Animal Assisted Therapist Health Professionals
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Animal assisted therapists provide support to individuals with cognitive, motoric, or social-emotional disabilities through animal assisted intervention. They involve pets and domesticated animals in a specific intervention plan such as therapy, education, and human service, and aim to restore and maintain the patients` well-being and recovery.
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Where Do I Start?
Animal Therapy
The involvement of animals in a treatment in order to improve the social, emotional or cognitive functioning of the patient.
Sign up to trackReady to go deeper? Pick up to 3 skills to focus on from the list below.
These are common skills for this role. Real-world experience matters more than ticking every box — use this as a guide, not a checklist.
Skills You Need to Become an Animal Assisted Therapist
Essential Skills
Essential Skills
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EssentialAnimal Therapy knowledge
The involvement of animals in a treatment in order to improve the social, emotional or cognitive functioning of the patient.
Recommended Books
1 book -
EssentialDevelop A Collaborative Therapeutic Relationship skill
Develop a mutually collaborative therapeutic relationship during treatment, fostering and gaining healthcare users' trust and cooperation.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialInteract With Healthcare Users skill
Communicate with clients and their carer's, with the patient's permission, to keep them informed about the clients' and patients' progress and safeguarding confidentiality.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialListen Actively skill
Give attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of customers, …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialMaintain Healthcare User Data Confidentiality skill
Comply with and maintain the confidentiality of healthcare users` illness and treatment information.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialProvide Health Education skill
Provide evidence based strategies to promote healthy living, disease prevention and management.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialAssess The Patient's Therapeutic Needs skill
Observe and assess the patient`s behaviour, attitudes and emotions in order to understand if and how their therapeutic needs can be met with a specific kind of therapy, collecting and …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialInstruct Animals For Therapy Purposes skill
Control animals in order to provide therapeutic treatments for psychologically or medically ill patients.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialRecruit Animal Handlers skill
Select and instruct animal trainers in order to integrate the animals in the therapy.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialSelect Therapy Animals skill
Identify the right animal with the right temperament appropriate for the therapy.
Course recommendations coming soon.
Optional Skills (5 of {{ profession.optional_skills|length }} displayed)
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OptionalBehavioural Therapy knowledge
The characteristics and foundations of behavioural therapy, which focuses on changing patients` unwanted or negative behaviour. It involves studying the present behaviour and the means by which this can be …
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OptionalHuman Psychological Development knowledge
The human psychological development across the lifespan, theories of personality development, cultural and environmental influences, human behavior, including developmental crises, disability, exceptional behavior, and addictive behavior.
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OptionalEvaluation Of Psychological Performance knowledge
The characteristics of the methods used to assess psychological parameters.
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OptionalPalliative Care knowledge
The methods of pain relief and quality of life improvement for the patients with serious illnesses.
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Oxford Handbook of Palliative Care -
OptionalAnimal Behaviour knowledge
The natural behavioural patterns of animals, i.e. how normal and abnormal behaviour might be expressed according to species, environment, human-animal interaction and occupation.
No book recommendations available yet.
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OptionalPerformance Diagnosis knowledge
The process that aims at solving problems by correctly identifying the organizational, process, and individual performance levels and how to improve them.
No book recommendations available yet.
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OptionalSociology knowledge
The group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
No book recommendations available yet.
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OptionalApply Organisational Techniques skill
Employ a set of organisational techniques and procedures which facilitate the achievement of the goals set. Use these resources efficiently and sustainably, and show flexibility when required.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalContribute To Continuity Of Health Care skill
Contribute to the delivery of coordinated and continuous healthcare.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalControl Animal Movement skill
Direct, control or restrain some or part of an animal's, or a group of animals', movement.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalDeal With Emergency Care Situations skill
Assess the signs and be well-prepared for a situation that poses an immediate threat to a person's health, security, property or environment.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalEmploy Foreign Languages For Health-Related Research skill
Use foreign languages for conducting and collaborating in health-related research.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalEmploy Foreign Languages In Care skill
Communicate in foreign languages with healthcare users, their carers, or services providers. Use foreign languages to faciliate patient care according to the needs of the patient.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalRefer Healthcare Users skill
Make referrals to other professionals, based on the healthcare user's requirements and needs, especially when recognising that additional healthcare diagnostics or interventions are required.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalRespond To Changing Situations In Health Care skill
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalShow Responsibility skill
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalUse Communication Techniques skill
Apply techniques of communication which allow interlocutors to better understand each other and communicate accurately in the transmission of messages.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalHandle Patient Trauma skill
Assess the competences, needs, and limitations of people affected by trauma, referring the patients to specialised trauma services where appropriate.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalPromote Animal Welfare skill
Promote good practice and work with compassion to sustain and promote high standards of animal welfare at all times by adapting personal behaviour and managing environmental factors.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalWork With Healthcare Users' Social Network skill
Get involved with the friends, families and other relevant actors important for the client or patient being treated, under the conditions of confidentiality and transparency.
Course recommendations coming soon.