63rd Annual Conference

Friday February 24

Early Bird Open Sessions

7:15 A.M. – 8:15 A.M.

Session 215

The Power of the Human-Animal Bond in an Interactive Play Group

Panelist: 

Kate Nicoll, M.S.W., LCSW, Executive Director, Soul Friends, Inc., Wallingford, Connecticut

Heeling Hearts is an 8 session interactive therapy group for children living with loss, grief, abuse and trauma.  This workshop will explore the power of the human-animal bond in helping children heal and integrate traumatic memories.  This groups explores the power of animal narratives as a tool for teaching children about body-centered experiences related to trauma and psychosocial losses.

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1.  Identify three ways that interactions with an animal can help children integrate traumatic experiences.

2.  Describe benefits/risks of animal assisted interventions.

3.  Describe the presenter's integrated model of animal assisted interventions and how it helps children with attunement, attachment and affect regulation.

Course References:

1. Nicoll, K.( 2005).  Soul Friends: Finding healing with animals.  IA: Dogear Publishing.

2. Fine, A. (Ed.). (2000) The Handbook of Animal Assisted Therapy. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

3. Santostefano, S. (2004). Child Therapy in the Great Outdoors. Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic

Press:

4. Sweeney, D. & Homeyer, L. (1999).  The Handbook of Play Therapy. San Francisco,

CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.