AAT-I Online Credential Program

Description

What if the missing element in your treatment approach isn’t another modality—but another species? The Animal Assisted Therapy Interventionist (AAT-I) Online Credential Program equips behavioral health clinicians with the clinical, ethical, and practical competencies to incorporate animals into the therapeutic alliance—enhancing client rapport, deepening insight, and expanding treatment possibilities across settings and populations.

Whether you’re curious about equine-facilitated psychotherapy, seeking to support clients with ADHD, trauma, or anxiety, or looking to ethically integrate a trusted companion into your counseling space, this comprehensive 8-course online program offers the guidance and structure to do so with confidence.

Dr. Christina Strayer, Ed.D., LCMHCS, AAT-I, brings decades of experience as a licensed counselor, animal-assisted therapist, evaluator, and educator. Her doctoral research focused on AAT, and her work with animals—including dogs, goats, horses, and even crustaceans—embodies the heart of this field. She is a sought-after presenter and the lead instructor for the AAT-I program.

Dr. Strayer takes a client-centered, holistic approach grounded in evidence-based theory. With engaging examples and experiential guidance, she empowers clinicians to translate their professional orientation into ethical and effective animal-assisted interventions.

This online certificate program explores the theoretical foundations of AAT, best practices for animal selection and training, multicultural and ethical considerations, treatment planning, outcome tracking, equine-facilitated psychotherapy, and the integration of AAIs into work with clients across the lifespan and care continuum. Case examples, practical demonstrations, and interdisciplinary strategies help learners build knowledge they can immediately apply.

Key Takeaways:

• Incorporate animals with intention: Learn to ethically and effectively blend animal-assisted interventions with your theoretical orientation and treatment goals.

• Expand your clinical reach: Discover how AAT benefits diverse clients—across diagnoses, settings, and developmental stages—and how to match interventions accordingly.

• Ensure safety and effectiveness: Develop competencies for client screening, animal selection, risk mitigation, outcome tracking, and advocating for your co-therapist.

Why this Certificate Program?

• Comprehensive and credentialed: This is the only self-paced, 25.5-hour online program that leads to the AAT-I designation, backed by a trusted CE provider.

• Led by a true practitioner-scholar: Dr. Christina Strayer's career embodies both clinical depth and experiential wisdom in the field of AAT.

• Designed for real-world practice: Learn how to begin, sustain, and evaluate an AAT practice—whether you're working in schools, clinics, hospitals, private practice, or the community.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of "The History of AAT and AAT Principles" course, participants will be able to:

• Define the Human-Animal Bond, its importance in AATC and its effect in human interaction

• Explain the rationale for Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI), Animal Assisted Activities (AAA) and Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT)

• Describe the theoretical framework/Biophilia hypothesis for Animal Assisted Therapy

Upon completion of "AAT Competencies and Multicultural Considerations" course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the ACA and Pet Partners Core Competencies for AAT-C

• Describe various ethics, laws, risks, and multi-cultural considerations that must be factored into the practice of AAT

• List the key elements of triadic relationships and being your animal’s best advocate in an AAT setting

Upon completion of "Animals as Co-Therapists: Selection, Behavioral, and Training Considerations" course, participants will be able to:

• Explain how to understand and know an animal’s temperament, how different animals signal their needs and/or stress levels, and how you can facilitate the animal’s socialization, desensitization, and comfort in preparing them for work in ATT

• Identify how to objectively assess an animal’s suitability, strengths and limitations for the therapy setting and how to select the appropriate training for you and your animal for AAT

• Identify key elements of animal care and advocacy, and the topic of Zoonosis and its implication in AAT

Upon completion of "Introduction to Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy" course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the evolution of EFP and the difference between EFP, Therapeutic Riding, and Hippotherapy

• Define the roles of the mental health professional and the equine specialist in EFP, and differentiate models of interaction between the horse, client, mental health professional, and the equine specialist in EFP

• List important elements within EFP of horse behavior, reasons horses may or may not be suitable, and specific benefits to populations shown to benefit from EFP

Upon completion of "Animals as Co-Therapists: Blending Animal Interventions with a Range of Professional Theories" course, participants will be able to:

