Lawyers Providing Seasoned Personal Injury
Representation

Photo of Ava Marion Hillier

What is animal assisted therapy?

Animal assisted therapy (AAT) is a form of rehabilitation for patients who have suffered a traumatic injury. There are many different forms of physical and mental therapies, such as the impact of music on cognitive abilities, or frequency of activity for muscle memory, that a patient may undergo. ATT is not like these types of therapies.

Instead, ATT works alongside other types of therapies instead of acting as a recovery measure on its own. It serves to calm patients who are coping with psychological trauma.

As outlined on the Psychology Today website, AAT utilizes domestic pets, such as dogs and cats, as a way to help patients move forward past certain types of mental trauma, such as depression or behavioural issues. The way it works is that animals provide a sort of comfort zone, allowing a victim to develop calmer emotions when interacting with the animal. This calmness, according to the article, is a way to stabilize more troubling emotions the patient can then work through using other types of therapy.

A lot of mental issues can stem from the result of a personal injury. However, it’s often hard to detect psychological damage as it can take time for these symptoms to appear, or for someone to recognize them for what they are, after an accident.

If you are suffering from psychological damage as a result of a personal injury, its best to discuss your situation with an experienced personal injury lawyer. He or she will work with your medical advisors to determine if psychological damage is present, and what your legal options are to pursue compensation for this injury.