Career Paths in Human Animal Interaction for Social and
Behavioral Scientists 1st Edition
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Career Paths in Human-
Animal Interaction for
Social and Behavioral
Scientists
Edited by Lori R. Kogan
and Phyllis Erdman
First published 2021
by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2021 Taylor & Francis
The right of Lori R. Kogan and Phyllis Erdman to be identified as the
authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual
chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Kogan, Lori, editor. | Erdman, Phyllis, 1949– editor.
Title: Career paths in human-animal interaction for social and
behavioral scientists / edited by Lori R. Kogan and Phyllis Erdman.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2021. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020048067 (print) | LCCN 2020048068
(ebook) | ISBN 9780367366148 (hbk) | ISBN 9780367366155
(pbk) | ISBN 9780429347283 (ebk)
Subjects: LCSH: Social scientists—Vocational guidance. |
Human-animal relationships.
Classification: LCC H62 .C3417 2021 (print) | LCC H62 (ebook) |
DDC 304.2/7023—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020048067
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020048068
ISBN: 978-0-367-36614-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-36615-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-34728-3 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Contents
Introduction 1
PART I
Academic—Traditional3
1 From Biopsychology to Human Behavioural Work
to HAI Research: One Academician’s Path 5
ANNE BARNFIELD
2 A Twist in the Tale (or Is That Tail?): How I Apply
Health Psychology to the Human-Animal Bond 8
ANNA CHUR-HANSEN
3 Scientist-Practitioner Psychologist: Integrating the
Human-Animal Interaction Into Practice 11
JENNIFER COLEMAN
4 Dogs as Co-Researchers 14
COLLEEN DELL
5 From an Animal Shelter Towards a Professorship
in Anthrozoology: An Unusual Career Path 17
MARIE-JOSE ENDERS-SLEGERS
6 There Is a Shelter Dog in My College Classroom 20
SHLOMIT FLAISHER-GRINBERG
7 Human-Animal Interaction in Clinical Psychology:
Teaching, Research, and Practice 23
ANGELA K. FOURNIER
vi Contents
8 An Entangled Path: Human Animal Interaction and
Social Work 26
CASSANDRA HANRAHAN
9 Solidarity and Scholarship: Thriving as an
HAI Academic 30
RACHEL CAROLINE HOGG
10 From Psychometrics to Animal Metrics 33
JEAN KIRNAN
11 Rescuing Street Dogs as a Passion and
a Way of Being . . . 36
ÚRSULA ARAGUNDE KOHL
12 Working in the World of Human-Animal
Interaction Research 39
BETH LANNING
13 Lessons From a Pioneer in Equine-Assisted Therapies 41
ARIEAHN MATAMONASA BENNETT
14 Studying Marine Mammal Behavior—Who Says
Academic Careers Are Dry? 44
MARIA MAUST-MOHL
15 Academic Pathways Towards HAI 47
PATRICIA PENDRY
16 Civic Engagement of Students Through Human-
Animal Interactions 50
ALINA SIMONA RUSU
17 An HAI Love Story: A Couple Collaborates
as Teachers and Researchers Exploring Our
Connection to Animals 53
DIETER AND NETZIN STEKLIS
18 An Academic Career Based on What I Love:
People, Animals, and Health 56
CINDY C. WILSON
Contents vii
PART II
Academic—With Clinical Work59
19 Insights From a Late Bloomer in the Field of
Human-Animal Interactions 61
JOHN-TYLER BINFET
20 Labracadabra! The Magic of Animal-Assisted
Social Work 64
YVONNE EATON-STULL
21 Human-Animal Bond in Colorado (HABIC) at
Colorado State University 66
HELEN HOLMQUIST-JOHNSON
22 Mutual Rescue: From Multiple Sclerosis to Working
With Therapy Dogs in Education 69
DIANA PEÑA GIL
23 Getting in the HABIT: Bringing Animal Assisted
Interventions to Victims of Crime 71
BETHANIE A. POE
24 A Social Worker’s Experience at a Veterinary
School and Teaching Hospital 74
ERIC RICHMAN
25 Supporting Students and Companion Animals in
University and Community Settings 77
CLARISSA UTTLEY
26 “Yes, I Work With Animals . . . No, I’m Not a
Vet”—Animal-Assisted Intervention and the Indian
Experience 80
GEORGITTA VALIYAMATTAM
PART III
For Profit, Not For Profit and Government83
27 Making a Difference as an Animal-Assisted
Interactions Program Coordinator 85
TANYA K. BAILEY
viii Contents
28 Changing Lives, One Service Dog at a Time 88
SARAH (BIRMAN) LEIGHTON
29 Canine-Assisted Family Treatment Court Coordinator 90
MEGAN BRIDGES
30 Nurse-Led Canine-Assisted Intervention Practice 93
CINDY BROSIG
