A GoodTherapy.org News Headline

The benefits of pet ownership may be quite clear to those who enjoy taking care of and being around animals, but while pets have been show to increase overall mental well-being, a just-published study in the journal Family Process notes that mental health professionals are placing too little emphasis on the importance of this potential therapeutic source. The study, which was produced at the Center for Family Health at the University of Chicago, suggests that the available benefits, both mental and physical, associated with pet ownership merit a greater attention to mental health treatment avenues that involve animals. From decreased loneliness and blood pressure to greater longevity and feelings of companionship, animals may provide a great deal of the emotional support that many mental health clients crave, without being “replacements” for human interaction.

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Beverly Hills Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Summary

The benefits of animal companionship are well-studied and certainly well-known; pet owners and those who work with animals professionally tend to have lower rates of depression, and may even live longer than their solitary counterparts. But can they actually be a specific part of treatment for problems such as post traumatic stress? If Suze Maze and her team of five horses have anything to say about it, yes, they can. A practitioner of EAP or Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, Maze operates a practice that helps those with PTSD find personal methods of effectively coping with the disorder. Maze’s patients –military personnel in Fort Aiken, Kentucky, many of whom have recently returned from tours in Iraq– are also quick to verify the benefits of undergoing their treatment in the company of equines.
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© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Chapel Hill Bureau - All Rights Reserved.