We have been approached by a student from the University of Liverpool who is looking to interview a number of therapists who are are using Animal Assisted Interventions. If you are able to help please contact the student on the contact details below. Please note: The Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) takes no responsibility for this research, and any queries or issues,must be directed to the researcher themselves.  

Invitation to participate in the University of Liverpool research project titled:
“What works for clients with mental health issues in Animal-Assisted Interventions and how: A look at therapists’ perspectives”

Dear Participant,

In the course of a Master’s dissertation in Psychology with the University of Liverpool, we are conducting interviews to explore what factors impact on the outcomes of Animal-Assisted Interventions and how they affect them from the perspective of therapists. The purpose of this study is to assess what a therapist considers a successful intervention and to identify what techniques are employed to accomplish that.

As a therapist you should:

• be either occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychotherapists, or counsellors) and thus being registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), University graduates, or graduates of courses accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
• be over 18 years or older
• have been working with AAI for at least 2 years
• preferably follow the AAI Code of Practice for the UK

to share your valuable first-hand information.

Therapists who do not hold professional qualifications or have not enough experience in working with AAI can unfortunately not be considered.

The interview will last no longer than 60 minutes and all the recorded data will be kept confidential. Each interview will be anonymised by numbering to help ensure that personal information are not revealed during data analysis and write up of findings. There is no compensation for participating in this study; however, your input will help to increase current knowledge and may help to benefit future training and development of interventions in this field.

If you are willing to participate or want to receive further information please contact Mrs Andrea-Caroline Metelmann as soon as possible, but no later than 31 August 2019, on the email address below:
andrea-caroline.metelmann@online.liverpool.ac.uk