What’s a “therapy animal” anyway?

Have you ever heard of Sigmund Freud? Father of Psychoanalysis. Freud’s chow, Jofi (or Yofi), often sat through therapy sessions with him. Freud observed that Yofi helped reduce tension in the room and that patients, especially child and adolescent patients, would open up more. Jofi would sit closer to people he sensed were depressed, allowing comfort, and further away from those he sensed we anxious, allowing space. Jofi was also apparently a great time keeper, beginning to yawn and pace around fifty minutes into the session. Jofi was a therapy dog before the term 'therapy dog' even existed. What a pioneer! Over my next few blog posts, I will be breaking down the ins and outs of Animal Assisted Therapy to help my readers (and friends, colleagues and clients) get a better understanding of what Animal Assisted Therapy actually is, and how it helps others. This week, we start with understanding just what exactly a Therapy Animal is and the difference between service animals, emotional support animals and therapy animals.