• Explain attachment theory, how an animal as a co-therapist can provide a corrective attachment experience for your clients, and the different means by which the human-animal interaction can elicit unexpected vulnerability and disclosures in others

• Match AAI’s with a variety of evidence-based counseling theories, explain how you would incorporate AAI’s with your theoretical orientation to support the population with which you choose to work

• Describe how to assess the suitability, amenability, and related safety concerns of each client to animal-assisted interventions in counseling

Upon completion of "Animals as Co-Therapists: Exploring Animal-Assisted Interventions Across Professions, Settings, and Populations" course, participants will be able to:

• Explain key elements that factor into the effective matching of AAIs with clients’ needs/goals and how AAT can increase empathy in clients

• Identify how AAT can be utilized in a variety of settings that include: group, crisis, trauma, ADHD, autism, speech and physical/occupational therapy, anxiety, grief/loss, substance use, aging, medical and correctional settings, including examples of specific animal-assisted interventions

• List specific health considerations that must be factored into client interaction with animals in a medical setting

• Explain the “inner Zoo” and how to have animals as co-therapists in Group Settings

Upon completion of "Developing Treatment Plans and Tracking Outcomes" course, participants will be able to:

• Explain how to write a treatment plan with goals and objectives utilizing AAT

• Describe various AAIs that relate to building empathy, developing emotional regulation skills and client self-esteem, creating a corrective attachment experience, and working with anxious or depressed clients or those who have ADHD

• Explain the importance of using outcome measures in AAT

• Identify the different types of outcome measures that can be used to measure the effectiveness of AAT interventions

Upon completion of "Animal-Assisted Therapy Overview and Experiential Examples" course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the Biophilia Hypothesis and its connection to the Human-Animal Bond

• Describe the Psychosocial, Emotional, Physiological Benefits of AAT

• Identify the dangers and risks associated with practicing AAT

• Describe the competencies necessary to ethically and effectively practice AAT

As you seek to bridge the clinical and the intuitive, theory and presence, people and animals—this program offers clinicians a structured, research-informed path to ethically integrate animals into their professional work, thereby enriching both client outcomes and practitioner engagement.

Add this certificate course to your cart to begin learning instantly.

Format and Access

This is a non-interactive, self-study program and consists of over 25.5 hours of video instruction, reading assignments, written assignments, post-tests, and evaluations.

Upon completion of all 8 online courses, individuals will earn the AAT-I and can begin using the credential AAT-I.
Textbooks are required to complete AAT-I learning content. Reading material is not included with course enrollment and must be purchased separately from retail booksellers. (See "Requirements" tab for specifics.)

Course Details

Requirements:

Each course provides an individual syllabus listing its specific requirements.

1. Video Instruction
2. Reading Assignments

Textbooks are required to complete AAT-I learning content. This reading material is NOT included with course enrollment and must be purchased separately from retail booksellers, such as www.amazon.com (search title and/or author of the book).

• Fine, A.H. (2019). Animal Assisted Therapy: Theoretical Foundations and Guidelines for Practice-Fourth Edition. London, UK.
• Levinson, B.M. and Mallon, G.P. (1997). Pet-Oriented Child Psychotherapy. Charles C Thomas Publishing, Springfield, IL.
• Parish-Plass, N. (2013).  Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy Theory, Issues and Practice.  Purdue University.
• Kohanov (2003). Riding Between the Worlds: Expanding Our Potential Through The Way of the Horse

Some courses include additional reading material, which is provided with course content.

3. Written Assignments demonstrate understanding of the material. This includes responses to prompts given in an online forum and submitting reflections and research papers that vary in length in length from one paragraph to up to 4 pages. Reflections and papers require grading by the instructor.
4. Post-Tests are given in each course to demonstrate understanding of the material. An 80% is required to pass and you can retake it if necessary.
5. Evaluations are required once all previous steps have been completed.  (Psychologists seeking APA hours are requested, not required, to complete the evaluation.)

Availability: 

From the time of registration, you have twelve months to access the coursework.

