Canine-Assisted Interventions: A Comprehensive Guide to Credentialing Therapy Dog Teams

Covering principles of therapy dog team training, assessment, skills, and ongoing monitoring, Canine-Assisted Interventions provides guidance on the most evidence-based methods for therapy dog team welfare, training, and assessment. The authors offer a linear approach to understanding all aspects of the screening, assessment, and selection of dog-handler teams by exploring the journey of dog therapy teams from assessment of canines and handlers to the importance of ongoing monitoring, recredentialing, and retirement. In addition to reviewing key findings within the field of human-animal interactions, each chapter emphasizes skills on both the human and dog ends of the leash and makes recommendations for research-informed best practices. To support readers, the book culminates with checklists and training resources to serve as a quick reference for readers. This book will be of great interest for practitioners, in-service professionals, and researchers in the fields of canine-assisted interventions and counseling.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction 2. What are Canine-Assisted Interventions? 3. What Makes a Strong and Effective Canine-Assisted Intervention Team? 4. Safeguarding the Welfare of Clients and Therapy Dogs 5. Best Practices in Canine-Assisted Intervention Team Training 6. Canine-Assisted Counseling: Preparing Teams for Clinical Work 7. Canine-Assisted Intervention Team Assessment 8. Assessment Consideration for Specialized Contexts 9. Credentialing, Re-credentialing, and Retirement 10. Future Directions in Canine-Assisted Interventions Appendices

About the Author :
John-Tyler Binfet, PhD, is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia, where he is the director of the Building Academic Retention through K9s program (B.A.R.K.; barkubc.ca). Elizabeth Kjellstrand Hartwig, PhD, LPC-S, LMFT, RPT-S, is an associate professor in the Professional Counseling Program at Texas State University. She is the founder and director of the Texas State University Animal-Assisted Counseling Academy (aac-academy.clas.txstate.edu).

Review :
"Based on the latest scientific research, John-Tyler Binfet and Elizabeth Kjellstrand Hartwig have produced a unique and important guide to the implementation of canine-assisted interventions in settings ranging from classrooms and retirement facilities to mental health clinics and college campuses. The book is a veritable how-to manual, covering topics such as the selection and training of handlers and dogs, the assessment of dog/handler team effectiveness, and therapy animal welfare. This book is a must-read for anyone involved with animal-assisted intervention programs." — Hal Herzog, PhD, author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals, USA "Drawing on a wealth of experience, John-Tyler Binfet and Elizabeth Kjellstrand Hartwig provide a comprehensive review of what is known about canine-assisted interventions (CAIs) and give essential information on best practice and how to credential therapy dog teams, ensuring the wellbeing of the dogs. CAI organizations and those interested in becoming a CAI team must read this book." — Anthony L. Podberscek, editor in chief, Anthrozoös, Australia "Canine-Assisted Interventions is an essential guide to all those involved in delivering and researching canine-assisted interventions. It provides evidence-based guidelines for professional practice, building upon current international research evidence and professional practice guides. The combination of up-to-date scientific evidence on canine-assisted intervention and professional experience has led to a sourcebook that every practitioner involved in canine-assisted intervention should use. Canine-assisted intervention practice is growing rapidly around the world, and this book provides a much-needed guide to credentialing teams and ensuring our practice benefits our human clients while ensuring the welfare of the dogs we work with." — Jo Williams, professor of applied developmental psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK "In Canine-Assisted Interventions, John-Tyler Binfet and Elizabeth Kjellstrand Hartwig bring together a groundbreaking, thorough, and detailed guide to the assessment and credentialing of dog and handler teams. This long overdue resource is a much needed and indispensable resource for individuals and organizations engaged in the work of animal-assisted interventions. Binfet and Hartwig articulate a clear and thorough evidence-based approach to animal-assisted intervention that will significantly advance this growing field of research and practice." — James Gillett, associate dean of research, McMaster University, Canada