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

Description

The most powerful therapeutic breakthroughs often come from the least expected sources—and animal co-therapists are no exception. With the ability to bypass client defenses, create safety, and facilitate genuine connection, Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs) offer clinicians transformative new ways to deliver care.

Whether you're looking to deepen your work with trauma, increase client engagement, or align interventions with your theoretical orientation, this course provides a dynamic roadmap for integrating animals into evidence-based mental health practice.

Dr. Christina Strayer, Ed.D., LCMHCS, AAT-I, is a national leader in Animal-Assisted Therapy and a seasoned clinician with a rich background in trauma, addictions, and holistic care. As lead instructor of the AAT-I credentialing program, she brings both lived experience and academic rigor to her teaching—alongside her co-facilitators of the furry, feathered, and hooved variety.

Dr. Strayer’s client-centered and integrative style honors the therapeutic power of the human-animal bond while grounding interventions in established theory. She emphasizes safety, evidence, and ethical alignment throughout her instruction, making this course both accessible and applicable to a wide range of practice settings.

Clinicians will explore how to enhance therapeutic alliance using animals, apply attachment theory through co-therapy with animals, and modify interventions to suit their theoretical lens—including CBT, Adlerian, Gestalt, Person-Centered, Psychodynamic, and Reality Therapy. The course also delves into assessing client appropriateness, managing safety considerations, and aligning with ACA and AVMA guidelines.

Key Takeaways:

• Transform the therapeutic alliance: Discover how animals foster trust, attunement, and emotional safety—particularly for clients with insecure attachment or trauma histories.

• Integrate AAI into your modality: Learn how to align animal-assisted interventions with your clinical orientation, from CBT to Person-Centered approaches.

• Prioritize ethical safety and fit: Understand how to assess client appropriateness, address risks, and uphold best practices for integrating animals in therapy.

Why this course?

• Deeply grounded in evidence and theory: You’ll gain a clear understanding of how AAIs connect to attachment, neuroscience, and core counseling models.

• Led by a nationally recognized expert: Dr. Strayer brings decades of experience, scholarly expertise, and real-world practice to every lesson.

• Part of a credentialed AAT pathway: This course is one of several in the AAT Interventionist Certificate Program, giving you a step-by-step foundation for confident integration.

Learning Objectives:

• 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.

As you consider new tools to expand your therapeutic effectiveness, this course offers the knowledge and confidence to integrate animal co-therapists into your existing framework—with clarity, compassion, and ethical integrity.

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Format and Access

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. It consists of 100+ minutes of video instruction, reading assignments and written responses, a post-test, and an evaluation.

This course is Course 5 (of 8) of the AAT-I Credential Program and can be taken individually or as part of the full program.

Please note: Textbooks are required to complete the 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:

This course provides a 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.

3. Written Assignments demonstrate an 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. A post-test is given to demonstrate understanding of the material. An 80% is required to pass and you can retake it if necessary.
5. An evaluation is 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

About 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 course consists of 2.5 continuing education hours of credit.

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 2.5 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 150 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.

This is a non-interactive, self-study course.

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