Human-Animal Interaction in Social Work: A Call to Action

Jordan Sterman, MSSA candidate Case Western Reserve University [email protected]

Katharine Bussert, MSSA candidate Case Western Reserve University [email protected]

Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, Volume 17, Number 1 (2020) Copyright 2020, ASWB

This text may be freely shared among individuals, but it may not be republished in any medium without express written consent from the authors and advance notification ofASWB.

Abstract HAI remains neglected in mainstream social work A considerable body of research has documented curriculum. The role that non-human animals serve the physical, psychological and social benefits of provides social workers with a unique lens into the human-animal interaction. Despite these promising functioning and dynamics of client relationships. findings, the field of social work has been slow to Thus, HAI has the potential to facilitate client adopt practices from this emergent area of study. engagement by creating opportunities exclusive to Through a discussion of empirical findings, the this type of interaction. It is time for the larger field authors explore specific strategies for implementing of social work to acknowledge the potential of HAI HAI into social work education and practice. by incorporating practices into the curriculum for Furthermore, the authors urge the field of social social work students and ultimately integrating HAI work to acknowledge the efficacy of human-animal as a common practice. interaction by incorporating relevant material into coursework across the social work curricula, Conceptual Definitions promoting the adoption of evidence-based practices HAI can be understood as “any situation from HAI research, and expanding the definition where there is an interchange between human(s) of ‘relationships’ in the NASW Code of Ethics to and animal(s) at an individual or cultural level. include relationships with non-human animals. These interactions are diverse, idiosyncratic, and may be fleeting or profound” (American Veterinary Keywords: human-animal interaction, social work, Medical Association [AVMA], n.d.). This can education, ethics, animal-assisted therapy be distinguished from the human-animal bond (HAB) which exists as a specific category within Introduction the umbrella of HAI. The HAB is “a mutually A growing body of research on human- beneficial and dynamic relationship between animal interaction (HAI) over the past several people and animals that is influenced by behaviors decades has indicated significant physical, considered essential to the health and well-being of psychological and social benefits (Becker, Rogers, both” (AVMA, n.d.). & Burrows, 2017; Handlin et al., 2011; Hu, Zhang, Certified therapy dogs serve as a common Leng, Li, & Chen, 2018; Hunt & Chizkov, 2014; example of HAI in the therapeutic setting, Meehan, Massavelli, & Pachana, 2017). Meanwhile, interacting with clients or patients, in dyads or the field of social work has been slow to adopt groups. Therapy dogs are generally accompanied practices from this emergent area of study and, thus, by a handler. However, clinicians may incorporate

Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics, Spring 2020, Vol. 17, No. 1 - page 47 Human-Animal Interaction in Social Work: A Call to Action the presence of a therapy dog (i.e. their personal, individuals who were directed to pet, stroke, or talk companion dog) into their practice, which serves to their dog for three minutes. The results of the to put clients at ease, build rapport, and improve study found a decrease in heart rate and Cortisol their receptiveness to therapeutic interventions levels and an increase in , none of which (Chandler, 2005). On the other hand, HAB involves were found in the control group. Essentially, our more regular interaction with an animal. A typical brains send reward signals for petting animals; there example of this relationship would be that of is great potential for utilizing this in a therapeutic humans and their service animals. These animals are setting. The versatility of HAI as an intervention trained accordingly so that they may be owned by provides social workers with an adaptable tool that a singular individual who benefits therapeutically can be used in a variety of contexts. from their partnership. The formal integration of HAI into the field of social work is not only warranted from a Animals in Social Work research standpoint but is supported by the National Social workers are fundamentally Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code responsible for developing holistic, personalized of Ethics. The applicability of HAI to the values interventions for clients. In many cases, client and ethical principles outlined by the NASW, receptiveness to the presence of a therapy animal specifically the value of Importance of Human serves as an untapped resource for addressing a Relationships, makes formal adoption an ethical variety of issues (Parish-Plass, 2018; Policay & imperative (NASW, 2008). Falconier, 2018). There are numerous physical, According to the NASW Code of Ethics psychological and social benefits associated with (2008), Importance of Human Relationships is HAI. For example, companion animals reduce an inherent value of the profession. The ethical individual risk of heart disease and improve recovery principle reads as follows: rates for those who have previously suffered from a heart attack (Creagan, Bauer, Thornley & Borg, Social workers understand that 2015). Additionally, Hu et al., (2018) found a relationships between and among significant decrease in the psychological symptoms people are an important vehicle for of dementia for patients treated with animal- change. Social workers engage people assisted interventions. In older adults, companion as partners in the helping process. animals have been found to offer significant social Social workers seek to strengthen support that greatly impacts individuals’ overall relationships among people in functioning and well-being. As demonstrated by a purposeful effort to promote, Scheibeck, Pallauf, Stellwag, and Seeberger (2011), restore, maintain, and enhance the older adults with companion animals are better able well-being of individuals, , to complete activities of daily living than their social groups, organizations, and counterparts without pets, and experience reduced communities. (p. 6) of and . Therefore, social work values explicitly More generally, the therapeutic impact of emphasize that relationships among human beings HAI may be quantifiable through physiological are integral to change. It is the duty of social means. Increases in serotonin, dopamine, prolactin workers to promote relationships between humans and oxytocin have been recorded in individuals on individual and institutional levels. HAI is a after petting animals (Creagan et al., 2015; Handlin direct application of the value of the Importance of et al., 2011; O’Haire, 2013). Handlin et al. (2011) Human Relationships because animals can facilitate noted such a phenomenon in their exploratory study, the development, enhancement, and restoration of which called for collected blood samples from ten relationships between humans (Fine, 2015). Gray

Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics, Spring 2020, Vol. 17, No. 1 - page 48 Human-Animal Interaction in Social Work: A Call to Action et al. (2015) emphasizes the beneficial role that therapy in creating opportunities for appropriate pets play in their human companions’ dating lives triangulation, which allows for advanced progress and, thus, the establishment of significant romantic towards therapeutic goals (Wilkie et al., 2016). relationships and families. Additionally, Hunter, Furthermore, because animals are incapable of Verreynne, Pachana, and Harpur (2018) notes the contradicting the attributes projected onto them, benefits of service animals in the workplace as they serve as a nonjudgmental lens. Policay and not merely being restricted to their handlers, by Falconier (2018) found that therapy dogs utilized also promoting greater socialization and increased this nonjudgmental disposition to strengthen the rapport among employees. These studies are among therapeutic alliance and to facilitate connection those which highlight the ability of animals to among clients in couple and therapy. Often, act as bridges of connection in bolstering human relationships between humans and animals develop relationships. more quickly than those between humans in a The unique relationship between humans therapeutic setting, thus clients are more willing and animals promotes emotional growth and overall to discuss their concerns, frequently to the animal well-being (Fine, 2015). Animals serve an important directly, and participate in interventions. role in the well-being of humans. The relationships This process is also applicable to relational that humans have with their domesticated animals work outside of the clinician/client relationship. often involve the development of a deep emotional As transitional beings, animals can be utilized to bond. In fact, the majority of pet owners in the United assist social workers in helping clients re-establish States consider their pets to be family members in other human relationships. Barlow et al. (AVMA, 2012). To dismiss the significance of an (2012) observed that undergraduate students with individual’s relationship with their pet would be self-reported childhood neglect noted attachment utterly irresponsible. Therefore, the definition of to companion animals as sources of support and a ‘human relationship’ should be expanded within healthy attachment into adulthood. Social workers the NASW code of ethics to acknowledge the value can, thus, operationalize clients’ relationships with that people hold for the relationships they have pre-existing pets or therapy animals to support with their pets. If our profession wishes to respect healthy attachment and renewed the dignity of individuals, we are in no position to between clients and other humans. These relational dismiss the value of human-animal relationships. benefits can be seen in acute clinical settings as well. As demonstrated by Hoy-Gerlach & Wehman Micro Perspective (2017), patients hospitalized for long-term In a direct practice setting, animals can serve as psychiatric treatment displayed improved verbal, secondary therapeutic agents (Chandler, 2005). In nonverbal and prosocial skills after visits with this role, an animal can assist a social worker in animals. Additionally, the prosocial effects of HAI connecting with a client by mirroring the client’s have been found across various age ranges (Corson, and behavior. Mirroring occurs when an Corson, Gwynne, & Arnold, 1975; Rone-Adams, animal provides a physical reaction or response Tapia, Rubin & Picard, 2015). to a person’s emotional state of action without verbal communication. The asset of mirroring is Macro Perspective the integration of the animal’s response as a talking On a more expansive level, policies and point and opportunity for collaborative processing. organizational systems may help facilitate the Studies on equine therapy have shown that, because effectiveness of HAI and create protections for of their keen , horses are individuals who depend upon non-human animals particularly adept in mirroring clients. Additionally, to improve their quality of life. In the US, several these studies have noted the strengths of equine steps have already been taken to protect owners

Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics, Spring 2020, Vol. 17, No. 1 - page 49 Human-Animal Interaction in Social Work: A Call to Action of assisting-animals. For example, under the Fair of domesticated animals in the lives of clients should Housing Act, animals that provide assistance to be acknowledged and explored in a systematic and individuals living with a disability are protected rigorous manner. In reflecting on the value of the from housing limitations such as landlord-imposed Importance of Human Relationships, social work, animal restrictions (The Humane Society of the led by NASW, must expand our understanding of United States, n.d.). how a relationship can be defined. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service animals are protected as therapeutic Social Work Education and aids and are allowed to accompany their owners in Implications public places such as restaurants, airplanes, and Although mainstream social work has been hotels. While this law requires that service animals slow to integrate HAI as a part of the standard be trained to perform a specific job or task to curriculum, several universities in the US have support their owner, there is no federally-required created classes for social work students teaching the certification for service animals. In contrast to value and practice of HAI. University of Denver, service animals, emotional support animals are University of Tennessee, and Michigan State not federally protected under the ADA. Emotional University have developed certificate programs for support animals provide comfort to their owners, HAI encompassing knowledge from the fields of but without undergoing training to qualify them as social work, veterinary medicine and psychology. service animals, they can be denied entry in public In collaboration with its School of Social Work and places and businesses. However, local and state the Animals and Society Institute, Arizona State laws vary regarding emotional support animals and University currently offers a Graduate Certificate their protections in public spaces. in Treating Animal Abuse. The University of North Pet ownership serves as a strong facilitator Texas’ Consortium for Animal Assisted Therapy, for social connection and community building. For spearheaded Dr. Cynthia Chandler, offers an Animal dog owners, dog parks act as a community hub Assisted Therapy course and weekend training providing a means for individuals to connect and opportunities, as well as research and community form relationships. According to Wood et al. (2015), service initiatives (“Consortium,” 2018). pet owners are significantly more likely to develop Aside from certificate programs within relationships with people in their neighborhood. schools of social work, a handful of universities It is common for people to strike up conversation are offering elective one and three credit courses when somebody is with their dog in public. These (i.e. University of Toledo, Syracuse University, interactions can strengthen human bonds on a and Case Western Reserve University). It is also community level by helping people to establish important to note that many universities offer relationships with those around them. Thus, on a the ability to take courses, complete certification local level, the implementation of animal-friendly programs, and even pursue graduate studies in recreation areas and dog parks can have a positive HAI-related areas. The previously mentioned impact on the community. programs offer students and current professionals Social workers comprehensively address the ability to understand HAI through a social work the various systems within the lives of their clients. lens. Due to the quickly expanding field of human- The human relationships formed through pet animal interaction, providing a comprehensive list ownership are likely to serve as emotional supports of current educational opportunities is challenging. in and of themselves. Relating to social work’s The aforementioned programs have been chosen Grand Challenges, HAI provides a framework for due to their notable contributions to HAI education eradicating (American Academy of in social work, and provide a model for the curricula Social Work & Social Welfare, n.d.). Thus, the role of future HAI courses with the understanding

Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics, Spring 2020, Vol. 17, No. 1 - page 50 Human-Animal Interaction in Social Work: A Call to Action that there is an abundance of untapped potential. as a mechanism for facilitating client interaction Inherent to the inclusion of HAI in (Becker et al., 2017; O’Haire, 2013). For example, mainstream social work practice is the proliferation specific strategies such as using a dog as a target for of professional development opportunities for children to practice speech and prosocial behaviors current social workers. Due to the general absence can help prepare students to integrate these strategies of HAI in mainstream social work education, the into their practice. Additionally, social work students majority of those currently in the field may lack need to be educated on the policies and regulations the training required to integrate HAI principles related to assisting-animals such as therapy animals, into their practice. While these certificate programs service animals, and emotional support animals. If offer opportunities for professional development, social workers are expected to have the capacity such programs are sparse. Therefore, it is necessary to write a letter of recommendation to clients in that new training programs be developed to make need of an assisting-animal, they must be educated such knowledge and training readily available to to do so appropriately. Such information should professionals. be incorporated into the generalist curriculum, Implications for clinical and other direct as social workers in a variety of contexts may be practice social work curricula are varied with a expected to perform these responsibilities. diverse range of context-specific practices that can While HAI-related interventions may not be be incorporated. For clinical-focusing social work a good fit for all clients, just as the use of animals concentrations, the general absence of animal- may not be a good fit for all social workers, social assisted intervention strategies in current curricula work students should be taught about these strategies largely ignores the successful work that many so they can make an informed choice on whether or clinicians are doing by integrating HAI into their not to utilize these techniques. If social workers are practice (Becker et al., 2017; Chandler, 2005; uninformed about a specific intervention strategy, Creagan et al., 2015; Hunt & Chizkov, 2014; they will not integrate it into their practice, regardless O’Haire, 2013; Policay & Falconier, 2018; Rone- of its potential to improve client outcomes. On the Adams et al., 2015). In addition to creating courses other hand, as HAI research and practice grows, that focus specifically on HAI in social work, there more social workers may choose to integrate HAI are opportunities to embed related content across strategies into their practice. However, without the curriculum. For example, in commonly offered having been taught to do so appropriately, there may courses such as those relating to death, , and be negative consequences to improper adoption of loss, students should be taught how to address the these techniques. grieving process for clients who have lost a pet. According to the Council on Social Current curricula touches on strategies for assisting Work Education (2015), accredited social work clients with the loss of friends and family members, education programs must teach a competency- but fails to acknowledge the perceived importance based curriculum, with an emphasis on the core of pets in some clients lives. For the majority of social work competencies. Competency 4 dictates pet owners who consider their pets to be family that social workers must engage in practice- members, pet loss serves as a significant hardship informed research and research-informed practice. (AVMA, 2012). It is necessary that we acknowledge As previously noted, a growing body of research all important relationships in our clients lives and has found benefits associated with the integration of prepare social workers to meet clients where they are HAI in social work practice. We cannot continue to at, according to their individual needs and values. dismiss HAI research as nascent and inconclusive. Coursework focusing on developmental It is time that mainstream social work acknowledges disorders such as autism would benefit from the potential value of HAI in certain contexts by including intervention strategies which involve HAI integrating related content into accredited curricula.

Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics, Spring 2020, Vol. 17, No. 1 - page 51 Human-Animal Interaction in Social Work: A Call to Action The inclusion of HAI into mainstream all. The field of social work excels at capitalizing on social work practice and research carries with it the individual factors in a client’s life in order to provide potential to bolster the field by attracting individuals assistance. This unwillingness to ‘stay in our own who choose to pursue social work professionally lane’ has helped to make social work such a valuable based on their in HAI. Social workers and profession. The role of a social worker takes many students may choose to specialize in veterinary social forms, so why should the integration of animals in work while others may incorporate HAI into their social work practice not be normalized? Research more generalized practice. By expanding the field not only supports the value and role of animals to include new areas of study and practice, growing in humans’ lives, but also their potential to be opportunities for inter-professional collaboration therapeutic agents in interventions. By heeding this will continue to broaden the scope of how social call to action, social work practitioners, educators, workers can support individuals and communities. and students can take concrete steps towards expanding Importance of Human Relationships Conclusion to genuinely recognizing the importance of all We are actively calling on social work relationships, regardless of species. practitioners and educators to act in accordance with the following steps in order to integrate HAI References into education, practice and advocacy. Concrete American Academy of Social Work and opportunities for action include: Social Welfare. (n.d.). Eradicate social isolation. Retrieved May 16, • Expand current social work curriculum 2019, from http://aaswsw.org/grand- to offer coursework on HAI. challenges-initiative/12-challenges/ • Incorporate HAI and its relevant eradicate-social-isolation/ themes into existing core and elective American Veterinary Medical Association. (n.d.). coursework in social work education, The human-animal interaction and human- such as courses on trauma-informed animal bond. Retrieved May 16, 2019, from care, grief and loss, and micro and https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/ community practice. The-Human-Animal-Bond.aspx • Proliferate the adoption of evidence- American Veterinary Medical Association. (2012). based practices from HAI research as Retrieved May 16, 2019, from https:// recognized social work interventions www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Statistics/ • Expand the definition of ‘relationships’ Pages/Market-research-statistics-US-Pet- in the NASW Code of Ethics to include Ownership-Demographics-Sourcebook. relationships with non-human animals. aspx Barlow, M. R., Hutchinson, C. A., Newton, K., While some clients may respond well Grover, T., & Ward, L. (2012). Childhood to HAI, it is not a one-size fits all intervention. neglect, attachment to companion animals, For example, those who are afraid of dogs would and stuffed animals as attachment objects naturally not respond well to the presence of a in women and men. Anthrozoös, 25(1), therapy dog. Additionally, some clients may be 111–119. allergic to certain animals, which limits the use of Becker, J. L., Rogers, E. C., & Burrows, B. (2017). HAI with some individuals. While the use of fast- Animal-assisted social skills training for acting allergy medications and hypoallergenic children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. animals can help overcome some barriers to the use Anthrozoös, 30(2), 307–326. of HAI, these are not perfect solutions. Like most Chandler, C. K. (2005). Animal-assisted therapy in evidence-based practices, HAI works for some, not counseling. New York, NY: Routledge.

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