Jofi shows me during these
hellish days, as if she understood everything” (quoted by S.
Green, 2002). Unfortunately, psychoanalytic theory itself
obscured this experience of mutual benefit, particularly
with its iconology of animals symbolizing the id.
It was not until 1961 at the American
Psychological Association when Dr. Boris Levinson was
the first to present case studies in the therapeutic field
about the benefits of therapeutic animals. Reception was
mixed with some being inspired by the presentation but
also some others sarcastically asking if his dog shared in
charging fees. Levinson’s (1969; 1979) books have been
22
Winter 2014
greatly influential and he has been called the “father” of
animal assisted therapy. Besides recognizing the socializing
influence of pets, Levinson thought that pets also helped to
connect us with our basic self, particularly our capacity for
that greatest empathy towards others including others in the
non-human world.
For Levinson, a relationship with a cat or dog can
help some individuals to achieve a healthier relationship with
themselves and with others. Hence, Levinson is suggesting,
besides the socializing influence, a re-integrating influence
of knowing oneself through one’s relationship with a pet.
Levinson would bring his dog, Jingles, to his therapy sessions
with children and noted the effect of his dog’s presence and
interactions with the child in facilitating rapport with his
young clients. Many therapists have subsequently noted this
same positive influence of a companion not just on young
people but also with the adults of all ages.
R e s e a r ch
Research in the area of pet assisted therapy broadly defined
is growing and more needs to be completed. Not all
practices are have been verified and claims of benefit from
dolphin swims for autistic children and adults has not been
supported by recent studies (Marino, 2007). Nevertheless,
there now exists a large body of direct and indirect research
that would support the practice of therapists having their
companion animals be present with some clients.
There is the indirect evidence from psychology
experiments indicating increased social facilitation and
increased positive mood effects through the presence of
friendly animals. For instance, people in pictures with
an animal are perceived as being more friendly, more
relaxed and less threatening than they are perceived to be
in pictures without the animal (Kruger & Serpell, 2010).
When people were asked to walk with and without dogs in
different settings, they reported increases in positive social
interactions with strangers when accompanied by a dog (ibid).
There is the large body of medical research that
has documented the moderating effects of good social
relationships on health. What may be a reflection of our
current bias is that this body of research largely pertains to
positive human relations while the human-pet relationship
has been under-recognized and funding for such research
is limited. This lack of recognition is sadly reflected in some
of our social policies where, for example, elders are often
required to give up their companion animals when their
failing health and vigor requires assisted living. As one
reviewer noted,
“Considered in retrospect, it is difficult to escape the
conclusion that the current inability or unwillingness of
the medical establishment to address this topic seriously
is a legacy of the same anthropocentrism that has
dominated European and Western thinking since the
Middle ages” (Serpell, 2010, p. 29)
One of the first studies that was very influential
in opening the field to more research was the correlational
study by Freidman et al (1980) who found that 92 cardiac
outpatients were found to survive longer if they also owned
and cared for a pet. Eleven (28%) of the 39 patients who
did not own pets died while only 3 (6%) out of the 53 pet
owners died. Due to the possible confound that caring for
dogs caused owners to exercise more, the authors did a
comparison of those pet owners who owned pets other than
dogs and there was no indication that this accounted for the
difference in survival.
It became apparent from this and the other studies
that followed that pets are able to induce greater relaxation
and de-arousal by their stimulating presence and that pets
also provide a moderating effect on stress through their
companionship with people (McConnell et al. 2011; Katcher
& Beck, 2010, Hart, 2010). This is not to suggest that pets
are to be considered a substitute for human social support,
but having a pet can certainly help reduce the isolation and
alienation that many individuals may feel. The physical
presence of less demanding animals such as birds on a
bird feeder has facilitated improved family involvement or a
fish tank on ward has been shown to facilitate a reduction
in agitation and an increase in eating among Alzheimer's
patients (Katcher & Beck, 2010). Even the mere presence of
a pet, particularly the petting of a pet, lowers blood pressure
and heart rate (Friedman, et al., 1983). The presence of a
beagle during a physical examination had a calming effect
on the children (Nagengast et al., 1997). In an experimental
study in which a negative experience was manipulated, pet
ownership “offset the negativity from a rejection experience”
(McConnell et al., 2011, p. 1250).
