Assessing Handlers for Competence in Animal-Assisted Interventions

With a distinctive combination of personal experience and professional training in both the human and animal fields, Ann R. Howie has spent her life helping humans better appreciate canines. A trained psychotherapist, she observed similarities in the behavior of human and nonhuman animals, and the effects they have on each other, which led her to integrate animal-assisted therapy into her psychotherapy practice and to obtain a credential as a dog trainer. She was part of the initial task force that identified standards for the emerging field of animal-assisted therapy in the early 1990s, and she later combined her professional training and observation experience to help Pet Partners write numerous handbooks, design multiple trainings for humans, and provide assessments of handlers and animals. Howie is the author of Teaming With Your Therapy Dog, and her Therapy Animal's Bill of Rights has been adopted by many visiting-animal programs internationally. She lives in Olympia, Washington.

• ForewordIn GratitudeIntroduction1. The Importance of Assessing Handler Competence2. What Is Competency­Based Assessment? 3. AAI Competencies4. Training for Competence5. Conducting Your Competency­Based Assessment6. Animal Competencies7. The Coordinator's Role in Animal Welfare8. Assessing the Handler's Attention to Animal Welfare9. Bumps in the Road10. Putting It All TogetherAppendix A. Handler Competency FormAppendix B. S.E.E. the P.U.P.Appendix C. Interview Questions and AnswersAppendix D. References and ResourcesAbout the Author

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