This book is the culmination of the authors’ combined 75 years of experience working with animals as a part of their therapeutic practice. Professional practitioners, as well as the paraprofessionals who work in tandem with them, will find this book of enormous value. While the focus is on mental health professionals, the approach and methods covered can easily be adapted for use by allied health professionals, such as physical, occupational, speech, and recreational therapists as well as those in the educational field such as teachers and school counselors. Animal Assisted Play Therapy™ (AAPT) adds the elements of playfulness, humor, and lightness to the therapeutic process, and can be helpful for clients of all ages. It focuses heavily on relationships: how the relationship between therapist and animal must be developed in positive, mutually respectful ways in which the animals have a voice and choice whenever possible. This in turn provides a model for clients to help them strengthen their own relationships, not only with therapy animals and their own companion animals, but within the human relationships in their families and communities. The authors demonstrate how the techniques can be readily applied for dogs, horses, cats, and other animals. Many illustrative case examples are included.

Rise VanFleet, PhD, RPT-S, CDBC, is a licensed psychologist, registered play therapist-supervisor, and certified dog behavior consultant with 45 years of experience in the mental health, organizational development, and animal behavior fields. She is the president of the Family Enhancement & Play Therapy Center and its Playful Pooch Program in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania USA, and a cofounder of the International Institute for Animal Assisted Play Therapy?. She provides professional training in mental health throughout the world as well as direct services to families. She is the author of dozens of articles, chapters, and books (e.g., Child-Centered Play Therapy; Filial Therapy: Strengthening Parent-Child Relationships Through Play; Play Therapy with Kids & Canines; The Human Half of Dog Training, and more), as well as DVDs and online courses. She has received numerous state, national, and international awards for her writing and training, including the Distinguished Contributions to the Science and Profession of Psychology Award (Pennsylvania Psychological Association), and several Maxwell Awards and Special Awards (Dog Writers Association of America). She currently lives with four dogs, three cats, and one husband.*** Tracie Faa-Thompson, MA (Soc/Crim), AASW, PGdipNDPT, is a specialist social worker in the adoption field and a British Association of Play Therapists registered nondirective play therapist with many years of experience. She also teaches social work students and conducts workshops in attachment theory, life story work, and Filial Therapy. Her AAPT program, Turn About Pegasus, serves at-risk youth and families and operates year-round in rural north Northumberland in the UK. The program has been featured by the BBC. She is a cofounder of the International Institute for Animal Assisted Play Therapy?. She was the founder, and for over 20 years the Chair, of her local Riding for the Disabled Centre. She has authored numerous articles and chapters on AAPT and Filial Therapy, and is a recipient of the Outstanding Contributions to the Practice and Training of Filial Therapy Award (Family Enhancement & Play Therapy Center). She currently lives with five horses, four dogs, and one husband.

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