Fido Chooses Human as Cotherapist

Reviews the book, Animal-Assisted Brief Therapy: A Solution-Focused Approach by Teri Pichot and Marc Coulter (see record 2007-03112-000). According to Allen, any animal-human partnership would be wise to read this book. This book offers a wealth of information about what each partner needs to know about the expectations of the other. The human therapist must fully understand canine culture, differences in animal-assisted activities and animal-assisted therapy, and how to integrate animals into the solution-focused model. The canine must be fully aware of his role and be willing to perform the behavioral tasks as assigned. The authors present a brief history of the healing power of animal-human experiences. From the accounts of early kings, priests, and doctors to Florence Nightingale's notes, there is much recorded evidence that the bond between animals and man is good medicine. Although the book presents an overview of solution-focused therapy, it should not be considered a training manual for therapists who are not already familiar with the model. The authors give basic information to help the reader understand the model's basic tenet of starting from a place where the problem is resolved rather than from a place of systematic analysis of the details of the problem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)