The Canadian Context

The fields of animal- and equine-assisted interventions have been thriving in the United States since the 1960s, and boast numerous training programs, associations, university research centres, journal articles, and other professional infrastructures that serve to promote their practitioners, educate the public, and promote ethical practices.

However, not as much is known about these fields as they exist in Canada. Until the development of this website, these fields have been characterized by a lack of visibility, a lack of easily accessible information, as well as a lack of communication among practitioners and many divergent views and philosophical differences (due in part to the large geographic expanse of our country and language differences).

One of the most distinguishing features of the field of animal-assisted interventions in Canada is how it is conceptualized in Quebec. Informal discussions with key individuals in that province have indicated that animal-assisted therapy is not only a technique that credentialed helping professionals (psychologists, counsellors, social workers, etc.), health professionals (psychiatrists, nurses, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, etc.), and education professionals (teachers, educators) can use in their practices, but is also conceived of, by some, as an entirely separate and cross-disciplinary profession, at the intersection of the helping professions, animal science, human-animal bond theories, and ethology.

Because there is no accreditation currently in place to regulate such practices (in Quebec or elsewhere in Canada), individuals from either camp call themselves "Zoothérapeutes" (or "Animal-Assisted Therapists"), or "Intervenants en zoothérapie" (or "Animal-Assisted Interventions Practitioners"), regardless of their professional background and training. As a result, a Zoothérapeute could be a registered psychologist (or any health, education or helping professional), or an individual without a background in these professions who has completed a two-year diploma program straight out of high school or as a change in careers.

In order to gain a better understanding of the current state of affairs, I conducted a research study as part of my master's degree focusing on the current state of the field of AAI and EAI in Canada. A national, bilingual (English and French) survey was sent out over the course of the summer of 2008. The 50-item questionnaire sought out demographic information as well as information pertaining to the participants' backgrounds, education, professional practice, the most common issues and concerns they felt were facing the field, and potential solutions and ways of meeting their needs.

This research supported that the field is indeed fragmented and lacking in infrastructure, characterized by a lack of standards, lack of communication, lack of consistency, dischord and divisiveness between professionals, all of which serve to further perpetuate the skepticism and lack of credibility surrounding AAI and EAI.

Master's Thesis
Animal-assisted therapy and equine-assisted therapy/learning in Canada: Surveying the current state of the field, its practitioners and its practices (2009).

Summary of Research Findings
Presentation at Congrès international de zoothérapie in Montreal, Quebec (2009).

 

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