31 Promoting Animal Welfare in a Context of
International Development: A Career in the
Non-Governmental Sector 96
ASHLEIGH F. BROWN
32 Advancing Standards and Professionalization in the
Field of AAI 99
TAYLOR CHASTAIN
33 A Day in the Life of an Executive Director at an
Animal Protection Think Tank 101
IVY COLLIER
34 Occupational Therapy: Using Meaningful
Occupations to Enhance Function Throughout the
Lifespan 104
EMILY DEBRETO
35 The Clinical Direction of Dogs 107
MATTHEW DECKER
36 Animal Instincts: Following an Unmarked Path
From Volunteerism to a Career in Human Animal
Interaction 109
MARIVIC R. DIZON
37 A Look Into Animal Assisted Interventions Abroad:
Entrecanes Association in Northern Spain 112
CAROLINA DUARTE-GAN
38 Program Design, Implementation, and
Management: Human-Animal Interactions 115
CARRIE NYDICK FINCH
Contents ix
39 Experiences in Animal-Assisted Interventions
(AAI): Practice, Research, and Teaching 118
PATRICIA FLAHERTY FISCHETTE
40 Human-Animal Interaction on the New York City
Subway (Long Before Pizza Rat) 121
MAYA GUPTA
41 A Fair Shake for Youth: Helping Middle School
Kids Connect With Dogs—While Discovering Their
Own Best Selves 124
AUDREY HENDLER
42 Kids and Dogs. Sounds Easy, Right? 126
TERRI, COPPER AND SHAY HLAVA
43 Working With a Facility Dog in a Veterans
Affairs Hospital 129
ELIZABETH HOLMAN
44 An Industry Veterinarian’s Perspective on a Career
in Human-Animal Interaction 131
KARYL HURLEY
45 Pick Your Own Adventure, Finding a Career in the
Nonprofit World 134
EMILY PATTERSON-KANE
46 Organized Animal Protection as a Career: Meaning,
Mission, and the Academic Contributor 136
BERNARD UNTI
PART IV
Private Practice, AAI Programs139
47 Symbiotic Relationship Between Therapist and
Co-Therapist: The Story of Emmie 141
DONNA CLARKE
x Contents
48 A Professional Transformational Journey in the
Practice of Animal Assisted Interventions 144
MOLLY DEPREKEL
49 A Legal Career With Animals 147
AKISHA TOWNSEND EATON
50 Conducting Canine-Assisted Psychotherapy 150
BETZ KING
51 Scientist-Practitioner Approach: Harnessing the
Power of Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy and
Animal-Assisted Interventions in Private Practice 153
ELIZABETH A. LETSON
52 Applying Theoretical Frameworks and
Organizational Structures to Help Develop the Field
of Animal-Assisted Interventions: The Questions
We Must Ask and the Answers We Must Seek . . . 156
KATARINA FELICIA LUNDGREN
53 For the Love of Horses 159
FAY MCCORMACK
54 Please Bear With Me—Working With My Canine
Co-Therapist 162
JANUS MONCUR
55 Counselling With a Therapy Animal 165
PATRICIA NITKIN
56 Forget Me Not Farm—A Haven for Children and
Animals to Bond and Break the Cycle of Abuse 168
CAROL M. RATHMANN
57 Integrating Human-Animal Interactions and
Psychology: Research and Service 171
YAHAIRA SEGARRA
58 The Art and Science of Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy 174
MARILYN SOKOLOF
Contents xi
59 Animal Assisted Play Therapy 177
RISË VANFLEET
60 Create Your Herd: Developing a Career Through
Lived Experiences 180
AVIVA VINCENT
61 Canines, Equines, and Social Work 183
HEATHER WHITE
Index186
Introduction
Welcome, readers, to an entertaining and informative book on careers that
include human-animal interaction (HAI). As you are undoubtedly aware,
the field of HAI is relatively new—yet expanding rapidly. It is a field that
cuts across disciplines, professions, and academic majors. This is a book cre-
ated for the growing number of social science students (and profession-
als) who know they want to work with animals but “don’t want to be a
vet”. We, the editors, have both been there. We, too, come from social
science backgrounds (psychology) and knew we wanted our careers to
include animals. We wondered (Kogan during graduate school and Erdman
as an already established academician), how to create a career that filled this
need. Unfortunately, when we were struggling with these issues, there were
no resources to help guide us. Only with persistence, tenacity (and a fair
amount of luck) did we manage to forge our own unique paths. Here we
are, decades later, wondering how to make this experience easier for those
of you currently facing similar challenges. Unfortunately, there is still a lack
of information to answer the questions most frequently asked: “I want to
work with animals; what type of education do I need? What path do I take?
