What is Animal Assisted Therapy?
Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a structured, goal-directed clinical intervention in which animals meeting specific criteria serve as integral components of the treatment process. Delivered or directed by health or human service providers working within the scope of their profession, AAT differs from casual pet interaction or animal visitation programs. The therapy is planned, documented, and designed to achieve measurable outcomes in areas including physical rehabilitation, mental health treatment, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and educational support.
The intervention typically incorporates specially trained animals—most commonly dogs, cats, or horses—though other species including rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, and farm animals may be utilized depending on therapeutic goals and setting. Unlike emotional support animals, which provide companionship to a single individual, or service animals trained for specific disability-related tasks, therapy animals work with multiple clients under professional supervision in clinical environments.
Origins & Lineage
The origins of animal therapy can be traced back to ancient Greece where horses were used to help raise the spirits of those who were seriously or terminally ill. Domesticated animals were introduced to the treatment milieu in 1796 at The York Retreat in England, an asylum notable for offering “moral treatment” to people with mental illness in contrast to the harsh interventions common in that era. In the 1800s, Florence Nightingale used small pets as a healing and calming mechanism for mentally ill patients.
The modern formalization of animal assisted therapy began in the mid-20th century. American Red Cross developed an animal-assistance program to help console emotionally-traumatized airmen at the American Air Force Convalescent Center in New York in 1944, though the practice did not spread widely at that time.
The field’s contemporary foundation is attributed to psychologist Boris Levinson (1907-1984). Dr. Levinson first struck upon the notion of animal-assisted therapy in 1953 when working with a young traumatized child; he noticed that the child became more relaxed and talkative whenever his dog, Jingles, was present in the sessions. In 1961, he wrote an article titled “The dog as a ‘co-therapist,’” which he presented at a meeting of the American Psychological Association. Much of the audience responded to him with ridicule, while others accepted his ideas. He coined the term “pet therapy” in 1964, and in 1969, he wrote a book titled “Pet-Oriented Child Psychotherapy,” thereby establishing himself as the father of animal-assisted therapy.
Until 1964, the terms ‘therapy animals’ or ‘animal-assisted therapy’ did not exist, and these terms were initially coined by the psychologist Dr. Boris Levinson. Elaine Smith founded Therapy Dogs International (TDI) in 1976, and the Delta Foundation came about in 1977, both organizations instrumental in establishing training standards and certification processes.
How It’s Practiced
One commonly used approach is guided interaction, in which a therapist facilitates structured contact between the client and the animal, such as brushing, feeding, or walking the animal to build mindfulness, patience, and trust. This engagement often encourages emotional expression and groundedness. Sessions are designed around specific therapeutic objectives—reducing anxiety, improving motor skills, facilitating communication, or processing trauma.
AAT takes multiple forms depending on the animal species and therapeutic setting. Canine-assisted therapy often occurs in hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centers, and mental health clinics. Hippotherapy is conducted by occupational, physical, and speech therapists specially trained to use the movement of the horse to facilitate improvements in their client/patient, using traditional techniques such as neurodevelopmental treatment and sensory integration along with the movement of the horse. Equine-assisted psychotherapy addresses emotional and behavioral challenges through interaction with horses in arena settings.
AAT is experiential by nature—a process of learning by doing. Clients have the opportunity to explore personal patterns and receive real-time feedback from the animals to strengthen relationships. The non-judgmental presence of animals can lower psychological defenses, facilitate therapeutic rapport, and provide a safe focus for communication, particularly valuable for children, trauma survivors, and individuals with developmental disorders.
Animal Assisted Therapy Today
AAT is currently practiced across diverse settings: psychiatric hospitals, cancer treatment centers, nursing homes, schools, prisons, libraries, disaster response sites, and private therapy practices. The intervention is applied across a broad range of psychological, emotional, and physical health conditions, helping reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social withdrawal.
Professionals seeking to practice AAT typically pursue specialized training through university certificate programs, professional organizations, or certification bodies. Credentials such as Certified Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist (C-AAIS) set practitioners apart as qualified professionals working with therapy animals. Organizations including Pet Partners, the American Counseling Association, and Animal Assisted Intervention International provide competency frameworks, ethical standards, and evaluation protocols.
The field of human-animal interactions and animal-assisted interventions has greatly evolved over the past half century, with AAI becoming a more recognized form of complementary therapy. Research continues to document physiological benefits including reduced cortisol levels, lowered blood pressure, and increased oxytocin release during animal interactions.
Common Misconceptions
AAT is not simply bringing a pet to visit someone in distress. Animal-assisted therapy is more than just petting an animal while talking in session—it is a goal-directed intervention administered by a mental healthcare provider. The distinction between AAT, animal-assisted activities (informal visitation programs), emotional support animals (personal companions), and service animals (disability-specific task performers) remains widely misunderstood.
Therapy animals help people achieve certain therapeutic goals, but they aren’t owned by those individuals. Instead they’re owned by organizations or facilities such as hospitals, libraries, or outpatient clinics. Therapy animals do not have public access rights like service animals do.
AAT is not a standalone cure or replacement for evidence-based treatment. Dr. Levinson himself wrote in 1969: “It has by no means been the intention of this writer to indicate that pets are a panacea for all the ills of society or for the pain involved in growing up and growing old. However, pets are both an aid to and a sign of the rehumanization of society”.
Animal welfare is a central ethical concern. The animal’s welfare is equally central, reflecting the growing movement toward mutual benefit and compassion-centered practice. Therapy animals require appropriate temperament evaluation, training, health monitoring, and protection from stress and overwork.
How to Begin
For individuals interested in receiving AAT, inquire whether your therapist, hospital, rehabilitation center, or school offers animal-assisted programming. Licensed mental health professionals, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists may integrate animals into their existing practice scope.
For professionals seeking to incorporate AAT into clinical work, begin with foundational education in the human-animal bond, animal behavior, welfare ethics, and intervention design. University-based certificate programs such as those offered by the University of Denver, University of Michigan, University of North Florida, and Texas State University provide comprehensive training. Professional membership organizations including Pet Partners and the Association of Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals offer evaluation, registration, and continuing education resources.
Levinson’s 1969 book Pet-Oriented Child Psychotherapy remains a foundational text. Contemporary resources include the standards published by the American Veterinary Medical Association and competency frameworks from the American Counseling Association’s Animal Assisted Therapy in Mental Health Interest Network.