Everybody loves Fido! The Ethics of Including Animals in Mental Health Work

Abstract

Animals have been used as adjuncts in therapy since the time of Freud, and there are more and more programs that use animals to help patients communicate and heal. Animal Assisted Play Therapy is a combination of play therapy and animal assisted therapy, where play with animals is used to help children. Including an animal in your work, especially in work with children, brings a unique set of responsibilities to the animals as well as your clients. This article discusses the guiding principles of Animal Assisted Play Therapy, and the ethics involved in working with animals in this way.