ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY: AN ACTION

RESEARCH BASED ON THE PATIENT’S

EXPERIENCE IN TAGUIG CITY

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for Action Research in STEM

Of Treston International College

Nopal, Jovert A.
2019
 ABSTRACT

This study aims to know the experiences of individuals who applied Animal-
Assisted Therapy system in their lives and how these affect their emotional aspect. In
addition, the respondents were only 10 individuals age rages from 13 to 18 years old in
Taguig City who are applying AAT for at least 1 year or above as according to Erik
Erikson these ages known as the crucial stage of life specifically social development
where young ones mislead and always encounter problems that may affect their growth
and development. Furthermore, the research found out that AAT helps respondents to
be active and have positive emotions and serve as happy pills to them. Lastly, most of
the respondents do different activities with their chosen animal doctors such as petting,
talking, and feeding them treats. Thus, these things that seemed to be helpful are the
animal-involved activities that patients do to gain positivity.

CHAPTER1: INTRODUCTION
 Some people suffer from different problems both physically and mentally. When
an individual feels stressed-out with so many things in life, simply means one is
becoming unhealthy wherein happiness is one of the keys to overcome it. There are lots
of ways to find solutions for these problems. Some individuals may talk to their loved
ones and ask for guidance and some may open-up with their close friends. Perhaps
through music and dancing. But, there is unexplored way to cope up with struggles in
life; it is by petting animals nor applying the so-called “Animal Assisted Therapy”.

According to Uyemera B. (2018), pets can have an impact to people. Moreover,

they can also be used as workers to heal people especially those who have mental
illnesses such as autism and other mental health-related disorders like depression and
stress. These things can influence individuals so badly, and may affect their growth and
development. Thus, Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) or also known as Pet Therapy
Program has been helpful and used all over the world. This therapy is related to
counselling by the touch or accompany of animals such as dogs, cats, fishes, and many
more. This is proven effective and highly recommended by so many psychologists and
veterinarians, as therapy animals help to improve one’s behaviour, self-esteem, social
skills, and overcoming stress and anxieties. Those patients who are applying the system
of this kind of therapy are more likely to have a positive life, as they learned how to
deal and connect with other people. Simply, this proves that AAT is indeed a big help
to humanity especially those who are having a hard time to interact and communicate
with others.

Many studies showed that pets have been proven to benefit people. Thus,
individuals applying the thing called having a pet as they know that it could help them
in so many aspects in life. However, there are still some people who do not believe
about this idea. That is why researchers are trying to improve and widen the idea about
the benefits of animals to humans. As explained by Therapet (2018), it is proven that
animals can give love and affection to anybody, as long as one applying the idea that
animals need to be loved and cared too and they will do the same thing as an exchange.
However, there are individuals that cannot afford to own a pet, as it requires a good
environment, financial needs, and responsibilities. Animal Assisted Therapy is one of
the answers that can support the idea of animals can heal and help humans where one
has really need to be fully committed on the said therapy and things will work well.
AAT is “The utilization of animals as therapeutic modality to facilitate healing and
rehabilitation of patients with acute and chronic diseases” (Therapet, 2018). This truly
reflects that AAT can be used as an alternative way to provide healing to many people.

The idea about animals as part of the mental healing process for human is not a
new one. Several studies concluded that they really help people who have misbehavior.
As a matter of fact, they play a major role in the human progress as people learn so
much from them despite some do not really realize their help (Alliance of Therapy
Dogs, 2018). One of many proofs is Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) or also called as
Pet Therapy Program. It started all the way back to the ancient greeks and horses are
the first-used animal in this therapy that lift the spirits of the severely ill patients. This
gives a sense of truth about ATT and it really describes how this phenomenon started.

It is already proven that animals can provide a sense of calm, comfort, or safety
away from stressful situations. A researcher named Kurtz J. (2018) explains that Animal
Assisted Therapy can be useful intervention for many individuals and groups. Many
studies report that AAT found positive outcomes and improved emotional well-being
in those who have autism, ADHD, and people who are suffering and battling from
depression, stress, and oppression where they able to be active enough and able to do
things easily when this system applied. However, those who have fear of any animal
are not likely to apply on this kind of therapy, but they can let go off their fears and start
applying this therapy. In the present, the most commonly used animals are dogs and
cats, as many people are into household pets. These animals are trained as they undergo
formal training to be certified along with veterinarians and psychologists. These animals
are known to be animal doctors, as they help to provide care and support for their
patients. This simply proves that AAT is truly a way to protect and support the
development of people who have mental illness.

