Career Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists

Career Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists is an essential text for students and professionals wanting to pursue a career in human-animal interaction (HAI). It is exclusively designed to navigate this field and provide information on the best education, training, and background one might need to incorporate HAI into a successful career. Kogan and Erdman bring together a diverse range of insights from HAI social scientists who have secured or created their HAI job. The book highlights six categories of work settings: academia, private practice, corporations/for profit companies, non-profit organizations, government, and other positions, to show the growing number of opportunities to blend social science interests with the desire to incorporate HAI into their careers. The book clearly outlines the career paths available to social science students and professionals, from careers connected to human services of psychology, therapy, social work, and journalism, to research or other scholarship.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Part 1: Academic – Traditional From Biopsychology to Human Behavioural Work to HAI Research: One Academician’s Path Anne Barnfield A Twist in the Tale (or is that Tail?): How I Apply Health Psychology to the Human-Animal Bond Anna Chur-Hansen Scientist-Practitioner Psychologist: Integrating the Human-Animal Interaction into Practice Jennifer Coleman Dogs as Co-researchers Colleen Dell From an Animal Shelter Towards a Professorship in Anthrozoology: An Unusual Career Path Marie-Jose Enders-Slegers There is a Shelter Dog in My College Classroom Shlomit Flaisher-Grinberg Human-Animal Interaction in Clinical Psychology: Teaching, Research, and Practice Angela K. Fournier The Entangled Path: Human Animal Interaction and Social Work Cassandra Hanrahan Solidarity and Scholarship: Thriving as a HAI Academic Rachel Caroline Hogg From Psychometrics to Animal Metrics Jean Kirnan Rescuing Street Dogs as a Passion and a Way of Being Úrsula Aragunde Kohl Working in the World of Human-Animal Interaction Research Beth Lanning Lessons from a Pioneer in Equine Assisted Therapies Arieahn Matamonasa Bennett Studying Dolphins in the Bahamas: Who Says Academic Careers are Dry? Maria Maust-Mohl Academic Pathways Towards HAI Patricia Pendry Civic Engagement of Students through Human-Animal Interactions Alina Simona Rusu An HAI Love Story: A Couple Collaborates as Teachers and Researchers Exploring Our Connection to Animals Dieter and Netzin Steklis An Academic Career Based on What I love: People, Animals, and Health Cindy C. Wilson Part 2: Academic – With Clinical Work Insights from a Late Bloomer in the field of Human-Animal Interactions John-Tyler Binfet Labracadabra! The Magic of Animal-Assisted Social Work Yvonne Eaton-Stull Human-Animal Bond in Colorado (HABIC) at Colorado State University Helen Holmquist-Johnson Mutual Rescue: From Multiple Sclerosis to Working with Therapy Dogs in Education Diana Pena Gil Getting in the H.A.B.I.T: Bringing Animal Assisted Interventions to Victims of Crime Bethanie A. Poe A Social Workers Experience at a Veterinary School and Teaching Hospital Eric Richman Supporting Students and Companion Animals in University and Community Settings Clarissa Uttley "Yes, I work with animals…No, I’m not a vet": Animal-Assisted Intervention and the Indian Experience Georgitta Valiyamattam Part 3: For Profit, Not for Profit and Government Making a Difference as an Animal-Assisted Interactions Program Coordinator? Tanya K. Bailey Changing Lives, One Service Dog at a Time Sarah Birman Canine- Assisted Family Treatment Court Coordinator Megan Bridges Nurse-Led Canine-Assisted Intervention Practice Cindy Brosig Promoting Animal Welfare in a Context of International Development: A Career in the Non-Governmental Sector Ashleigh F. Brown Advancing Standards and Professionalization in the Field of AAI Taylor Chastain A Day in the Life of an Executive Director at an Animal Protection Think Tank Ivy Collier Occupational Therapy: Using Meaningful Occupations to Enhance Function Throughout the Lifespan Emily DeBreto The Clinical Direction of Dogs Matthew Decker Animal Instincts: Following an Unmarked Path from Volunteerism to a Career in Human Animal Interaction Marivic R. Dizon A Look into Animal Assisted Interventions Abroad: Entrecanes Association in Northern Spain Carolina Duarte-Gan Program Design, Implementation, and Management: Human-Animal Interactions Carrie Nydick Finch Experiences in Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI): Practice, Research and Teaching Patricia Flaherty Fischette Human-Animal Interaction on the New York City Subway (Long Before Pizza Rat) Maya Gupta A Fair Shake For Youth: Helping Middle School Kids Connect with Dogs—While Discovering their Own Best Selves Audrey Hendler Kids and Dogs. Sounds Easy, Right? Indy Hlava Working with A Facility Dog in a Veterans Affairs Hospital Elizabeth Holman An Industry Veterinarian’s Perspective on a Career in Human-Animal Interaction Karyl Hurley Pick your Own Adventure, Finding a Career in the Non-Profit World Emily Patterson-Kane Organized Animal Protection as a Career: Meaning, Mission and the Academic Contributor Bernard Unti Part 4: Private Practice, AAI Program Symbiotic Relationship Between Therapist and Co-Therapist: The Story of Emmie Donna Clarke A Professional Transformational Journey in the Practice of Animal Assisted Interventions Molly DePrekel A Legal Career with Animals Akisha Townsend Eaton Conducting Canine-Assisted Psychotherapy Betz King Scientist-Practitioner Approach: Harnessing the Power of Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy and Animal-Assisted Interventions in Private Practice Elizabeth A. Letson Applying Theoretical Frameworks and Organizational Structures to Help Develop the Field of Animal-Assisted Interventions: The Questions We Must Ask and the Answers We Must Seek Katarina Felicia Lundgren For the Love of Horses Fay McCormack Please Bear with Me: Working with My Canine Co-Therapist Janus Moncur Counselling with a Therapy- Animal Patricia Nitkin Forget Me Not Farm: A Haven for Children and Animals to Bond and Break the Cycle of Abuse Carol M Rathmann Integrating Human-Animal Interactions and Psychology: Research & Service Yahaira Segarra The Art and Science of Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy Marilyn Sokolof Animal Assisted Play Therapy Risë VanFleet Create your Herd: Developing a Career through Lived Experiences Aviva Vincent Canines, Equines, and Social Work Heather White

