Who We Are
The Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC) is an internationally recognized center for research and training in the varied facets of human-animal interaction across the lifespan and grounded in evidenced-based practice for implementing diverse and ethically responsible animal-supported educational and therapeutic interventions.
IHAC is a respected source of scientific and scholarly information on human-animal connections within the fields of social work and social sciences.
The Institute in Action: New Workshop
Kids and Dogs and Horses--Oh My!
Integrating Two Powerful Approaches in Animal Assisted Play Therapy
This presentation provides an overview of Animal Assisted Play Therapy (AAPT), the integration of AAT with play therapy. The guiding principles, preliminary research, and methods of practice will be discussed and illustrated with video of actual sessions involving dogs and horses. The importance of animal knowledge, non-aversive training and handling, and animal-as-cotherapist will be coupled with specific strategies used to address a range of difficulties in childhood and adolescence. Emphasis is placed on cross-species play, and the approach requires that the dog, horse, or other animal enjoys the interactions. Applications of AAPT for children with fear and anxiety, behavior problems, social difficulties, trauma/attachment problems, and histories of animal abuse will be discussed. The exceptional importance of relationship will be illustrated throughout.
Workshop Details
| When | April 18, 2012, 1 PM – 4 PM |
| Where | University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work |
| Room | Craig Hall - Boettcher Foundation Community Room |
| Presenter | Risë VanFleet, Ph.D., RPT-S, CDBC |
| Cost: | $25.00 |
Frank Ascione, Executive Director of IHAC Receives Grant to Study Children Exposed to Animal Abuse
A new study underway by professor Frank Ascione hopes to answer some questions about the effects of animal abuse on children who witness it. Among the questions to be asked: what mental health problems arise when children are exposed to brutality against a much-loved pet? How do children cope when they see an animal beaten or tortured? What, if any, scars persist through time?
The new four-year study will follow children who have seen or heard animal abuse at home. The project is funded by a $1.5 million grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. It will allow Ascione to advance his groundbreaking research into the dynamcis of domestic violence and animal maltreatment.
GSSW Dean James Herbert Williams considers the grant a breakthrough for scholars studying the human-animal connection - whether they work at DU or elsewhere. "This is the first time that federal funding has been put forward to look at this kind of issue," Williams explains, noting that such funding signals the importance of foundational research in this emerging field.
GSSW has posted a detailed review of this important grant and its implications.