In daily life, people do things to have a productive day; however body is working
along with so many aspects such as emotions or emotional aspect of an individual.
These may have beneficial or disruptive effects, depending on the situation and to the
person. There is what the so-called emotional aspect that tackles emotions, which
refers to how one feels (Pappas, 2014). Furthermore, there are many ways to show
and express one’s emotions such as by smiling that shows a person is happy and
emotions can be showed what circumstances or situation is, allowing the fact that it
automatically works as the body responds to what an individual is feeling.
Unfortunately, when an individual is emotionally unstable then it may lead to
depression or oppression that affect one’s stability to act and think well.

In the Philippines, 4.5 million Filipinos battling from depression (Department of

Health, n.d as cited by Francisco, K. 2017). And the numbers are much to be higher as
many of them do not seek professional because of the stigma that other people may
judge them that they are not telling the truth. However, there is an unexplored way to
heal people who are depressed, it is known as Animal Assisted Therapy. Therapy
animals can help patients to ease and encourage them to be more open about healing.
One of the most popular animal doctors is Bubu, a 3 year old golden retriever as a
therapy dog for the Loyola Schools of Guidance and Counselling (LSOGC) in the
Philippines. This shows that AAT does exists in the said country and it truly helps
people who are stressed-out. However, some people are having a hard time to ask for
help because of the judgements by the others.

This study aims to answer the following questions such as: (1) What particular
animal assisted therapy-involved activities do respondents do with animal doctors? (2)
How does Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) affect the respondent’s emotional aspect?

This researcher chooses to study the experiences of patient in Taguig City about
animal assisted therapy, to find out how AAT affects the patients specifically their
emotions. By this, people would know how animals can be used to provide beneficial
impact and effects to them. Also, so that our country would expand AAT centers in
different places in the Philippines, as according to Rappler (2018) Philippines has only
few centers that offer this kind of therapy. Moreover, animals such as dogs are related
to biology that belongs in STEM, which can help to improve the knowledge of the
researcher, as the researcher wants to become a veterinarian in the future.
 The scope of the study caters respondents’ about their knowledge on Animal
Assisted Therapy by using their experiences to describe it and only focuses on
emotional aspect. The respondents are only 10 individuals age 13-18 years old in Taguig
City who are applying this for at least 1 year or above as according to Erik Erikson these
ages known as the crucial stage of life specifically social development where young
ones mislead and always encounter problems that may affect their growth and
development.

This research study can be beneficial to psychologists, so that many of them

would recommend this idea to some of their patients most specifically those who are
having a hard time to connect and deal with them. Also, this can help Person With
Disabilities (PWD) such as those who have ADHD, Down Syndrome, Autism, and
those who are stressed-out in life. Furthermore, to students who are currently taking up
the course related to animals and psychology, so that they would know that animal
assisted therapy exists and can be used to improve one’s behaviour. Lastly, this can be
beneficial to future researchers especially those who are interested in this particular
topic to expand more the study about animals’ benefits to humans.

Keywords: Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), Animal Doctors, Mental illness

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

Design
This action research study uses Phenomenological design since this study
discusses about the experiences of patients toward Animal-Assisted Therapy because
the said design focuses on the experiences or journey of population or respondents that
fits in this study. This design will help the researcher to know what to focus on,
comprehending things related in this study and to understand how the said respondents
interpret those experiences.
Respondents
 The researcher uses purposive sampling on choosing the respondents who are 10
individuals age 13-18 years old in Taguig City that applying the system of Animal-
Assisted Therapy for at least 1 year or above; the researcher believes that the said
numbers of respondents are enough to contribute knowledge and information that will
help to answer the research problems.
Instrument
The researcher conducts a short face-to-face interview and gives survey
questionnaire to the respondents.
Procedure
1.The researcher carefully picks individuals age 13-18 years old in Taguig City that
applying the system of Animal-Assisted Therapy for atleast 1 year or above.
2.The researcher conducts an interview lasting 5-10 minutes and distributes survey
questionnaire.
3. The researcher makes a matrix and summarize the data gathered.
4.The researcher analyzes the summarized data by making sure that the information is
related and important.
5.The researcher concludes a result and discussion to answer the research problems

CHAPTER 3: RESULTS

Feeling During Interaction

When the respondents questioned how do they feel when they able to go to the
place where the therapy is happening, all of them mentioned positive feelings as they
feel satisfied and complete. In other words, they feel happy as it brings them satisfaction
and positivity despite of personal problems they have. This literally shows how animal-
assisted therapy helps people’s stability to ease negativity and be active.
Figure 1: Animal-Assisted Therapy Activities
This figure shows that 5 out of 10 respondents enjoy themselves with animal
doctors by petting. Furthermore, 3 patients spend time with their chosen pet by talking

Petting Talking
Feeding

2
5
3

to them. However, only 2 respondents give their time to feed their playmates in the
therapy.