About the Author :
Lori R. Kogan, PhD, is Professor of Clinical Sciences at Colorado State University, USA. She is the Chair of the Human-Animal Interaction section of the American Psychological Association and Editor of the Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin, an open-access, online publication supported by the American Psychological Association. Phyllis Erdman, PhD, is a professor of counseling at Washington State University and is a licensed mental health counselor, and past chair of the Human-Animal Interaction section of Division 17 of the American Psychological Association. She has been working in the field of human-animal interaction for over ten years, including assessment of equine therapeutic interventions, pet grief, and documenting the need for emotional support animals.

Review :
This book provides a valuable and informative insight into the wide range of career avenues for those wishing to pursue their dream of working within the human-animal interaction field. The personal element of this book is particularly engaging and inspiring as we hear from those who pursued their passion for animals across different fields spanning from academia, to clinical practice, to working within animal charities, government, and non-profits. This book is a compilation of individual stories, each told in a light-hearted and sometimes humorous tone, yet are brutally honest about the main challenges they have faced throughout their chosen path, providing readers with a well-rounded and balanced view of a range of career trajectories. This book is therefore a valuable tool for both those trying to navigate career options in what can be quite a diverse and nonlinear field, as well as to educational professionals who wish to better advise their students with their graduate plans. -- Dr Roxanne Hawkins, Lecturer in Psychology (Module co-ordinator of the Psychology of Human-Animal Interactions) at the University of the West of Scotland, UK. This book provides a valuable and informative insight into the wide range of career avenues for those wishing to pursue their dream of working within the human-animal interaction field. The personal element of this book is particularly engaging and inspiring as we hear from those who pursued their passion for animals across different fields spanning from academia, to clinical practice, to working within animal charities, government, and non-profits. This book is a compilation of individual stories, each told in a light-hearted and sometimes humorous tone, yet are brutally honest about the main challenges they have faced throughout their chosen path, providing readers with a well-rounded and balanced view of a range of career trajectories. This book is therefore a valuable tool for both those trying to navigate career options in what can be quite a diverse and nonlinear field, as well as to educational professionals who wish to better advise their students with their graduate plans. -- Dr Roxanne Hawkins, Lecturer in Psychology (module co-ordinator of the Psychology of Human-Animal Interactions) at the University of the West of Scotland, UK