AAT: The Use Of Animals In Therapeutic Therapy

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The official practice of AAT started in England during the late 18th century, but it was not recognized as a certified practice at the time (Chitic et al. 2). Pets have been used as part of therapy since 1792 at the Quaker Society of Friends York Retreat in England (Velde et al. 43). The United States Military promoted the use of dogs as an intervention for psychiatric patients in 1919. In 1990, a therapist by the name of Dr. William Thomas, developed a therapeutic environment called the Eden Alternative with the goal to bring the natural world, including animals, into long-term care (43). Even before Dr. Thomas, in 1962, an American psychologist named Boris Levinson was first credited with the use of a dog in therapy (Chitic et al. 2). Animals