6
3
4
2

0
Twice a week Once a week
Figure 1.2: Frequency of Animal-Assisted Therapy
When the respondents asked how often they do the preferred activity with the
animal doctors, 6 out of 10 respondents do it once a week. Moreover, 4 respondents do
it twice a week.
Yes

Sadness Isolation
Friends
6.25
5
3.75
2.5 10
1.25
0
Respondents
Figure 1.3: Reasons on Applying Animal-Assisted Therapy
This figure reveals that 5 out of 10 patients applied the system of animal-assisted
therapy is because of negative feelings they have like sadness. Additionally, 3
respondents do so because of the feelings of being isolated and they want to have
someone that they could talk to or play with. Lastly, 2 respondents choose to apply
animal-assisted therapy is because their friends also do the same thing and it becomes
their bonding.

Figure 1.4: Management of Tasks

 When the patients asked whether they able to complete a task or not, all of them
said that they easily do things because of the light feelings they have after the therapy.
Figure 1.5: Time Since Animal-Assisted Therapy Applied
Dog Cat Fish

6.25 1 year 2 years

5
3.75
2.5 4 years
1.25
0
Respondents
Respondents

0 2.5 5 7.5 1012.5

When the respondents inquired about how long have they been applying the
system of animal-assisted therapy, 7 of them said that it is about 1 year since they able
to apply AAT. In addition, 2 patients have been applying AAT for 2 years. However,
only 1 respondent applied AAT for 4 years.

Figure 1.6: Type of Animals

 This figure indicates that 5 respondents hang out with dogs in the therapy. Also, 3
of them play with cats. However, only 2 respondents chose to spend time with fishes.
Figure 1.7: Commitment
When the patients questioned if do they have commitment for the therapy and
animals that they hang out with, All of them confidently answered yes.

Yes

10

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSIONS

Summary

Most of the respondents interact with animals doctors such as dogs, cats and
fishes. In addition, they usually do it every week that really helps them to feel great and
be able to do things and complete them so quickly. Furthermore, they do lots of
activities with animal doctors by petting, talking, and feeding them when they able to
meet each other. Lastly, all of them have commitment on what they do which results to
positive impacts to ease every negative feelings they are currently experiencing.

Conclusion

Overall, the results and information gathered help the researcher to answer the
research questions in this research study. First, the results present that most of the
respondents spend their time with animal doctors by doing different activities such as
petting, talking, and feeding them. Lastly, all of the respondents seem to have a positive
life because of the positivity that animal doctors or animal-assisted therapy in general
offer.

Recommendation

The researcher recommends that people should try the system of animal-assisted
therapy as it helps individuals to ease negative feelings in life and can able to improve
one’s emotional stability/aspect. In addition, the researcher addresses the information
to everyone that there is a simple way to improve one’s behavior, which is applying the
so-called animal assisted therapy.

REFERENCES:

Alliance Therapy Dogs (2017). A History of Animal Assisted Therapy. Retrieved

from: https://www.therapydogs.com/animal-therapy/

Francisco, K. (2017). Pets For Mental Wellness: How Dogs Play A Role In
Healing Therapy. Retrieved from:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/185116-therapy-dog-mental-health-
animal-assisted-interventions
Kurtz, J. (2018). Animal Assisted Therapy. Retrieved from:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/therapy-types/animal-assisted-therapy

Pappas, S. (2014). 5 Ways Emotions Influence You World. Retrieved from:

https://www.livescience.com/43196-emotions-influence-perception.html

Therapet (2018). What is Animal Assisted Therapy. Retrieved from:

https://www.therapet.org/about-us/what-is-animal-assisted-therapy

Uyemura, B. (2018). The Truth About Animal Assisted Therapy. Retrieved from:
https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-truth-about-animal-assisted-therapy/