Nancy Parish-Plass

Animal Assisted Play Therapy is a rich and valuable resource for both aspiring and experienced AAPT therapists. VanFleet and Faa-Thompson integrate their professionalism in the area of play therapy, deep acquaintance with dogs and horses, and extensive AAPT experience in a way that brings the reader to a multilevel understanding of the field of AAPT, for all its complexities and opportunities it provides for insight and healing. This book differs from many others in that it recognizes the centrality of the client’s and therapist’s relationships with the animals and their implications for the psychotherapy process. Indeed, the subject of these relationships, together with the subjects of professional training, ethics, and animal welfare, are woven into the chapters throughout the book, showing their critical implications for understanding and implementing AAPT at every level. The authors cover various issues, unique to the field of AAPT, that are imperative for the AAPT therapist to consider. The book also dismantles certain long-standing myths about the field of AAT: AAT is not based on magical process, the animal does not need extensive obedience training, and the animal is not the therapist. The authors of Animal Assisted Play Therapy make an important contribution to the development of AAPT as a serious clinical field.