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Understanding Psychiatric Patients’ Experience Of Virtual Animal-Assisted Therapy Sessions During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Haley Scheck, Linzi Williamson, Colleen A. Dell
Understanding Psychiatric Patients’ Experience Of Virtual Animal-Assisted Therapy Sessions During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Haley Scheck, Linzi Williamson, Colleen A. Dell
People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice
Canine animal-assisted therapy (AAT) can improve the mental health and well-being of incarcerated individuals. An in-person AAT program has been offered at the Regional Psychiatric Center (RPC) in Saskatoon, Canada, since 2014 with St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program (SJATDP) dog and handler teams. The program transitioned, for the first time, to a virtual format with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. This exploratory research examines whether and how a virtual offering of AAT at RPC can provide positive benefits to forensic psychiatric patients. Overall, the findings reveal an understanding of the virtual sessions from patient, handler, …