Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy
ENROL NOW1-Year Online Education, Training & Supervision in Animal Assisted Psychotherapy (AAP)
What is Animal Assisted Psychotherapy (AAP)?
Animal Assisted Psychotherapy (AAP) is a specialised form of Animal Assisted Therapy that integrates the presence and relational dynamics of animals into counselling and psychotherapy to support mental health and emotional wellbeing. Animal Assisted Psychotherapy involves structured, goal-directed interactions with animals to facilitate the clients’ therapeutic goals. As one of the most impactful Animal Assisted Services, Animal Assisted Psychotherapy harnesses the power of the human-animal bond and human-animal interactions to enhance client engagement and foster a deep sense of psychological safety.
By drawing on the unconditional acceptance that animals often provide, this approach creates a nurturing environment that supports emotional regulation and the development of social and emotional skills. Animal Assisted Psychotherapy offers a safe, natural, and relational way to address trauma, making it particularly effective for clients who may be difficult to reach through traditional methods.
Part of a growing movement of Animals Helping Humans, Animal Assisted Psychotherapy enables trained practitioners to deliver professional, ethical, and meaningful therapeutic experiences tailored to individual client goals. It’s a powerful, evidence-informed practice at the forefront of innovative mental health care, counselling and psychotherapy. The Institute is leading the way forward internationally and nationally in the animal assisted services sector.
LIVE AND INTERACTIVE ONLINE TRAINING (200 Hours)
This training is designed for psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, social workers, counsellors, mental health occupational therapists, and other registered clinical professionals seeking to incorporate animals as therapeutic partners in mental health and therapeutic services.
Who is this Training For?
The AAP Online Training welcomes Australian and English-speaking international students. It offers a flexible and engaging format over 40 weeks, accommodating work, family, and personal commitments. Students must hold a professional qualification and current registration or licensure in counselling, psychotherapy, mental health or allied health.
How is the Training Delivered?
The Animal Assisted Psychotherapy Foundation Training is conducted live weekly via Zoom by Meg Kirby, Institute founder.
Program Highlights
200 Learning Hours:
- 126 Contact Hours through live classes and education support and supervision.
- 74 Accrued Learning Hours through practice, reading, and homework.
An interactive and relationally-focused approach designed to ensure professional development while fostering personal growth.
THE FIRST STEP CHANGES EVERYTHING.
Learning Objectives
Participants will learn to:
Master the AWARE™ approach, a trauma-informed, relational model for Animal Assisted Psychotherapy.
Apply psychotherapy principles including humanistic psychotherapy frameworks, gestalt therapy, somatic interventions, mindfulness, and developmental psychology.
Understand ethical practices, animal welfare, and client safety.
Develop skills in:
- Assessing and addressing trauma.
- Creating tailored therapeutic experiments using animals.
- Managing unconscious processes and relational patterns.
Incorporate animal studies, animal skills, animal welfare and species-specific knowledge to ensure the ethical treatment and enrichment of animals involved in therapy.
Use reflective practice to enhance therapeutic outcomes.
Investment
$6,000
(plus GST)
Paid upfront
$2,000
(plus GST)
Paid in 3 installments
“I recently completed the Animal Assisted Pyschotherapy course and can honestly say that it was an amazing experience. Led by expert Meg Kirby, assisted by the lovely Paula Jewell, with excellent support from the amazing Stacey. The course is both comprehensive and in-depth. Meg’s wealth of knowledge, coupled with her compassion and intuitive teaching methods, make the content accessible and engaging.
What truly sets this course apart is the integration of theoretical foundations with real practice (yes, there will be lots of practice and videos to submit). Meg’s ability to guide students to understand the profound impact animals can have in professional healthcare and educational settings is truly inspiring. The Learning journey which included evidence-based care, ethical considerations and practical application through experiential exercises with animals, is extremely effective.
I walked away from this course not only with a solid foundation in animal-assisted psychotherapy but also an appreciation for the emotional intelligence of animals and their ability to assist in the healing journey. This course has given me the tools and confidence to integrate animal assisted psychotherapy into my own practice and I am extremely grateful to Meg and the Institute team for providing such a high quality educational experience.”
Tracy
Founder, Talking Tails
Your Attendance Commitments
- Weekly Classes: 3 hours of live participation, camera on, with additional 2 hours of reading and homework.
- Technology Requirements: Reliable internet, private study space, and a laptop or computer.
- Practical Work: Complete minimum of Six clinical/practice sessions with case notes, supervised by Institute trainers, plus regular class based practice, including submission of filmed practice AAP sessions.
- Education Support Supervision sessions: Attend six ESS sessions (in-person on zoom)
What You Will Learn
- Core competencies in Animal Assisted Treatment (Psychotherapy).
- An overview of the AWARE™ framework for ethical and relational therapy.
- Practical methodologies to work with diverse client themes, patterns, trauma and behavioral issues.
- Business orientation for building a successful AAP practice.
Includes:
- 200 Hours of Study (120 Trainer-led, 6 Supervision Hours, 74 Accrued (self-study hours), including final submission of filmed AAP session
- Animal Studies including final filmed submission of demonstration of animal-relating skills
What Support Will You Get?
- Membership in a community of practitioners.
- Access to supervision and ongoing professional development.
- Opportunities for advanced training and conference participation.
Why Train With Us?
We are an internationally recognized training organization with 60+ years of experience in mental health, counselling, psychotherapy and psychology, and a specific 113 plus years in education and supervision of equine and animal-assisted psychotherapy.
Our programs prioritize professional excellence, ethical animal welfare and animal advocacy, and specialise in trauma-informed approaches.
Founded by Meg Kirby, a pioneer in relational and humanistic psychotherapy practice models, our training equips practitioners with tools for transformative therapy that is innovative, creative, and effective for diverse client cohorts.
Shop Books Written By Meggin Kirby
EXPLORE THE FIELD OF EQUINE-ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH CLEAR AND WELL-RESEARCHED INSIGHTS SUITABLE AS BOTH AN INTRODUCTION OR TO DEEPEN YOUR TRAINING.
