Animal Assisted Therapy

Masters student Kerry Townsend

In the summer of 2015 Masters student Kerry Townsend asked for help from CCST with animal-assisted therapy research. Kerry was looking for people who conduct animal-assisted therapy (AAT) sessions to complete a brief (10-15 minute) online questionnaire. This was a student research project Kerry had undertaken as an element of her MSc Occupational Therapy (pre-registration) degree at Sheffield Hallam University.

The study aimed to survey the skills and activities worked on by people who practise AAT across the UK. Kerry was particularly interested in stroke rehabilitation, however, she stated it was not necessary for you to have prior knowledge or experience in stroke rehabilitation or occupational therapy to complete the questionnaire. Participation was entirely voluntary. Everyone would be contributing to research that informs the evidence base for AAT. The study was sponsored by Sheffield Hallam University and was reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee. The survey questionnaire was completed by 13th of September 2015.

CCST was only too happy for our volunteer Therapet owners to contribute in this survey if they wished. We alerted our membership to this in our August Bulletin about the work Kerry was undertaking and that CCST thought it was a worthwhile survey to take part in and support Kerry in her research in this area.

Kerry now states; “ I've written a summary of my research that was published in the June newsletter put out by the College of Occupational Therapists' specialist section in Neurological Practice. The newsletter went out today so I thought I would share my summary with you - I've cut down 16,000 words to 1,600 so it is brief but I hope it provides you with some insight to the project I completed, with your assistance.”

Kerry has passed her MSc dissertation (and course). 

​CCST would like to say thank you to all who took part in the survey.

​Please look at the PDF document which formed her research. “RESEARCH DOCUMENT”