What Is Animal-Assisted Therapy and How Can It Improve Mental Health?

Many addiction and mental health treatment practices are rather new and unorthodox. This includes animal-assisted therapy. For example, dog therapy has become increasingly common on college campuses. Additionally, we've seen a consistent rise in service animals and other methods like equine therapy. With these trends, wanting to learn more about the efficacy of these methods in improving one's mental health is understandable. More specifically, can animal-assisted therapy help one recover from active addiction recovery, too? These are some of the areas we'll focus on here.

Individuals need to remember that they're not alone in their path to recovery. At West Coast Recovery Centers, we understand that the process of mental health and addiction recovery can be strenuous and overwhelming. That's why we focus on connecting you with various traditional and non-traditional recovery methods. For you, that may include animal-assisted therapy. Recovery is about finding what works well for you, no matter how unorthodox that method may be. 

What's the Ultimate Mental Health and Addiction Treatment?

Sometimes, people want to learn about a foolproof way of improving their mental health or recovering from addiction. It's understandable for us to desire a clear-cut path to recovery and wellness, but unfortunately, that doesn't exist. There's no one-size-fits-all approach to mental health or addiction treatment. That can be a good thing and a bad thing. 

Not having a one-size-fits-all approach to recovery means that your treatment doesn't have to be as rigid as treatment practices of the past. Nowadays, we have endless options and people can feel empowered in their recovery journey, which is amazing! However, it can also be overwhelming. 

Despite there not being a clear-cut path to recovery, some go-to treatments can help. Years of research and observation tell us that any form of mental health and addiction treatment is most effective when individualized to each person. That may include medication, individual and group counseling, peer support, and lifestyle changes. The ultimate treatment is the one that addresses your unique needs. We believe this can be done through evidence-based modalities and holistic practices.

Evidence-Based Modalities

At West Coast Recovery Centers, we implement a variety of traditional, or evidence-based, modalities to help clients meet their specific rehabilitation needs. Evidence-based modalities are clinical practices that utilize the most up-to-date scientifically validated treatment methods. Some modalities you'll experience with us may include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), group therapy, and creative expression therapies. 

Holistic Practices

One method may work better than others, but the efficacy of these modalities can be enhanced when combined with holistic practices. Holistic practices are simply treatment approaches that consider multidimensional aspects of wellness. They provide a whole-person approach to treatment, often focusing on treating the mind, body, and spirit. Consider incorporating yoga, meditation, breathwork, and other mindfulness-based practices into your treatment plan to aid your overall wellness journey.  

Along with these evidence-based modalities and holistic practices, you may consider adding animal-assisted therapy to your treatment plan, too!

What Is Animal-Assisted Therapy?

Essentially, animal-assisted therapy is a therapeutic practice that uses animals to help improve someone's health. This includes many aspects of health, such as mental, physical, social, or cognitive health. The cool thing about animal-assisted therapy is that it's not only used to treat mental health conditions; it can be implemented to help people with cancer, head injuries, and Alzheimer's disease. Further, it can be implemented to help individuals with autism spectrum disorder as well.

How Is Animal-Assisted Therapy Implemented?

The implementation of animal-assisted therapy is, of course, dependent on the condition or symptoms being treated. It's necessary to remember that animal-assisted therapy can be used in many ways. Incorporating animals into individual and group therapy sessions has a time in place. However, implementation can also consist of simply bringing dogs onto a college campus for pet therapy day or bringing a volunteer dog into an inpatient facility to visit patients. 

What Are the Benefits of Using Animal-Assisted Therapy in Mental Health Treatment?

Research on animal-assisted interventions or therapies indicates that the therapeutic use of animals has been in debate for decades, and use has been “explored in a variety of settings and populations," per the European Journal of Integrative Medicine. This journal also concludes that the “human relationship with animals can be useful and relatively safe for inpatients with various problems.” Of course, further research is always necessary. For example, in certain settings, precautions are required for safety reasons. Nevertheless, some of the benefits of animal-assisted treatment for mental health include: 

• Reducing anxiety and depression symptoms 
• Enhancing social and coping skills 
• Improving one's overall mood 
• Reducing isolation and loneliness 
• Providing comfort to clients 
• Encouraging positive engagement 

Can Animal-Assisted Therapy Help You Recover From Addiction?

Believe it or not, animals have a healing power, even when it comes to addiction recovery. For example, having a pet can help individuals increase their self-awareness and self-accountability and help reduce their overall stress. No one's saying that having a pet or engaging in this treatment is all one needs to sustain long-term recovery, but it can be helpful. Interested in learning more? Discuss incorporating animal-assisted therapy into your treatment plan with your therapist today! 

There are various evidence-based modalities and holistic practices that can help someone improve their mental health or recover from substance use disorder (SUD) and addiction. Traditional and nontraditional methods can be effective, however, efficacy increases exponentially when these methods are combined. One practice you may consider incorporating into your current treatment plan is animal-assisted therapy. Doing so can help reduce stress, manage anxiety and depression symptoms, and even increase your self-awareness. Of course, what works for some won't work for all, but it may be worth considering. For more information and support or to begin your treatment journey, call West Coast Recovery Centers at (760) 492-6509 or visit our website today.