18/06/2026
It’s important to check qualifications when choosing a therapist 🐴🐐🐈
Did you know? Not everyone working with animals is qualified to provide Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT).
While animals can have a naturally calming, comforting, and therapeutic presence, they are not the therapists.
Animal-Assisted Therapy is a goal-directed clinical intervention that must be delivered by a suitably qualified and registered health professional working within their scope of practice.
This may include psychologists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, physiotherapists, social workers, and other registered health professionals who are providing treatment and working alongside an animal as part of the therapeutic process.
The animal plays an important role in supporting engagement, motivation, and therapeutic outcomes, but the assessment, treatment planning, clinical reasoning, and delivery of therapy are the responsibility of the qualified professional.
Simply spending time with an animal can be beneficial—but that alone does not make it therapy.
Understanding the difference helps protect clients, maintain professional standards, and ensure that people receive safe, ethical, and evidence-informed care.
