Scope of Animal-Assisted Therapy
At the 4th Indian Congress for Persons with Disabilities, held at the Kark Kubel Institute, Anaikatti on 9th February, 2023, Humane Animal Society (HAS) presented the scope of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT), especially in the context of disabilities. On behalf of HAS, Aishwarya Ramasamy addressed the session as the key resource person. She led an engaging discourse on the various possibilities of engaging animals in therapy, the nuances involved in expediting them with authorization, the scientifically proven results of it so far, pet therapy for autistic children, etc. To practice animal-assisted therapy in India, there is no specific qualification required beyond being a licensed practitioner in therapy. If an individual is licensed to provide therapy to people, whether as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or a social worker in counseling, they can incorporate animal-assisted therapy into their practice. In order to do so, the practitioner would need to obtain a therapy animal specifically for this purpose. The animal would be trained to respond to instructions and interact with clients in a calm and controlled manner. The animal would be expected to provide comfort and support to the client during therapy sessions, by allowing the client to pet or interact with them.