Awareness and Provision of Animal-Assisted Therapy within the Disability sector - Dissertation Example

Download file to see previous pages... Therapy as a process starts with a person contacting the therapist to resolve feelings, beliefs, bad behaviors or body sensations. Therapy in itself can address many specific issues, concerns and symptoms that are possible to treat through therapy. Additionally therapy is always treated as a collaborative based since it is based on the relationship between the therapist and therapy (Carmel, 2012). One of the main goals of therapy is to promote self actualization as it’s normally an effective method of achieving self growth. Additionally, it helps in overcoming barriers that exist between specific people and the society in general, helps people to release extreme feelings and beliefs, assist many individuals to increase many positive qualities such as joy, self esteem, compassion and love. Cognitive behavioral therapy for example is a type of therapy that focuses on specific problems. This type of therapy is therefore founded on a proposition that irrational thinking and faulty perceptions are grounds that are likely to result to lifestyle dysfunctions. This type of therapy mainly focuses on persons suffering from anxiety and depression and works towards changing patterns of thinking (Paul, 2007). Physical therapy on the other hand is type of therapy that aims at treatment of a physical dysfunction or injury through the use of therapeutic exercises or the application of certain modalities that are intended to restore and facilitate normal function and development of the affected individual. Physical therapy is therefore a look at an affected individual endurance, strength, flexibility, posture alignment, spine stability and in some cases injury prevention. Physical therapy should be looked at in terms of passive and active treatment. Passive therapy involves stimulation of specific areas as a way of reaching the affected area and may include orthopedic manipulation which is aimed at restoring mobility of particular joints with specific control, quick movement and in the process it becomes possible to restore a joint into a correct position and reduce muscle spasms that are often associated with spinal nerve irritation. This therapy therefore helps in relaxation of underlying soft tissues that transmit the affected joint to be easily manipulated. Electrical stimulation on the other hand makes it possible for a painless electrical current to be transmitted through a patient’s skin and it’s directed to nerves that are specific. Mild heat is produced by the current that helps in reducing stiffness and due to its advantage of minimal side effects helps in treating both chronic and acute pain. Ultrasound is also another form of non invasive therapy that helps in reducing pain of the neck and back, tendon and ligament problems and other joint related problems. This therapy is aimed at promoting circulation and healing, relaxing of muscle spasms and in the process reduces pain and decrease inflammation. Active therapy is mostly accompanied through having an affected area in direct contact with the treatment. Theraupitic therapy is the most common type of active therapy and mainly builds strength, improve coordination and flexibility and facilitate cardiovascular circulation (Stadter, 2009). Animal assisted therapy (AAT) is a type therapy that makes purposeful use of animals to provide care, attention, affection and diversion that is aimed at physical, cognitive and spiritual assistance. The idea of using animals and particularly ...Download file to see next pagesRead More