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Counseling Psychology Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Counseling Psychology

Impact Of Equine Interaction During Psychotherapy On Anxiety And Depression For Residential Treatment Program Patients Experiencing Substance Withdrawal, Molly M. Friend, Molly C. Nicodemus, Clay Cavinder, Caleb Lemley, Pauline Prince, Katherine A. Cagle-Holtcamp, Rebecca M. Swanson Feb 2024

Impact Of Equine Interaction During Psychotherapy On Anxiety And Depression For Residential Treatment Program Patients Experiencing Substance Withdrawal, Molly M. Friend, Molly C. Nicodemus, Clay Cavinder, Caleb Lemley, Pauline Prince, Katherine A. Cagle-Holtcamp, Rebecca M. Swanson

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

As incidences of substance use disorders (SUD) increase in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need for more effective treatment approaches. Further, treatment approaches currently available struggle to retain patients during the period of substance withdrawal in early treatment due to patients’ withdrawal symptoms including increased feelings of anxiety and depression. Withdrawal symptoms have been linked to dysregulated cortisol concentrations present in this period. Psychotherapy incorporating equine interaction (PIE) has emerged in other populations as a treatment that decreases cortisol concentrations and improves treatment retention. The present study investigated the impact of 4 weeks of PIE on …


Animal-Assisted Interventions: Relationship Between Standards And Qualifications, Greta Kerulo, Niko Kargas, Daniel S. Mills, Graham Law, Rise Vanfleet, Tracie Faa-Thompson, Melissa Y. Winkle Jan 2021

Animal-Assisted Interventions: Relationship Between Standards And Qualifications, Greta Kerulo, Niko Kargas, Daniel S. Mills, Graham Law, Rise Vanfleet, Tracie Faa-Thompson, Melissa Y. Winkle

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Ethical practice of animal- assisted interventions (AAI) requires appropriate qualifications and experience for all parties involved. Recently introduced and updated Standards of Practice emphasize the importance of AAI- specific training and qualification for different types of AAI, which should only be delivered within the scope of one’s professional competence. The purpose of this study was (1) to explore how a self- selected group of practitioners delivering AAI describe their work in relation to recent attempts to develop a terminological consensus (IAHAIO, 2014, 2018), and (2) to describe how AAI best practice recommendations (AAII, 2018) are implemented into professional practice among …


Effects Of Short-Term Human-Horse Interactions On Human Heart Rate Variability: A Multiple Single Case Study, Saan Ecker, Amy Lykins Sep 2019

Effects Of Short-Term Human-Horse Interactions On Human Heart Rate Variability: A Multiple Single Case Study, Saan Ecker, Amy Lykins

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Influences from human-horse interactions form the basis of the emerging field of equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP). However, the psychophysiological effects of horses on humans in the EAP context have been underinvestigated. This multiple single case design study examined the effects of short-term human-horse interactions on human heart rate variability (HRV). Nine adults with limited prior experience with horses participated in time-limited in vivo exposures to five different free-roaming horses in a yard. Results were mixed with HRV improving from a preexposure baseline in 40% and deteriorating in 23% of the 43 ten-minute horse-human interactions. In the remaining horse-human interactions, HRV was …