What should I major in? How do I get a job that incorporates HAI clinical
work or research?”
Our intent in publishing this book is to help you with these questions—
those of you wanting to work in the HAI field but uncertain what edu-
cation, training, and background are needed and what future careers are
possible. While traditionally, options for those wanting to pursue a career
with animals were limited to veterinary medicine, fortunately, that is no
longer the case. A growing number of people are just like you—drawn
towards the social sciences (e.g., psychology, social work, human develop-
ment and family studies, occupational therapy, etc.) but want a career that
includes an HAI focus. Fortuitously, as the HAI field has grown, so too have
the options for creating a successful career with opportunities to blend social
science and HAI interests.
To help give you some direction and guidance, we invited a wide array
of professionals—all with different careers and educational backgrounds—to
share their stories with you. Firsthand, they tell how they became involved
2 Introduction
in HAI work. You will read about some who entered the field with an edu-
cational background specifically focused on HAI as well as many who have
woven HAI work into their current work through various professional paths
and opportunities. Our hope is that by reading these professionals’ personal
stories—how they became involved in HAI work, what their typical day
looks like, and their career suggestions—your path becomes a bit easier.
Whether you are simply exploring options or seeking more specific
answers, this book offers nuggets of wisdom from those who have suc-
cessfully incorporated HAI into their careers, thereby filling the void of
resources for those looking for guidance. Through reading their stories, you
can glean insights into how you too can pursue a path that can lead to your
dream job. We have found that HAI work adds a dimension of satisfaction
and joy to our current professional careers, and we want you, as the reader,
to find the same joy in your career. We are not implying that the road will
always be easy or straightforward, but if you harness the passion you have
for this work and use it as the motivation to take risks and think creatively,
we believe you can achieve the kind of satisfying careers illustrated in the
following chapters.
We sincerely thank each of our authors for reflecting on their work and
their lives and sharing their personal challenges and successes. We also thank
you, as the reader, for your interest in exploring ways to enrich and expand
your career with the inclusion of human animal interaction work.
Lori R. Kogan, Ph.D.
Phyllis Erdman, Ph.D.
Part I
Academic—Traditional
1 From Biopsychology to
Human Behavioural Work
to HAI Research
One Academician’s Path
Anne Barnfield
Anne Barnfield, DPhil, is an associate professor of psychology at Brescia
University College. Her current research focuses on equine-assisted/
facilitated activities including beneficial influences of therapeutic riding
(TR) for children with special needs, and applications of Equine-Assisted
Therapy/Psychotherapy (EAT/EAP) for treatment of anxiety and post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for military veterans and emergency ser-
vices personnel.
The academic psychologist may be thought of as being on the more “sci-
entific” side of psychology, and so on a straightforward career pathway. The
course of an academician’s research path, however, does not always take a
straight line from A to B. One might start out in a specific field but then
travel through a variety of areas within psychology across the course of a
career, arriving at—perhaps—an unexpected destination!
The great thing about scientific research is that it is “finding out”—
why things happen, what is going on, and how we can change behaviours.
Research looks at “hows” and “whys” and understanding these so as to
change things for the better—to be of use. Scientific method is objective and
allows us to make reasoned decisions. Assumptions can be faulty; research
helps us to arrive at factual conclusions.
It was the “finding out” aspect of scientific enquiry that first engaged
me in my school years. Once I could make choices, I studied primarily
scientific subjects. I continued my education, first using my scientific back-
ground to take a BSc degree—a joint degree, in psychology and biology.
Here was my first turning point, branching off from “pure” science down
a new, and different, pathway. Although it started as an interest, taken to
fulfill a requirement, psychology became the focus of my studies. A course
in biopsychology was another turning point—here was a perfect fit between
the sciences of biology and chemistry and my new main interest, psychol-
ogy. I went on to post-graduate studies, to a DPhil in experimental psy-
chology. I moved further along what was becoming a winding path, allying
