Benefits of Equine-Based Therapy for Individuals with Dementia

Individuals living with dementia typically experience progressive, cognitive, and functional decline which limits their ability to communicate and fully perform activities (Pimouguet el al., 2019). Horses have been shown to benefit individuals with dementia by improving well-being, physical health, functional capacity, and social relationships (Fields et. al., 2019). A 6-week OT-based virtual equine-assisted activities program was conducted to determine if participation in equine-assisted activities could improve the quality of life of individuals with dementia. Outcomes of the program resulted in improvements in mood, energy level, engagement, communication, memory, socialization, and overall quality of life

SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE STUDENTS SELF-REPORTED KNOWLEDGE OF TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Students who study to obtain the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree will undoubtedly serve clients with histories of family violence, chronic or terminal illness, immigration, racism, mass violence/terrorism, or even natural disasters. With the theme of trauma being ever prevalent in their internships and work, it is important to consider the perceptions that MSW Students have about PTSD treatment modalities and exploring their interests in expanding their knowledge about PTSD. A selection of MSW students were asked questions about their knowledge and interest in treatment options for PTSD. The results showed a diverse variation of knowledge for the seven treatment modalities studied and a high interest among all groups in learning more about all treatment types. Additionally there was a large difference in knowledge of the various treatment modalities between students who are veterans and those who had no military background. Recommendations include increased curricular content on emerging PTSD treatments and continued research on gaps in MSW student knowledge of alternative treatment modalities for PTSD and other mental health issues. Keywords: PTSD, treatment modalities, Agri-therapy, Cannabis treatment, Equine therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) therapy, Medical Nutritional Therapy (MNT), Virtual Reality Exposure Therap

Exploring Occupational Therapy’s Role in Equine-Assisted Therapy with Veterans

Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) is a treatment that incorporates activities with a horse and the equine environment to reach rehabilitative goals specific to the client\u27s needs and the medical professional\u27s standards of practice (Meregillano, 2004; Path Int, 2021). There are many methods of using a horse in treatment. Therapeutic riding is a component of EAT, as well as horsemanship, groundwork, horse care, and stable management. Hippotherapy is a healthcare professional (OT, PT, SLP) treatment tool that occupational therapists (OT) use the horse\u27s movement to facilitate change (Meregillano, 2004). Some research has demonstrated veterans who work with horses show improvement in quality of life and lower PTSD symptoms, leading to positive changes in self-care, productivity, and leisure (Johnson et al., 2018; Lanning & Krenek, 2013; Olenick et al., 2018). Using the Model of Human Occupation and Person-Environment-Occupation Model, the purpose of this capstone project was to determine OT\u27s role in EAT with veterans to increase occupational engagement in a safe and supportive equine environment, which will allow the veteran to heal. There is a gap in the research related to OT\u27s role in EAT with the veteran population. Using EAT, OTs can individualize treatment sessions to provide benefits in physical, mental, and emotional aspects of veteran lives. This capstone project consisted of three phases of data collection. Phase one was the scoping literature review focused on answering the question: What was the occupational impact of working with equines on the veteran population. Five electronic databases were searched with search terms including equine-assisted therapy and veterans and acceptable related terms such as hippotherapy, therapeutic riding, and EAGALA. Due to the fact, there is little occupational therapy-based research, the OTPF was used as a guide to identifying terms related to OT practice to determine any impact on occupational performance in veterans who participate in EAT. Twelve articles were reviewed after meeting the inclusion criteria. Phase two consisted of a mixed-methods survey to learn the perspective of 11 participants, which included OTs using hippotherapy, veterans, and therapeutic riding staff. Phase three consisted of conducting four informal interviews with stakeholders to perform a needs assessment relative to EAT and veterans. Three main themes were revealed following a thorough thematic analysis process. Veterans who participated in EAT experienced a positive impact on occupational performance. Occupational therapists do have a role in EAT with veterans to contribute to the success of programs and client occupational performance. However, several barriers to practice include funding, reimbursement, and governing equine organization disagreement. This capstone project attempts to promote advocacy for EAT and veterans via a fieldwork proposal to allow opportunities for OT students at USAHS to develop clinical skills in a non-traditional treatment setting with veterans and horses. Further research is needed on the impact of occupations in an equine environment relative to OT practice and research related to finding solutions to the identified barriers found in this project. Advocating to the American Hippotherapy Association to establish supported veteran programming to ensure OTs can use the power of horses to provide care to veterans in need.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2021/1010/thumbnail.jp

The Parental Perception of the Effects of Therapeutic Riding on Children with Disabilities’ Academics Before and During COVID-19

