My sister recently bought a book called The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter Than You Think, and apparently she found some inspiration. Her face lit up when she told me she’d decided to go to school for animal-assisted therapy.

For the longest time, my sister has been determined she would be a history major. She’s always reading, always learning, and she’s schooled me a time or two. As of late, however, she’s been on the fence about what she wants to do for school and for a career. Until a couple days ago, that is.

She read something in the book she bought that made her want to check out animal-assisted therapy, and she said she felt it was “a sign from God.” I’d believe it. God has given me many a nudge and guided me through many great adventures and experiences. Animal-assisted therapy is something I know she will be really passionate about, and I’m really happy she’s found something she’d be happy with as a career.

But what is animal-assisted therapy?

There are many different forms of animal-assisted therapy, but at its core, it involves using animals during a therapy session or activity to produce beneficial psychological effects and improve well-being. Animals can help calm a person down, put them more at ease, and help them through the therapy process. Animal-assisted therapy can seem less daunting and can ease the tension of talking about traumas, especially for children.

This is not to say that petting a dog is going to cure insomnia, and cuddling a kitten won’t make your depression vanish. That’s not what animal-assisted therapy is. It’s more focused than that. It’s goal-oriented, just like other forms of therapy are. The point is to benefit from the companionship of an animal to help you get what you need to out of therapy, to help you feel less stressed and more comfortable working through your problems.

I know my sister will be great at this. The fact that she’s so excited makes me excited for her. I have insisted that she bring a kitten or two home every once in awhile for me to cuddle. I love kittens. I would play with kittens all day if I could. Either way, I’m happy for her.

If you want to learn more about animal-assisted therapy, I found a couple links you might find useful.

• Animal Assisted Therapy Services, Inc.
• American Human Association

This post uses Amazon affiliate links.