Search

As the practice of animal-assisted counseling (AAC) flourishes, the need for measurable standards increases. The purpose of this study was to identify standards in AAC as a means to recommend measu...

The purpose of this study was to conduct an investigation of online information and criteria for potential canine-assisted intervention (CAI) teams to better understand current standards set by CAI programs. The field of animal-assisted interventions is burgeoning with CAI programs having moved beyond canine intervention teams visiting clients in a hospital setting to teams providing support to a range of clients in a variety of settings. In response to this surge in popularity of CAI programs, there is a need to better understand how both handlers and canines are deemed suitable for CAI work. The aim of this study was to investigate published online material for volunteer handlers and their canines as a means of identifying commonly sought information, screening criteria, and canine skills assessed across agencies. Over 320 programs were identified and 64 programs were randomly chosen to be coded for the analysis. A frequency distribution was used to identify most and least frequently occurring screening information, criteria, and assessed canine skills presented by CAI programs. Results indicated that the most common information requested of potential teams was basic information (e.g., human and canine name, canine breed), and the most frequently required criteria for potential teams included the team evaluation, canine age, and vaccine status. Our outcomes also identified the most commonly listed canine skills that are assessed in a team evaluation: accepting a friendly stranger, down, sit, and stay on cue, and reaction to a neutral dog. We found that requirements for handlers, such as handler skills, previous training, background checks, and ongoing monitoring, were lacking. Based on these findings, the authors recommend best practices for CAI program online screening. The findings from this study contribute to the emerging literature on CAI program screening procedures and hold implications for research involving CAI teams.

The field of animal-assisted counseling (AAC) is burgeoning. However, there is a paucity of research on the perspectives of mental health practitioners regarding its practice and the experience and training needed to effectively utilize AAC with clients. The purpose of this study was to explore how practitioners perceive AAC and its role in clinical settings. Perceptions of 300 mental health practitioners were assessed using a researcher-developed survey instrument. Findings indicated that a majority of practitioners (91.7%) view AAC as a legitimate counseling modality. Practitioners identified client age ranges and the top five clinical issues that would benefit from AAC. While only 12.0% of respondents had received training in AAC, 57.0% of respondents reported interest in receiving AAC training. Respondents identified types of AAC education, training, and supervision that would be sufficient for clinicians to utilize AAC. The findings from this study contribute to the emerging literature on AAC.

Clinical supervision is essential to the development of competent, ethical, and professional practice among substance abuse counselors. A vital role of supervisors is to act as gatekeepers responsible for protecting clients and the profession. Many supervisors in the addictions field lack formal education and training in supervision and, hence, could benefit from information and guidance in performing challenging supervisory tasks such as gatekeeping. This article focuses on the key elements of effective supervision, particularly with regard to supervisee assessment, remediation, and dismissal, all while considering the common pitfalls experience and encountered by those receiving supervision. These processes are presented and illustrated through a case example as a means of providing practical guidance to those who supervise current and aspiring substance abuse counselors.

While there is a growing reserve of evidence-based practices (EBPs) available to practitioners, much can be learned about how to implement EBPs in real-world settings. Evidence of the effects of a widely disseminated student engagement intervention, CheckConnect (CC), is emerging yet little is known about the implementation of CC in community-based settings. The purpose of the authors in this study was to examine practitioner attitudes and perspectives related to the CC intervention and implementation to gain an understanding of core implementation components that facilitated or impeded implementation. A researcher-developed survey instrument was used to assess practitioner attitudes related to the CC model and implementation among 14 school-based practitioners working in a dropout prevention program. Findings indicate that practitioners were highly positive about the CC intervention and in their attitudes about implementing EBPs. Benefits of CC identified by practitioners included increased relationship building with students, tracking students on a consistent and timely basis, and addressing attendance issues as a main focus of treatment. The most common implementation challenges were time constraints, paperwork, and targeting absentee students. These findings contribute to the emerging literature on CC and the implementation of EBPs in schools and community-based settings.