Animal Assisted Intervention at The Nelson ARK: A social work placement reflection

Letitia Meadows, Karen Howieson, Tessa Bashford, Brooke Silke-Atkins

Abstract


The involvement of animals in aspects of social work assessments and interventions has been touted as a positive development. Yet, little attention has been given to the potential for animal involvement in social work education and training. This practice reflection describes social work student placements at The Nelson ARK, where Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI) is employed in programmes for youth. Social work placement coordinator, Letitia, and The Nelson ARK manager, Karen, provide the background to this initiative, while students, Tessa and Brooke, share a snapshot of their placement experiences that highlight a fresh appreciation of human–animal relations. From our collective experiences, the authors propose that field education in services that provide AAI affords novel and valuable learning for social work students.


Keywords


Animal Assisted Intervention; animal–human relations; social work; social work student education; social work placement

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.11157/anzswj-vol32iss4id796

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