Can Animals Help Humans Heal?
On March 28 to 29, 2004, the Sunnylands Trust sponsored a conference on animal-assisted therapy interventions, in which animals are incorporated in the treatment process, in adolescent mental health. The first day of the conference featured presentations by those who have conducted and evaluated animal-assisted interventions with adolescents in psychological and educational settings. The second day focused on creating a research agenda for the animal-assisted therapy field. Animal assistance therapists were matched with researchers who study mental disorders in adolescents to determine the best ways to evaluate the effectiveness of animal-assisted interventions for treating specific disorders.
