Animal Therapy Can Work Wonders for Your Mental Health—Here's What to Know About It

Recently, as the community of Uvalde, Texas reeled in shock and disbelief at its horrific school shooting, comfort was understandably very hard to find—that is, until a group of “comfort dogs” came with their handlers to provide a calm and cuddly respite. In the last couple of years, you may have seen friends post pictures on Facebook as they participate in “goat yoga” classes. And of course, you have probably directly experienced feelings of peace and stress relief as your dog, cat, or another pet rests in your lap or snuggles up alongside you.

Whether you knew it or not, these are all forms of animal therapy, something that has come about in recent years as an answer for those struggling with their mental health. But what is it exactly? And can it benefit you?

Related: These Wildly Popular Therapy Dogs Are Making Air Travel a Whole Lot Less Stressful 

What Is Animal Therapy?

According to Ellie Laks, Founder of The Gentle Barn, a farm-animal rescue with locations Missouri, California, and Tennessee, animal therapy works by “uniting animals with those that are needing some love and hope.” She adds, “It works in conjunction with traditional therapy. For those who don’t want to talk about their trauma, or with the loss of a loved one, have nothing to talk about but are in pain, they can come heal with the animals.”

More simply, Prairie Conlon, LPC, NCC, Clinical Director of CertaPet.com, an emotional support animal certification program, defines animal-assisted therapy as “the use of animals for emotional, mental, and physical support purposes.”

Heartland Farm Sanctuary, another farm-animal rescue located in Wisconsin with a program geared toward five to 17-year-old participants, says that they have moved from referring to their programming as “animal therapy” to “experiential therapy,” another term that can denote spending time with animals for the purpose of improving overall wellbeing.

Jen Korz, Executive Director of Heartland Farm Sanctuary, says that experiential therapy is “an evidence-based, hands-on treatment modality which works to provide healing through experiential tools and activities in a safe and controlled setting with a licensed professional. At Heartland Farm Sanctuary, some of these experiential activities involve caring for our rescued animals. For example, brushing goats, making salad for pigs, reading to turkeys, creating animal enrichment toys for emus, observing llamas, or snuggling with chickens.”

Laks says that at The Gentle Barn, they offer something called “cow hug therapy” to help people open up and become vulnerable. They offer other forms of therapy, including interaction with their horses, cuddling turkeys and giving pigs tummy rubs, all of which can help people “find themselves while caring for others,” as Laks puts it.

“We also offer a literacy program to help people gain confidence scholastically while reading out loud to animals,” she says.

At home and at public locations, Conlon says that legally-recognized animal-assisted therapy can include emotional support animals such as dogs, cats, and rabbits, as well as service dogs for psychiatric purposes, among others. Whether it’s an organized therapy program or if you believe that your dog would make an excellent support animal, there need to be proper certifications before an animal can be considered officially “therapeutic.”

Related: Wondering How to Get an Emotional Support Animal? Here's What You Need to Know 

How Does Animal Therapy Work?

While animal therapy can vary from program to program, one aspect is typically consistent: It’s exactly the same for children and adults.

“At The Gentle Barn, we have worked with children from four-years-old all the way up to those who are senior citizens,” Laks says.

She uses cow hug therapy as an example of their programming, saying that a typical session at The Gentle Barn lasts for about an hour.

“We let our guests know that we want the session to be exactly what they need, so if they want to talk to us, we are all ears, but if they want to hug the cows and meditate in the quiet and stillness of the barnyard, the cows are all theirs. We ask that they switch off their phones or leave them in the car so nothing can pull them out of the moment. We tell them that the best way to hug a cow is to wrap their arms around them, close their eyes, put their faces on the cow’s side, and find the cow’s heartbeat to slow down theirs. People make their breathing to the cows."

Laks adds that people sometimes come in nervous, but in a few minutes, calm down and embrace the cows. "People sometimes come in very talkative and excitable, but within a few minutes of hugging a cow, they become calm, quiet, grounded, and leave as different people full of hope and recovery.”

“There are a variety of animal therapies out there today—almost all have the use of animals as the therapeutic tool in common,” Korz explains. “Important to Heartland Farm Sanctuary is the ability for both therapy participants and our rescued animal residents to have a choice in the participation of any therapeutic activity.” It should be noted that not all animals can act as therapy animals—these animals have been vetted and trained to interact with participants and have dispositions that are open to direct or nearby contact from people.

Korz adds that the partnership “provides a mutually beneficial and healing relationship and has been overwhelmingly successful for both the animals we care for and the therapy participants we serve.”