The search for effective forms of intervention is ongoing and therapeutic riding is emerging through research as a successful form. It is now more important than ever to discover effective interventions as the COVID-19 pandemic has jolted the education of many students, especially those with a disability. Most teachers were forced to implement an online teaching method to continue serving their students safely. Even when special education institutions remained open, many parents elected to keep their children home due to medical vulnerability and the risks that attending in-person education posed (Asbury et al., 2021). According to, Raghul et al. (2021) , 93.9% of the 30 special educators in their study reported: “difficulties in meeting the learning needs of the students” during online learning (p.1250). During this time of online learning, parents of students with exceptional needs were required to become their teachers and help guide them through school in addition to their other responsibilities. This research aims to evaluate parental perceptions of the effects of therapeutic riding on their children’s academic performance before and during COVID-19

Enhancing Quality of Life for Individuals with Dementia through a Virtual OT Based Equine-Assisted Activities Program

Individuals living with dementia typically experience progressive, cognitive, and functional decline which limits their ability to communicate and fully perform activities (Pimouguet el al., 2019). Horses have been shown to benefit individuals with dementia by improving well-being, physical health, functional capacity, and social relationships (Fields et. al., 2019). A 6-week OT based virtual equine-assisted activities program was conducted to determine if participation in equine-assisted activities could improve the quality of life of individuals with dementia. Outcomes of the program resulted in improvements in mood, energy level, engagement, communication, memory, socialization, and overall quality of life. FromSubjectReceivedSizeCategoriesLauren FearnAbstract for Poster7:11 PM26 KBhttps://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesfall2020/1007/thumbnail.jp

Horses Helping Children Grow

A review of Animal-Assisted Therapy and related terms such as Animal-Assisted Activities is presented as an introduction to the exploration of additional equine applications with children. Animal-Assisted Therapy has been studied, but Animal-Assisted Activities with children facing normal developmental struggles has not received much attention. Definitions and research for various animal activities and therapies are reviewed. Subsequent focus will be on equines helping children via Animal-Assisted Activities to meet normal developmental challenges. Creating parallels using a horse is an avenue to working with children, aiding them in the process of introspection, self-monitoring, self-efficacy, self-esteem, metacognitions, and overcoming angst associated with normal development hurdles. Horses can give accurate and unbiased feedback via their reactions to a child\u27s behavior, thus increasing self-awareness of the impact of behavior on others. There are many different modalities utilizing equines, all of which have positive impacts on the individual

Animal-Assisted Interventions in Supervision: A Collective Case Study

Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) have been discussed in recent conceptual literature as having potential for positive implications when applied in supervision (Chandler, 2017; Jackson, 2020; Owenby, 2017; Stewart et al., 2015). However, there was limited empirical foundation or guidance for the integration of two distinct specializations (AAIs and supervision). The purpose of this qualitative collective case study (Stake, 2006) was to explore and understand the experiences of supervisors who have been implementing AAIs within the context of supervision. Specifically, this study addressed the following overarching research question and two sub-questions were addressed: Q1 Why are supervisors integrating AAIs into supervision? Q1a What are the experiences of supervisors who have been integrating AAIs into supervision? Q1b How are supervisors integrating AAIs into clinical supervision? Three doctoral-level counseling professionals with extensive training and experience in AAIs participated, representing three cases of animal-assisted interventions in supervision (AAI-S). Participants had been practicing AAI-S between 7 and 10 years. Two cases existed within university-based, graduate-level AAI training programs and one case existed in the context of a private-practice. Five sources of data were collected for each participant (demographic questionnaire, professional documents [e.g., informed consent, supervisory disclosure statement], multiple interviews per participant [average of six hours per participant], which included a virtual tour of the AAI-S environment and introductions to animal partners). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis within and across cases (Braun & Clarke, 2009, 2021). Cross-case analysis suggested themes related to need for supportive context for implementation of AAI-S, professionals’ personal experiences associated with AAIs, common guiding frameworks for understanding the process of AAI-S, welfare and competency concerns, and the compelling rationale for AAI-S. The final report presented the findings as a holistic account of AAI-S. Based on the findings of this study, implications recommendations for counselor educators, supervisors, and professionals were provided as well as directions for future research

Benefits of Equine Therapy Within Occupational Therapy

The main goal of occupational therapy is to help the patient gain confidence in their ability to function and perform life skills outside of their therapist (Abu Tariah et al, 2020, p.1). By incorporating horses during therapy sessions, it can assist in strengthening the therapist/patient relationship and provide more productive therapy sessions, which would ultimately improve the patient’s ability to learn, grow, and to continue functioning once therapy is completed. The use of equine therapy in occupational therapy is beneficial to patients diagnosed with different types of neurological and psychological disorders