Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) Helps with Anger Issues in the Severe and Persistently Mentally Ill (SPMI) Population
Keywords:
Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI), Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), Anger Issues.Abstract
This paper summarizes a study conducted which used Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) to help with anger issues in people who have been previously diagnosed with a severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI). Fifty-six participants were studied and questioned in depth for an understanding of their anger issues; as they relate to their diagnosis. Some of the questions that were considered were as follows: Is anger a direct result of their diagnosis? Is the medication they take somehow responsible? Are anger outbursts controllable or at least foreseeable? How can a counselor provide therapy for someone when that person is so angry all the time that they cannot calm down long enough to listen or participate in any form of therapy? This study also looks at the use of animals to calm this population using their blood pressure levels before and after the fifteen minute intervention with an animal of their choice on a farm. Subject
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