Healing with animals
Animal therapy or pet therapy refers to the use of animals as a way to help people cope with and recover from some physical and mental health conditions. Animal therapy builds on a concept called the human-animal bond, which describes people’s desire to interact with and relate to animals. Although it is not a separate form of therapy in itself, it is integrated with regular psychological therapy wherein the sessions are conducted in the presence of therapy animals. The presence of animals can be calming, which helps individuals to relax and become more open to therapy. In an ideal setting for pet therapy, the therapist, client and the animal would be together. The animal would be within the reach of the client, who could pet it, cuddle up to it, or interact with it in any other way they find comforting.