There are several types of Therapy programs that can help those who are struggling with depression as well as other issues. These programs include: Animal, Art, Equine, Horticultural, Music and Nature. Each of these have provided both participants and providers with wonderful experiences that have helped to heal and uplift. Having access to each of these programs will allow participants to work with the one, or ones, that they are most comfortable with, and feel the most connection to. These programs will be provided at each center, with trained and certified practitioners.
Animal Assisted Therapy/Animal Assisted Intervention – https://iahaio.org/
The International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO) is the global association of organizations that engage in practice, research and/or education in animal assisted activity, animal assisted therapy, and service animal training. These activities serve to promote pet ownership, the human-animal bond, and respectful approaches to engaging with animals.
Animal Assisted Play Therapy – https://iiaapt.org/
Animal Assisted Play Therapy (AAPT) is a full integration of play therapy with animal-assisted therapy, primarily for mental health/psychotherapy and education purposes. It is valuable in helping children, adolescents, and adults, and can be provided for individuals, groups, and families.
Art Therapy – https://arttherapy.org/
Art therapy is an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families and communities through active art-making, creative process applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship.
Art therapy, facilitated by a professional art therapist, effectively supports personal and relational treatment goals as well as community concerns. Art therapy is used to improve cognitive and sensorimotor functions, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, reduce and resolve conflicts and distress, and advance societal and ecological change.
Hippotherapy – https://www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org/
The term hippotherapy refers to how occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology professionals use evidence-based practice and clinical reasoning in the purposeful manipulation of equine movement as a therapy tool to engage sensory, neuromotor and cognitive systems to promote functional outcomes.
Best practice dictates that occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology professionals integrate hippotherapy into the patient’s plan of care, along with other therapy tools and/or strategies.
Horticultural Therapy – https://www.ahta.org/
Horticultural therapy techniques are employed to assist participants to learn new skills or regain those that are lost. Horticultural therapy helps improve memory, cognitive abilities, task initiation, language skills, and socialization. In physical rehabilitation, horticultural therapy can help strengthen muscles and improve coordination, balance, and endurance. In vocational horticultural therapy settings, people learn to work independently, problem solve, and follow directions. Horticultural therapists are professionals with specific education, training, and credentials in the use of horticulture for therapy and rehabilitation.
Music Therapy – https://www.musictherapy.org/
Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. After assessing the strengths and needs of each client, the qualified music therapist provides the indicated treatment including creating, singing, moving to, and/or listening to music. Through musical involvement in the therapeutic context, clients’ abilities are strengthened and transferred to other areas of their lives. Music therapy also provides avenues for communication that can be helpful to those who find it difficult to express themselves in words. Research in music therapy supports its effectiveness in many areas such as: overall physical rehabilitation and facilitating movement, increasing people’s motivation to become engaged in their treatment, providing emotional support for clients and their families, and providing an outlet for expression of feelings.
Nature and Forest Therapy – https://www.natureandforesttherapy.earth/
Forest Therapy, also known as Forest Bathing, is a relational practice that brings people into deeper intimacy with natural places. And one of those natural places is our natural self; it’s a practice that holds the possibility of meeting again the kernel of who we are, and what we are born to be and how we are intended to be of service in the world. It’s also important to recognize how the practice supports every aspect of our well-being. There are many wonderful health benefits attributed to forest therapy including boosted immune function, improved cardiovascular and respiratory health, attention restoration and a reduction in stress and depression.
For more information on the different animal therapy programs, read the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations White Paper found here: https://iahaio.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/iahaio_wp_updated-2020-aai-adjust-1.pdf
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