The Elephant in the Room

Abstract

This chapter will provide a brief overview of the history and counseling theories associated with animal-assisted interventions and how school counselors can incorporate the use of animal-assisted interventions into their school's trauma-informed counseling program while examining the benefits of using animal-assisted interventions to promote trust, rapport, and healing for students experiencing any type of direct or indirect trauma. This chapter will also review potential problems, issues, and controversies that may arise in using animal-assisted interventions in the school setting. Finally, the author will offer strategies and ideas for encompassing living and other alternative modalities of animal-assisted interventions within an elementary school counseling program.