Animal Assisted Therapy

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When people are down on their luck they might turn to a furry four-legged friend for support. People have used Animal Assisted Therapy as far back since 1792 helping those with prolonged illness or disability. This kind of therapy uses animals to show patients how to feel loved and it can help patients with memory, physical, and emotional conditions.
Throughout the years Animal Assisted Therapy has become an essential part of the therapeutic process. One of the benefits of using animals through the therapeutic process because they can be used to reach goals based on the individual's needs. Certain programs like Canine Companions and Guide Dogs for the Blind have the power to assign services animals to clients after they finished the treatment program (Janssen, 1990).
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Pets have an instinctive need to form a close and caring connection with others. The connection that pets can make with different kinds of patients can influence the therapeutic process in a wide variety. It has shown that animals can lower the feeling of loneliness and isolation in the patient's life. People who interact with animals can feel themselves surrounded by the unconditional love that they will both receive and give, and helps them learn how to take care of another living thing and learn how important they are to others (Janssen, 1990).
Most people in their lives have had the opportunity to express love through physical contact with others, but some children have gone through their life without that kind of contact losing out on a healthy development. Animals can give patients what people cannot. Patients do not need to feel scared about rejection when approaching an animal. After being accepted by animals patients will relearn how to trust people and not always expect the worst from people (Golin,