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Research
Below is a summary of the study Dr. Thompson recently
completed for her doctoral dissertation. It is the first known controlled study
of the use of canines in nondirective play therapy.
Effects of a
Trained Therapy Dog in Child-Centered
Play Therapy on
Children with Anxiety Disorders
(Thompson,
Mustaine, & Weaver, 2008)
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to present a model for
combining animal-assisted therapy and play therapy as well as providing data on
its effect on a child’s response to play therapy. In canvassing the literature
it was apparent that few studies exist on using AAT in psychotherapy with
children and no studies exist on its integration into non-directive play
therapy. This study provided the first empirical investigation into the
combination of these interventions.
Research Questions
The main research questions for this study were: (1) Does
play therapy work with children who have been diagnosed with anxiety disorders,
and (2) Does the presence of a therapy dog change the session characteristics
and effectiveness of play therapy?
Subjects
A final study sample included eight
Caucasian clients (three male and five female) from a small private therapy
practice in rural
Georgia
. Inclusion criteria included meeting the eligibility requirements for AAPT
(Appendix C), being between 6 to 8 years of age, having a diagnosable anxiety
disorder as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), the absence of any psychotic symptoms, the
absence of psychotropic medications, and no history of prior psychiatric
treatment.
Design
Methods combined quantitative and
qualitative data collection to examine differences in children’s behavior in
the presence/absence of a certified therapy dog (ABAB design). Individual
non-directive play sessions occurred weekly for 45 minutes across 16 weeks.
Quantitative data collected with the Play Therapy Session Summary (PTSS) yielded
an overall total behavior score based on the frequency of positive behaviors
(participation in play, engagement in fantasy play, attention to task, response
to tracking, positive affect, positive vocalizations, adherence to limits) and
negative behaviors (play disruptions, distractibility, negative affect,
resistance to tracking, negative vocalizations, breaking of limits, aggression)
per session. Qualitative data were therapist-generated (MT) narratives. The
study lasted for 6 months and captured 12 sessions with 5 participants and 16
sessions with 3 participants.
Results
Results of the study showed that the presence of the
therapy dog had a significant impact on a child’s response to play therapy. In
the presence of the dog, children in the study showed an improvement in mood and
affect, an increased ability to engage in thematic play, and more readily
established rapport. They also exhibited a decrease in aggressive behavior and
play disruptions. Another interesting finding was when children with PTSD
disclosed their abuse for the first time it was always in the presence of the
therapy dog. Seven of the 8 children showed a clear differentiation between more
positive and less negative behavior in the presence of the dog, suggesting that
the therapy dog was associated with more organized behavior in anxious children.
It is recommended that treatment professionals in both the AAT and PT fields
consider AAPT as an effective intervention for children with anxiety disorders,
especially PTSD.
Dr.
Risë VanFleet
has conducted a qualitative/survey study of play therapists who use animals in
their work. Full results from 83 participants in this 2006-2008 study are now
available. Simply click the link below:
Pets
in Play Therapy Preliminary Study Results
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