Abstract
Background: Research on registered psychologists’ knowledge of and attitudes toward Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) is virtually nonexistent.
Aim: To explore Australian psychologists’ knowledge of and attitudes toward AAT.
Materials and Methods: This paper presents a thematic analysis of qualitative data collected from 9 psychologists speaking about AAT during individual interviews.
Results: The first research question explored psychologists’ knowledge of AAT and identified 3 key themes: AAT use across the client lifespan in various health settings; training is inadequate; and efficacy studies are lacking. The second question exploring psychologists’ attitudes towards AAT identified further themes: AAT enhances therapeutic relationships; AAT used purposefully or incidentally is effective; and there are barriers to AAT implementation.
Conclusion: Whilst AAT is deemed to be a useful intervention by some psychologists, its evidence base and training in such interventions are lacking.