Fido and Freud Meet: Integrating Animal-Assisted Interventions With Counseling Theory

Current research on animal-assisted interventions (AAI) is expansive and rapidly growing, affirming a host of physical, physiological, and psychological benefits when integrated into the counseling process. This modality harnesses the power of the human-animal bond, providing benefit to the client and the counselor- client relationship. Given the mental health needs of the juvenile justice population, the use of innovative, creative modalities is needed. By integrating counseling theory and AAI, this manuscript grounds the practice of AAI while highlighting examples with adjudicated youth.