This article defines and reviews the use of animal-assisted counseling with children, including a particular focus on available research support for the use of carefully selected animals in individual and small group counseling settings.
This course is based on the reading-based online article, Animal‑Assisted Counseling for Young Children: Evidence Base, Best Practices, and Future Prospects created by Mary Renck Jalongo, PhD and Lorraine J. Guth, PhD in 2022.
Course Material Authors authored the material only, and were not involved in creating this CE course. They are identified here for your own evaluation of the relevancy of the material this course is based on.
Mary Renck Jalongo, PhD
Dr. Jalongo is a Professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She has written, coauthored, or edited more than thirty books and earned eight national awards for excellence in writing. She has published articles and books on humane education, the child/companion animal bond, dog bite prevention, and children reading aloud with therapy dog teams. Her work has been published in multiple peer reviewed journals
Lorraine J. Guth, PhD
Dr. Guth is the clinical coordinator for her department’s master’s degree program and coordinates the Indiana Digital Counselor Training Facility for on-campus practicum classes. She has also provided service in local public schools and nursing homes as a certified therapy dog handler and participates in the IUP Just Paws therapy dog program. She has published a journal article and two chapters in an edited book about this work.
David Lutkemeier holds a BA degree in psychology, a master’s degree in developmental psychology, and a doctorate degree from the University of Cincinnati in Special Education and Psychology. He is certified as a psychologist by the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners, as well as holding public school superintendent certification in Arizona and California. Dr. Lutkemeier has worked as an assistant professor at Arizona State University, a school psychologist, special education director, assistant superintendent, and superintendent in both Arizona and California. David, working as a consultant with a national curriculum management group (CMSi) has completed over two dozen comprehensive district-wide curriculum audits in 15 states over the past 20 years and has worked as a test developer for CE Learning Systems for the past ten years.
Recommended For:
School counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other behavioral health professionals with professional interest in, or a practice focused on, the provision of counseling for young children.
This course is appropriate for all levels of knowledge.
Course Objectives:
After taking this course, you should be able to:
Identify important characteristics and potential therapeutic advantages associated with carefully planned interactions between young children and animals.
Examine the reported research supporting carefully selected animals for use in child-focused mental health support services.
Discuss precautions and potential concerns associated with the inclusion of animals in individual and small group counseling sessions for children.
Disclosure to Learners
Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships
CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited
Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity –
including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial
relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).
The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and
the reviewer:
Planners and Reviewers
The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.
David M. Lutkemeier – No relevant financial relationships.
Commercial support
There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.
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