Therapy is perceived to be friendlier and less
threatening for children and adults when the therapist’s
companion animal is present (Fine, 2010). Even the
presence of birds on a psychiatric ward improved patient
communication and socializing (Corson, 1977). Numerous
studies have recorded a parasympathetic effect and possible
improved immune function simply from watching or
interacting with animals that we trust, while an opposite
effect occurs when viewing animals that we perceive as
threatening or dangerous (Matsuura et al., 2007). The
calming effect that can add to the rapport and trust that a
therapist may have with some clients has been long observed.
As Melson noted,
Watching animals at peace may create a coupling of
decreased arousal with sustained attention and alertness,
opening the troubled child to new possibilities of
learning and growth. The child can then experience
unconditioned love and models of good nurturing,
practice caring sensitively for another, and assume
mastery tempered with respect. . . Friendly animal
presence, because of its evolutionary association with
safety, bathes in a warmer glow the ambiguous, the
unfamiliar. . . (Melson, 2001, p 130)
E t hi c s
In general, the value of non-human animals to many
people is being documented but to go further and
prescribe a companion animal to a person who never has
had a pet or has a history of aggression or neglect could
be harmful both to the client and the companion animal.
Even companion animals can bite, scratch or even infect
humans with some diseases such as toxoplasmosis from
cats. Not any companion animal will suffice. In turn,
clients themselves may be fearful of some animals or
incompetent with them.
Tzachi Zamir (2006) cites the Delta Society’s
admonition not to have animals present when:
1. injuries from rough handling or from other animals
may occur;
2. basic animal welfare cannot be assured (this includes
veterinary care and access to water and exercise areas);
and
3. the animal does not enjoy visiting.
The above code applies to animal assisted
activities, as when one employs pets to visit patients in
institutions or care homes, and a similar code should
also apply to therapists with their companion animals
in the office. The animal should certainly show desire
(Preziosi, 1997) to be in the same room as you and your
client. We have historically underestimated and woefully
misunderstood the intelligence and emotional and social
life and world of non-human animals. Only recently have
we studied more carefully non-human animals in their
natural environment and devised more clever means to
understand their remarkable and similar capacities to
ourselves. Both the client’s and the companion animal’s
needs must be fully respected.
A more difficult concern to properly address is
the prescribing, or even encouragement, of a companion
animal for a client. It irresponsible to assign or recommend
a pet not knowing in advance how this plan may turn out.
This is where research in this area will remain limited due
to the requirement that both the client and the companion
animal are protected. Also, we must be mindful of the fact
that one of the most unreported and poorly controlled areas
where humans commit deplorable abuse and viciousness
is that in the areas of animal neglect, sex with animals and
BC Psychologist
23
outright torture and killing of animals. One should ensure
that there be in place some means to monitor the health
and well-being of any companion animal. One solution
to the risk of maltreatment to animals is to use robotic
animals which have already been shown to be of some
help to some children and residential patients (Melson et
al., 2009). As the robotics improve, we can expect that the
effect size will also improve and become more comparable
to the benefit of a living pet.
The non-human animal cannot themselves testify
to maltreatment or neglect. Only if there is a monitoring
for physical evidence or collateral observations would we
know of any such maltreatment. When animals are used
in institutional settings, a visiting pet requires additional
safeguards and here training and some form of registration
would be recommended.
While it is ethically less problematic for a therapist
to have her or his companion animal present in therapy
sessions with some clients, we must be mindful that this
is not to be recommended for new therapists who need to
develop their interpersonal skills long before ever having a
companion animal present in the treatment of some clients.
I myself have eight rescued cats, but I usually keep the
cats out of my home office and I would always ask clients
if they mind having any of my cats stay or enter into the
room. Some clients are actually allergic to cats and for them
I use a separate office that my cats are not permitted to enter.
