Talking with the professionals: behind the scenes

I spoke with Humanistic Integrative counsellor & Cognitive Behavioural therapist

Jo Henshall about animal therapies and how they work to help humans.

This is what Jo said:

"There is growing evidence to suggest that trauma survivors and indeed mental health sufferers benefit from therapeutic engagement with dogs and to some degree cats. The narrative surrounding an individual’s trauma can sometimes be non-verbal (occurred during infancy) or may be blocked due to dissociative disorder, and other contributing factors. Some animals are empathetic and this is where therapeutic interactions can be beneficial. Touch or being tactile can be safely experienced, is usually non-threatening and can be enjoyable for the client. Feelings of judgment perceived or otherwise is less likely, allowing memories and emotions to emerge, which can then be further explored under a more traditional trauma model."

I found this really interesting to explain how it all works behind the scenes of what you see and how animals such as Dogs and Cats can have a positive effect on humans, bringing out the emotions first which can then be developed further perhaps by a counsellor or therapist.