• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Trauma Therapy of Nashville

Trauma Therapy of Nashville

  • Home
  • About
    • FAQs
    • Rates
    • Resources
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • Join The Collective!
  • Our Methods
    • Animal Assisted Psychotherapy
      • Traveling with a Service Animal
      • Housing Rules for Service & Emotional Support Animals
      • Emotional Support Animal Letters
    • Brainspotting
    • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
    • EMDR Therapy
    • Mindfulness & Yoga
  • Services
    • Trauma Therapy
    • Women’s Issues
    • Chronic Pain & Illness
    • Supervision
    • Groups
      • DBT Skills Group for Women
      • Guided Meditation and Mindfulness Group
      • Spiritual Wounding & Exploration Support Group
  • The Team
    • Melanie Reese – Owner, Therapist
    • Gena Leone – Therapist
    • Michelle Winer – Therapist
    • Jenna Currie – Admin & Client Care
  • Contact
  • Blog
You are here: Home / Methods / Animal Assisted Psychotherapy

Animal Assisted Psychotherapy

animal-assisted-therapyI’m so excited for you to have the experience of a therapy dog on your treatment team! Riley (left) and Darcy (right) will be in many sessions with me for what is technically called animal assisted psychotherapy. One of the biggest benefits to having a therapy animal in the room is a decrease in anxiety and a lifted mood! Riley is very laid back and very intuitive to client’s emotions. She loves to greet you with a wagging tail and sit with you for all the back rubs and head scratches you want to give! She’s also just as happy to snooze at your feet! If you have allergies or prefer for her to not be in a session with you, please be sure and discuss this with me. Riley and I are both trained and certified through Pet Partners National Organization and are also part of the local non-profit, Music City Pet Partners, that also helps other teams become certified and get involved in the therapy dog community. ​Continue reading to learn more about the benefits of working with a therapy animal and what it’s like to have Riley on your treatment team!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

WHAT IS ANIMAL ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY (AAP)?

AAP differs from the more commonly understood animal assisted therapy (AAT) in which volunteer handlers and animals visit facilities such as schools, hospitals or nursing homes. AAT programs are powerful for both the participants and the volunteers, but AAP’s focus on mental health, the depth and complexities of the therapy and the training of clinicians makes it unique. Riley and I do both!

WHY DO YOU USE AN ANIMAL IN THERAPY?

Animals are empathic, nonjudgmental, affectionate and give unconditional positive regard, which enables the client to feel welcome, accepted and comforted in sessions. This atmosphere of emotional safety facilitates the development of a therapeutic bond, encourages rapport and can lead to increased disclosure and openness. Having animals in session is also motivating for clients to both engage in and return to therapy. Sessions with an animal can also be fun and energizing, which may be a welcome change for clients who have previously had unsuccessful therapeutic experiences.

Animal assisted psychotherapy is unique in its ability to combine thinking, feeling and behaving within one intervention. Working with the animals is a hands-on, experiential exercise and clients no longer just talk about their issues but are engaged in activities that elicit honest behaviors and feelings, which can then be processed in the moment.

Animal assisted interventions also present new challenges and opportunities that enable clients to see themselves in a different, positive light. Teaching a dog a new trick encourages problem solving, assertiveness, patience, communication and awareness and regulation of emotions and behaviors. Clients are presented with opportunities that gently push them out of their comfort zone and in return, they gain new skills, self-awareness, a sense of mastery and accomplishment and are able to work on their therapeutic goals in a whole new way.

WHAT IS A SESSION LIKE?

Animal assisted interventions may include simply cuddling or petting an animal; teaching them a new trick or skill; haltering and walking a dog, doing artwork of or with an animal; interacting with them during a yoga session; watching animals interact while discussing body language, non-verbal communication and many other creative activities.

Throughout these interventions, I share Riley & Darcy’s story with client’s, which allows them to feel a sense of connection to them. Riley happens to be a rescue animal with a history that causes her to have anxiety and issues she’s had to overcome.  Darcy is also a rescue and despite a very rough history, she is incredible loving and happy! This allows clients to connect with them due to similarities in struggles and adversities.

I also provide Emotional Support Animal (ESA) Letters for clients that need them for airline travel, housing, etc.

Primary Sidebar

“Animals are the bridge between us and the beauty of all that is natural. They show us what’s missing in our lives, and how to love ourselves more completely and unconditionally. They connect us back to who we are, and to the purpose of why we’re here.” ― Trisha McCagh

TEDx – Therapy Dogs Help Humans Heal

https://youtu.be/U_nDaGzam0A

Follow Me!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • Join Nashville’s New Collective for Mental Health Practitioners October 1, 2019
  • Getting a Good Night’s Sleep Improves Mental Health September 30, 2019
  • How Trauma Therapists Are Helping in the Treatment of Eating Disorders July 1, 2019
  • Getting Help for Postpartum Depression from Therapists in Nashville May 29, 2019
  • Nashville Therapists Can Help Identify and Break Your Trauma Loop April 29, 2019

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

RSS Psychology Today – Essentials

  • LEGO Braille Bricks Help Blind Children Learn to Read January 17, 2021
    The new educational toy will be available in twenty countries by the end of 2021.
  • Is Now a Good Time to Do Nothing? January 17, 2021
    One of the toughest things in these lockdown days is coming to terms with doing nothing. Is doing nothing key to “breaking away from overworking, overdoing, and under-living"?
  • Do You Often Feel Disappointed in Your Relationship? January 16, 2021
    There are bound to be times when your partner’s behavior falls short of expectations. Research on close relationships suggests what might be behind your constant disappointment.
  • The Mindfulness of a Dog January 16, 2021
    Part I of III: What I learned from my dog, Freya.
  • Facing Down a Mental Health Crisis January 15, 2021
    The pandemic has only exacerbated an already-existing mental health crisis. How can government leaders, clinicians, and community members better serve those in need?

Footer

Location

1305 16th Ave S
Nashville, TN 37212
Conveniently located
on Music Row!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Map

Click to open a larger map

Contact Me

Phone: 615.504.8337
Fax: 615.235.1140
info@integrativetherapynashville.com
Hours: M~Th, 9:30am-5:30pm


verified

Certified Professional

Certified Clinical Trauma Professional

Copyright © 2021 — Trauma Therapy of Nashville • All rights reserved • Privacy Policy • Terms and Conditions