Certainly, my cats are kept out of the office with clients who
come with young children or babies. Visible through my
home office window is a bird feeder that also helps to relax
clients as they note various birds landing on the feeder.
Co n cl usi o n
Companion animals present in a therapy session can be a
useful aid in establishing rapport and increasing the comfort
and openness of some clients. Of course, this is certainly not
applicable to all clients and consent must be solicited and the
presence of one’s companion animal never inflicted upon a
client. Also, this is not an adjunct that I would recommend
for new therapists and certainly it is never to be considered
when clients are not pet lovers or comfortable with pets
in the room. How a therapist relates to their companion
animals can role model a kindness towards the non-human
other that may add to the warmth and kindness that we
know is an important non-specific factor in therapy success.
The subject of a pet’s death can also be an important topic
in therapy (Sharkin, 2003) since many clients have pets and
their grief for a pet is one of the distresses for which our
society provides little formal comfort or even recognition.
references
Corson, S.A., Corson, E.O., Gwynne, P.H. & Arnold L.E. (1977). Pet dogs as nonverbal communication links in hospital psychiatry. Comprehensive
Psychiatry,V0l.18, pp. 61-72
Fine, A.H. et al. (2010). Application of animal-assisted interventions in counseling settings: An overview of alternatives. In Aubrey Fine (ed), Handbook on
Animal Assisted Therapy, 3rd Edition. Academic Press.
Friedmann et al. (1980). Animal companions and one-year survival of patients after discharge from a coronary care unit. Public Health Reports, 95: 307–12.
Green, S. (2002). Freud's dream companions. The Guardian, Saturday 23 March. Available at:
http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2002/mar/23/weekend7.weekend3
Hart, L (2010). Postive effects of animals for psychosocially vulnerable people: A turning point for delivery. In Aubrey Fine (ed), Handbook on Animal Assisted
Therapy, 3rd Edition. Academic Press.
Hooker, S.D., Freeman, L.H., & Stewart, P. (2002). Pet therapy research: A historical review. Holist. Nurs. Pract. 17(1): 17–23.
Katcher, A.H. & Beck, A.M. (2010). Newer and older perspectives on the therapeutic effects of animals and nature. In Aubrey Fine (ed), Handbook on Animal
Assisted Therapy, 3rd Edition. Academic Press.
Kruger, K.A. & Serpell, J.A. (2010). Animal-assisted interventions in mental health: definitions and theoretical foundations. In Aubrey Fine (ed), Handbook on
Animal Assisted Therapy, 3rd Edition. Academic Press.
Levinson, B.M. (1969). Pet-Oriented Child Psychotherapy. Charles Thomas
Levinson, B.M. (1972). Pets and Human Development. Charles Thomas.
Levinson, B.M. & Mallon, G.P. (1996). Pet-Oriented Child Psychotherapy (2nd ed.). Charles Thomas.
Locke, John (1699). Some Thoughts Concerning Education. Reprinted in 1964 by Heinemann. Available at online at http://www.bartleby.com/37/1/
Marino, L.; Lilienfeld, S. (2007). “Dolphin-Assisted Therapy: More Flawed Data and More Flawed Conclusions”. Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of
The Interactions of People & Animals 20 (3): 239–249.
Matsuura, A., Nagai, N., Funatsu, A., Yamazaki, A. & Hodate, K. (2007) Changes in automatic nervous activity before and after horse trekking measured by
heart rate variability and salivary amylase activity, Abstracts, 11th International Conference on the Relationship Between Humans and Animals,
p. 39,Tokyo, Japan, 5–8 October, 2007.
McConnell, A.R. et al. (2011). Friends with benefits: On the positive consequences of pet ownership. J. of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(6): 1239–52.
Melson, G.F. et al. (2009). Robotic pets in human lives: Implications for the human-animal boand and for human relationships with personified technologies.
J. of Social Issues, 65(3): 545–67.
Melson, G.F. (2001). Why the Wild Things Are: Animals in the Lives of Children. Harvard U. Pr.
