ABSTRACT
In the 1960s, Boris Levinson championed the use of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) in a therapeutic setting as a therapy technique long before his colleagues and the industry accepted the practice. Today, the most well-known use of trained therapy animals is found in settings including hospitals, and nursing homes. It has long been shown that the therapeutic benefits of animal-human interaction included social memory, attachment, positive maternal behavior, reflection, unconditional positive regard, etc. A child-client's experience with adults may have been hurtful, hopeless, and dangerous. The inclusion of a canine in therapy provides unique opportunities for touch interactions to occur encompassing child-initiated touch to the canine and canine-initiated touch to the child, thus broadening the potential for ethical issues to emerge. In play therapy with canines, child clients can develop trust and rapport with the canine co-therapist. Therefore, AAT therapists have an ethical duty to prioritize the physical and emotional safety of their child-clients and of their animal partners.
