Medium: Youtube Video

Weblink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKsoGhmKXGw

Summary: The video discusses how equestrian therapy helps autistic children gain better physical motor skills and are able to develop communication. The environment also creates a special opportunity for the children to develop skills needed in daily life. The facilitators help the children become accepted and domesticated into the horses herd before every session. The facilitators want both the children and the horse to become familiar with each other and to allow the opportunity for trust to be made between the horse and child.

This video has a deeper insight in which people can take way various unique outcomes with equestrian therapy. It is important that in any group, whether it would be different age groups, cultures, group size, or even species, the person must be accepted and understood before they can engage with the activity with a group already established. For the best outcome of RT group therapy, participants must first gain a sense of trust and comfort with one another. Another outcome would be that the participants stay in the same sequence as one another. If one person is off, then the whole group must work together to make sure that every is in the same sequence or same level. This creates the opportunity for improvement and progress among the entire group rather than only some being successful.

Medium: Journal Article

Weblink: http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=6&sid=ed452d6c-bd62-41aa-834d-1e479ecc6787%40sessionmgr4009&hid=4209&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&AN=122335706

Summary: The article discuss how different pets should provide different therapy outcomes and responses for different populations of people. Generally, people have the concept that all animals have the same effect on people, which is to improve mood and behavior. However, animals are so much more than to improve mood and make people feel happy. Animals can be used in a variety of ways for people to respond to such as tactile feeling for fury animals, alertness and visual focus on fish, and even listening to animals like crickets or guinea pigs.

While patients engage in pet therapy, TRs will observe and assess not only emotional response, but also assess patients responses to various sense that may include tactile, visual, and hearing. The patient should be able to recognize what makes particular animals what they are and be able to describe or mimic animal behaviors. Another outcome is to gain a sense of trust between pet therapist and patient so the patient may feel comfortable to share feelings and thoughts. Finally the patient will have the opportunity to gain better sense of socialization with a living thing and build a connection to the animals for better social and emotional well-being.

Medium: Pinterest Link

Weblink: http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/therese-borchard-sanity-break/ways-dogs-help-ease-depression-symptoms/?xid=pi_bustle

Summary: Depression is a typical response when people become disabled and must either live with that disability for the rest of their lives or through rehabilitation. However, dogs have been popular to helping people deal with depression and improve mood. Dogs have the ability to make people feel better and enhance mental health. The six things that dogs help treat depression is by offering unconditional love and acceptance, altering behavior, distracting from daily stress, promote touching, makes owner responsible, and lowers blood pressure.

Dogs are a great way for people to gain trust with patients and reveal deeper emotions that they may be feeling. With patients dealing with depression after a serious injury, dogs may create an atmosphere that brings patients positive emotion and joy. Finally the patient will have a sense of fulfillment if the patient cares for the dog and has a sense of responsibility to provide for the dog. Whether that would be grooming the dog, feeding the dog, or even entertaining the dog.