Nightingale, Florence (1869). Notes on Nursing: What it is, and what it is not. Appleton. Available at:
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/nightingale/nursing/nursing.html
Preziosi, R.J. (1997). For your consideration: A Pet Assisted Therapist Facilitator Code of Ethics. The Latham Letter, Spring, p. 5–6.
Serpell, J. A. (2010). Animal-assisted intervention in historical perspective. In Aubrey Fine (ed), Handbook on Animal Assisted Therapy, 3rd Edition.
Academic Press.
Sharkin, B., Kutztown U, & Knox, D. (2003). Pet loss: Issues and implications for the psychologist. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice,
Vol 34(4): 414–21
Tzachi Zamir (2006). The moral basis of animal-assisted therapy Society & Animals 14:2. Available at:
http://www.animalsplatform.org/assets/library/610_moralsofanimalassistedthe.pdf
24
Winter 2014

The Intelligent
Clinician’s Guide to DSM-5
Pre sented by D r. J oel Paris
About the Workshop
This workshop will review the nature of diagnosis
in psychiatry and the history of the DSM process,
describing the strong and weak points of this approach to
classification of mental illness. It will then examine each
of the major groupings of the manual, identify the major
problems, and indicate where DSM-5 has made changes
and where it has not.
Learning Objectives
1. To understand the scientific and ideological bases of the
DSM system
2. To examine limitations of the DSM, but to indicate how
future research might illuminate diagnostic problems
3. To examine each of the major diagnoses in psychiatry and
How to register for this workshop
• Mail this form to: BC Psychological Association
402 – 1177 West Broadway Vancouver BC V6H 1G3
• Fax this form to 604 – 730 – 0502
• Go online: http://psychologists.bc.ca/civicrm/event/
info?id=109
Cancellation Policy: Cancellations must be
received in writing by February 17th, 2014.
A 20% administration fee will be deducted
from all refunds. No refunds will be given
after February 17th, 2014.
q
I will attend Paris' Workshop (required)
q
I agree to the Cancellation Policy (required)
Name:
Address:
City:
Postal Code:
to review how DSM-5 deals with them.
About the Presenter – Dr. Joel Paris
Joel Paris was born in New York City, but has spent most of
his life in Canada. He obtained an MD from McGill University in
1964, where he also trained in psychiatry. Dr. Paris has been a
member of the McGill psychiatry department since 1972. Since
1994, he has been a full Professor, and served as Department
Chair from 1997 to 2007. Dr. Paris is currently a Research
Associate at the SMBD-Jewish General Hospital, and heads
personality clinics at two hospitals. He is also Editor-in-Chief of
the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Dr. Paris’ reserach interest
is in borderline personality disorder, and is a Past President of
the Association for Research on Personality Disorders. Over
the last 20 years, Dr. Paris has been conducting research on
the biological and psychosocial causes and the long-term
outcome of BPD. Dr. Paris has 185 peer-reviewed articles, and
is the author of 17 books and 44 book chapters. Dr. Paris is an
educator who has won awards for his teaching.
Email:
Friday February 28th, 2014
9:30AM – 4:30PM @ Holiday Inn Vancouver Centre
711 West Broadway Vancouver, BC V5Z 3Y2
GST # 899967350. All prices are in CDN funds.
Please include a cheque for the correct amont, not post-dated, and
made out to “BCPA” or “BC Psychological Association”. If you prefer
paying by credit card, please register online.
Workshop fee includes handouts, morning & afternoon coffee, and lunch.
Free Parking. Participant information is protected under the BC Personal
Information Act.
Continuing Education Credits: 6

Phone:
Regular registration
(Deadline: February 21st, 2014)
q Regular price
$270.90 (incl. GST)
q BCPA Members and Affiliates
$197.40 (incl. GST)
Meal requirements
q
q
q
Regular meal
Vegetarian meal
Special needs or allergies (please include details below)

also Editor of the International Journal of Existential Psychology
and Psychotherapy. He has been invited all over the world to
give workshops on Meaning Therapy. His lectures are known
for his passion and humour.
