Animal-Assisted Therapy (animal mediation)
Animal-assisted therapy is born of a fortuitous observation by child psychiatrist Boris Levinson in 1953, when a mute child addressed his dog Jingles and eventually spoke through him; he formalized the observation in The Dog as a Co-Therapist (1962). Its domain is cross-cutting, structured notably around geriatrics (major neurocognitive disorders, psycho-behavioral symptoms soothed in nursing homes). The international framework of the IAHAIO (2014, revised 2018) distinguishes three modalities: animal-assisted therapy (AAT, a measurable clinical objective), animal-assisted activities (AAA, a recreational aim) and animal-assisted education (AAE).
| Code | TI86 |
|---|---|
| Name (EN) | Animal-Assisted Therapy (animal mediation) |
| French name | Zoothérapie (médiation animale) |
| Acronym (FR) | ZOO |
| Founder(s) | Boris Levinson (observation fondatrice 1953 ; The Dog as a Co-Therapist, 1962) ; cadre international IAHAIO (2014, révisé 2018) |
| Year | 1953 (observation de Levinson) ; article fondateur 1962 |
| School / wave | Approches par l'animal ; médiation animale (AAT/AAA/AAE selon l'IAHAIO) |
| Source volume | Volume 7 of the Mémento des Psychothérapies |
This therapy is covered in detail (principles, indications, protocol, level of evidence) in Volume 7 of the Mémento des Psychothérapies. See the volume.