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- Title
Animal-Assisted Interventions in the Military: Historical Perspective and Future Direction.
- Authors
French, M. Todd
- Abstract
The United States Military was early to recognize the health benefits of animal-assisted intervention (AAI) in the health care setting and has supported and developed successful programs since World War I. Most of these programs simply provided the benefit of a friendly animal in the health care setting until the novel use of trained service animals as "co-therapists" was introduced at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the early 2000s. Programs were further advanced in 2007 with the inclusion of service animal dogs embedded with occupational therapists in deployed combat environments. Despite the success of these programs, animal acquisition complications, conflicting terminology used to define animal participants, and unclear policy guidance has stifled the advancement of these AAIs in the Department of Defense. Fortunately, recent factors have created an avenue for program growth and expansion that make programs feasible and sustainable. The first is the continued growth of empirical data in the scientific literature on the benefits animals provide to physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. Next, there is a general increase in military community and key leader acceptance of the benefits of AAI coupled with recognition of the value of service animal effectiveness as a complementary therapeutic intervention (especially in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder). Lastly, there is a new focus on proper AAI terminology, comprehensive policy, and innovative approaches to acquiring trained psychiatric service dogs embedded with health care facilities (facility dogs) and military units (therapeutic support dogs).
- Subjects
ANIMAL-assisted therapy; UNITED States. Dept. of Defense; HEALTH facilities; CHILDREN of military personnel; SERVICE dogs; MENTAL health services; INTERVENTION (International law); SERVICE animals
- Publication
Medical Journal, US Army Medical Center of Excellence (MEDCoE), 2023, p152
- ISSN
2694-3581
- Publication type
Academic Journal