Incorporating animals in therapy create stronger relationships with therapists and creates better outcomes

Having a furry friend in your therapy session could lead to your next big breakthrough, according to new research from Swinburne University of Technology.

The research, led by Swinburne clinical psychologist Dr Kelvin Wong and his registered therapy dog Snoopy, found that using animal-assisted therapy in combination with cognitive-behavioural therapy led to reductions in acute anxiety symptoms (i.e., panic).

“Intentional integration of our furry friends into therapy, by targeting key processes of change, could lead to personal breakthroughs that changes a person’s life and revolutionise the practice of therapy as we know it,” Dr Wong said.

Over six weeks, the participants engaged with Snoopy as an integrated member of the treatment team to treat panic disorder, a condition affecting up to 1.5 million Australians.

The pilot study showed significant reduction in panic symptoms and paves the way for future treatment options for other mental health disorders.

“Panic disorder can substantially decrease quality of life, leads to frequent medical visits due to unexplained symptoms, and can make one vulnerable to developing other anxiety disorders and depression.”

“In treatment, Snoopy played an active role by helping patients reduce in-session anxiety, particularly around typically difficult exposure-based tasks, allowing them to engage better in treatment.”

This first set of results from this feasibility study is promising and opens the door to a larger randomised controlled trial which can compare full integration of a therapy dog, with a control condition where the dog is present but not actively involved.

Dr Wong hopes these results sets the standard for how animal-assisted therapy for psychological problems is delivered in the future. 

“There’s a reason so many of us love animals so much; but current evidence around why animal assisted therapy works has been inconsistent.”

“This study aims to change that by developing and clearly documenting a protocol where the therapy dog plays an active and meaningful role—not just sitting in the room, but by helping to build therapeutic connections and supporting individuals through the difficult but effective interventions.”

To register your interest, use this form: Group Therapy Expression of Interest Form (select Animal-assisted CBT for Panic Disorder).