Presenter: Donna Rockwell MS, RN, FCN, Donna’s nursing career has been a combination of clinical, educational and administrative roles in a variety of settings. After retirement and the death of her husband. she searched for ways to serve her community as an FCN. She was called to enter pet therapy with her dog Dexter after she witnessed the loving effect he had on her husband and the way he has helped her through her grief process. Through HALO (Human Animal Link Organization) she has had the privilege of combining Faith Community Nursing with pet therapy.

Purpose

To provide Faith Community Nurses with information on pet therapy for FCNs.

Learning Objectives

After attending the presentation, attendees will be able to

1.      Examine the historical human-animal relationship

2.      Summarize biophysical and hormonal effects of human-animal interactions

3.      Compare and contrast current pet therapy methods

4.      Outline certification processes for pet therapy methods

5.      Explore implementing pet therapy in practice

6.      Describe experiences with the human-animal bond

 Reference/Bibliography

Chastain Griffin T. Pet Partners. (2020) Empirical Support for Pet Therapy Animal Interventions. [white paper]. Retrieved from https://petpartners.org/learn/benefits-human-animal-bond/

Teo JT, Johnstone SJ, Romer SS, Thomas SJ. Psychophysiological mechanisms underlying the potential health benefits of human-dog interactions: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Psychophysiology. 2022

Wagner C, Grob C, Hediger K. Specific and Non-specific Factors of Animal-Assisted Interventions Considered in Research: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Psychology. 27 June 2022 Volume 13.  

Acquadro Maran D, Captitanelli I, Cortese CJ, Isesanmi OS, Gianino MM, Chirico F. Animal-Assisted Interventions and Health Care Workers’ Psychological Health: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Animals (Basel). 2022 Feb 4.

US Service Animals. (n.d.) Emotional Support Animal-Oklahoma retrieved from https://usserviceanimals.org/blog/emotional-support animal-oklahoma/

 Brennan J, Nguyen V. (2014). Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals. Retrieved from https://www.ok.gov/content/dam/ok/en/odc/documents/ada-info/service-animals/service-animals-and-emotional-support-animals.pdf/

U.S. Department of Justice. (February 2020) Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA. https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-faqs/

Smith, T. (n.d.) The Assessment. Retrieved from: https://www.yourhalofoundation.org/getting-started.html/

Smith, T. (n.d.) The Therapy Dog: What is the Purpose? Retrieved from: https://www.yourhalofoundation.org/topics.html