Who Should Attend: 

This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching Methods: 

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.

How to Attend: 

Course access and completion instructions.

Instructor and Disclosures

Instructor

Dr. Christina Strayer, Ed.D, LCMHCS, AAT-I, THTC, CYT-200, NLC-P

Dr. Christina Strayer is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Supervisor, Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist-Associate, Pet Partner Team Evaluator, Animal Assisted Therapist-Interventionist and Life Coach with her coaching practice Energy Coaching with Horses and Others (E.C.H.O.) in North Carolina.  She is trained in a variety of Integrative Therapies including Art, Yoga and Mindfulness. Her theoretical approach is Client-centered and Holistic. Along with her mini goats, avian, equine, canine and crustacean helpers, Christina combines her study of the power of the Human and Animal Bond in healing with proven counseling theories and techniques to guide clients in reaching their goals. 

She has a diverse background in counseling and teaching. She is the Lead Instructor for the Animal Assisted Therapy Interventionist (AAT-I) certification course.  She has served as an adjunct professor at Campbell University in the Counselor Education department.  She has traveled and conducted AAT seminars for PESI, a national continuing education organization and conducts Seminars/Workshops/Groups locally on a variety of Mental Health/Wellness topics.   She primarily works in the areas of PTSD, Panic Disorder, Crisis Intervention, Compassion Fatigue, Stress, Trauma, Grief and Loss, Anxiety, Addictions, Depression, Goal setting, Consultation, Self-Esteem, Conflict resolution, Social Skills, Team Building and Life Balance/Transitions.

Christina graduated from the Doctoral program in Counselor Education and Supervision through Argosy University in Sarasota, FL. She obtained both a Master of Science in Counseling and Human Development with a concentration in K-12 School Counseling and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Radford University in Radford, Virginia.  She completed her Doctoral dissertation in AAT with Dooli, a rescue English Bulldog/Boxer mix, who was a dear family member and a beloved therapy dog to many over the years.

Disclosure Statement: 

The instructor for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.

CE Hours

Credit Hours:

This program consists of a total of 25.5 continuing education hours of credit when completing all eight courses. A separate certificate of completion is issued with each course included in this program. Please refer to individual courses for details regarding continuing education credits.  The AAT-I credential program is designed to provide a high level of competency, therefore, the courses requires multiple assignments in addition to the video lectures and required reading. No additional CE hours are provided for the time spent on the writing assignments.

Counselors:

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.

Marriage and Family Therapists: 

Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations.  You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0135, effective May 8, 2025.

Social Workers:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 25.5 clinical continuing education credits.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.

Addiction Professionals:

This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.

Psychologists:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0128.

Art Therapists: 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.

Other Professionals:

This course qualifies for 1530 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations.  Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.

These are non-interactive, self-study courses.

How to obtain the AAT-I Credential

Hold an approved license or certification. Click here to view the full list of approved clinician types.

In order to earn the Animal Assisted Therapy Interventionist (AAT-I) Credential, you are required to complete the full program. Details and enrollment options can be found here.

The AAT-I program consists of eight online, self-paced courses that are a mix of didactic presentations, videos, articles, textbooks and written assignments. The courses are:

1. The History of AAT and AAT Principles

2. AAT Competencies and Multicultural Considerations

3. Animals as Co-Therapists: Selection, Behavioral, and Training Considerations

4. Introduction to Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy

5. Animals as Co-Therapists: Blending Animal Interventions with a Range of Professional Theories

6. Animals as Co-Therapists: Exploring Animal-Assisted Interventions Across Professions, Settings, and Populations

7. Developing Treatment Plans and Tracking Outcomes

8. Animal-Assisted Therapy Overview and Experiential Examples

Upon completion of all 8 online courses, individuals will earn the AAT-I and can begin using the credential AAT-I.

An optional opportunity to expand your training and attend a 2-day live intensive (in North Carolina) with experiential exercises is also available. Please review the website and/or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details on this event.

Accommodations and Policies

Close Captioning is available for live webinars and recorded video presentations.

You can click on the following links to view our policies:

• Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
• Cancellation Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Support Options
• Disclosure Statement