Similar to the approach at The Gentle Barn, Heartland Farm Sanctuary will work with each participant and their unique needs on an individual basis while collaborating with their resident animals. Katelyn Becker, APSW, a therapist at Heartland Farm Sanctuary, says that an experiential therapy session may include activities like creating animal enrichment trays for the visually-impaired ducks, brushing and caretaking goats, observing animal behavior in the pasture, journaling, art, nature exploration, gardening or mindfulness.

Animal therapy programs aren’t always carried out with farm animals, although they often are. Therapeutic experiences can also be conducted through dogs, and there are several programs throughout the country that focus on canine support. Although dogs are helpful to people of all ages, many children benefit from spending time with therapy dogs, either through organized programming or at home.

“Dogs teach kids responsibility, patience, compassion, socialization, and provide fun,” Conlon says. “Dogs can often be a common ground for children and parents, as a pet is a shared interest and can act as a social buffer.”

What Conditions Can Animal Therapy Help With?

“So many people have felt let down or worse by people, so sometimes they won't open up to a person, but will become completely vulnerable with an animal,” Laks says. “Others don’t want to be open or revisit and rehash their trauma, so talk therapy is a challenge but they can heal with the animals who don’t require language. And still others are mourning the loss of a loved one and talking about it would never help but getting a giant hug from a cow can make them feel stronger and begin healing. Animals are therapeutic because they are appealing, approachable, non-judgmental, and adorable. They inspire us all to want to be the best versions of ourselves.”

Conlon says that most commonly, animal-assisted therapy can be useful for anxiety and depression. Additionally, the experts share that animals can ease symptoms of PTSD, ADHD, autismand stress, and can aid in addressing loneliness, addiction, grief or suicidal ideations. In other words? Animal therapy can be helpful to most anyone with a mental health condition.

There are many studies that prove the effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy. For example, one 2019 study found that college students who spent only 10 minutes participating in an animal visitation program had reduced levels of cortisol—the stress hormone.

Since everyone can benefit from better mental health, animal therapy really is geared toward anyone who could use some extra stress relief or need to feel like they belong. And it helps people boost their abilities. Becker says that working with animals through observation and interactions can help therapy participants improve boundary setting, navigate impulse control, encourage relationship building, advance self-advocacy skills, and build empathy.

“The animal residents can provide co-regulation and stress relief while the environment models what so many need to heal—a sense of belonging in a compassionate space where it’s safe to work on ourselves,” Becker says.

Related: Meet 10 Therapy Animals

How Can You Get Started?

If you or a loved one is interested in participating in an animal therapy program, it can be as simple as searching “animal therapy programs near me” online. Animal rescues, like The Gentle Barn and Heartland Farm Sanctuary, often have programs like this.

“We recommend doing research online in your area,” Korz says. “Prior to making that first appointment, be sure to know your goal and the type of program you are looking for.”

She adds that their process involves having participants and their families or community support staff visit the sanctuary for a meet and greet, an interview, and a tour. They are then matched with a therapist. Sessions are worked out individually with participants and their families based on therapeutic goals. You could participate in a one-on-one animal session or join a small group.

If you don’t have one already, you could get a pet that can provide therapeutic benefits, too. Many pets are naturally emotional support animals, even if they’re not certified and just join you at home and in dog-friendly locales instead of going out with you to public places. One 2021 study from CertaPet shows that those with emotional support animals report increased feelings of security, motivation, and a zest for life, while others cited fewer panic attacks and less anxiety. Additionally, your pet could become a certified therapy animal that can help others by visiting nursing homes, hospitals, and schools.

“While there are legally recognized and protected forms of animal therapy, any animal can provide ‘therapy’ to its owner if the owner finds having the animal beneficial to their emotional or physical wellbeing,” Conlon says.

No matter what form of animal therapy you seek out, many animals will always act as support to their human counterparts, and in turn, we can learn more about empathy through caring for and spending time with them.

Next up, find out what it takes for your pet to become a therapy animal.

Sources

• Ellie Laks, Founder of The Gentle Barn.
• Prairie Conlon, LPC, NCC, Clinical Director of CertaPet.com.
• Jen Korz, Executive Director of Heartland Farm Sanctuary.
• Katelyn Becker, APSW, a therapist at Heartland Farm Sanctuary.
• AERA Open: “Animal Visitation Program (AVP) Reduces Cortisol Levels of University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial”
• Certapet: “Newly Released Study Reveals Health Benefits of Emotional Support Animals”