Pre sented by D r. paul wong
Friday April 25th, 2014
9:00AM – 4:00PM @ University Golf Club
5185 University Boulevard Vancouver, BC V6T 1X5
Continuing Education Credits: 6
About the Workshop
Meaning Therapy (MT) introduces a new paradigm
of integrative therapy that treats the whole person, rather than
mere cognitions or behaviours. It is integrative, holistic, and
evidence-based with the positive psychology of meaning as its
central organizing construct. As an extension of logotherapy, it
will pay special attention to the existential and spiritual issues
that underlie most personal issues and predicaments. MT will
integrate existential psychology with CBT, narrative therapy,
cross-cultural psychology, and positive psychotherapy.
MT aims to restore human dignity and promote
mental health in an increasingly dehumanizing and toxic
culture dominated by materialism, consumerism, and cutthroat competition. Psychologists will learn how to use
meaning-based interventions to address major clinical issues,
such as depression, anxiety, and to empower their clients to
live a purposeful and value-driven life.
MT helps clients discover their true selves and hidden
inner resources by switching from a self-focus to a meaning
focus. It shows how a radical change in worldview and belief
systems can transform a person’s life from the inside out.
Learning Objectives
• How to contrast the new meaning paradigm with the
traditional paradigm of psychotherapy
• How to heal the worst and bring out the best in people’s
lives through meaning
• How to employ a coherent conceptual framework with
meaning as the central organizing construct in integrating
a variety of therapeutic modalities
• How to use innovative positive interventions, such as PURE
and ABCDE, to restore hope, meaning, and passion for
living, regardless of circumstances
About the Presenter – Dr. Paul T. P. Wong
Paul T. P. Wong, PhD, CPsych, has been a professor and
clinician for more than three decades. His meaning therapy
has gained world-wide recognition. He is the President of the
International Network on Personal Meaning, and International
Society for Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy. He is
How to register for this workshop
• Mail this form to: BC Psychological Association
402 – 1177 West Broadway Vancouver BC V6H 1G3
• Fax this form to 604 – 730 – 0502
• Go online: http://psychologists.bc.ca/civicrm/event/
info?reset=1&id=110
Cancellation Policy:
Cancellations must be received in writing by
April 14th, 2014. A 20% administration fee will be
deducted from all refunds. No refunds will be
given after April 14th, 2014.
Early bird registration (Dec 1st, 2013 – March 3rd, 2014)
q Regular price
$246.75 (incl. GST)
q BCPA Members and Affiliates
$173.25 (incl. GST)
Regular registration
(March 4th – April 18th, 2014)
q Regular price
$270.90 (incl. GST)
q BCPA Members and Affiliates
$197.40 (incl. GST)
Meal requirements
q Regular meal
q Vegetarian meal
q Special needs or allergies (please include details below)
q
q
I will attend Wong's Workshop (required)
I agree to the Cancellation Policy (required)
Name:
Address:
City:
Postal Code:
Phone:
Email:
GST # 899967350. All prices are in CDN funds.
Please include a cheque for the correct amont, not post-dated, and made out to
“BCPA” or “BC Psychological Association”. If you prefer paying by credit card,
please register online.
Workshop fee includes handouts, morning & afternoon coffee, and lunch. Free Parking is
available. Participant information is protected under the BC Personal Information Act.

Meaning Therapy :
A new paradigm of integrating
healing with personal growth
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Admission is Free. Seating is Limited. Vancouver Public Library (Central Branch)
350 West Georgia Street (Alma VanDusen & Peter Kaye Room) 7:00PM to 8:ooPM
R E L AT I O N S H I P
L I F E S K I L LS
Dr. Patrick Myers, R. Psych.
Monday February 3rd, 2014
7:ooPM – 8:ooPM
Top 10 Strategies for
Supporting Persons with
AUTISM
SPECTRUM
DISORDER
Creating a
Psychologically
Healthy Workplace:
Dr. Kenneth Cole, R. Psych.
Wednesday February 12th, 2014
7:ooPM – 8:ooPM
EMPLOYEES
&
STRATEGIES
EMPLOYERS
FOR
Dr. Merv Gilbert, R. Psych.
Thursday February 20th, 2014
7:ooPM – 8:ooPM