Career Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists

Career Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists is anessential text for students and professionals wanting to pursue a career in human-animal interaction (HAI). It is exclusively designed to navigate this field and provide information on the best education, training, and background one might need to incorporate HAI into a successful career.

Kogan and Erdman bring together a diverse range of insights from HAI social scientists who have secured or created their HAI job. The book highlights six categories of work settings: academia, private practice, corporations/for profit companies, non-profit organizations, government, and other positions, to show the growing number of opportunities to blend social science interests with the desire to incorporate HAI into their careers.

The book clearly outlines the career paths available to social science students and professionals, from careers connected to human services of psychology, therapy, social work, and journalism, to research or other scholarship.

Introduction

Part 1: Academic – Traditional

1. From Biopsychology to Human Behavioural Work to HAI Research: One Academician’s Path

Anne Barnfield

2. A Twist in the Tale (or is that Tail?): How I Apply Health Psychology to the Human-Animal Bond

Anna Chur-Hansen

3. Scientist-Practitioner Psychologist: Integrating the Human-Animal Interaction into Practice

Jennifer Coleman

4. Dogs as Co-researchers

Colleen Dell

5. From an Animal Shelter Towards a Professorship in Anthrozoology: An Unusual Career Path

Marie-Jose Enders-Slegers

6. There is a Shelter Dog in My College Classroom

Shlomit Flaisher-Grinberg

7. Human-Animal Interaction in Clinical Psychology: Teaching, Research, and Practice

Angela K. Fournier

8. The Entangled Path: Human Animal Interaction and Social Work

Cassandra Hanrahan

9. Solidarity and Scholarship: Thriving as a HAI Academic

Rachel Caroline Hogg

10. From Psychometrics to Animal Metrics

Jean Kirnan

11. Rescuing Street Dogs as a Passion and a Way of Being

Úrsula Aragunde Kohl

12. Working in the World of Human-Animal Interaction Research

Beth Lanning

13. Lessons from a Pioneer in Equine Assisted Therapies

Arieahn Matamonasa Bennett

14. Studying Dolphins in the Bahamas: Who Says Academic Careers are Dry?

Maria Maust-Mohl

15. Academic Pathways Towards HAI

Patricia Pendry

16. Civic Engagement of Students through Human-Animal Interactions

Alina Simona Rusu

17. An HAI Love Story: A Couple Collaborates as Teachers and Researchers Exploring Our Connection to Animals

Dieter and Netzin Steklis

18. An Academic Career Based on What I love: People, Animals, and Health

Cindy C. Wilson

Part 2: Academic – With Clinical Work

19. Insights from a Late Bloomer in the field of Human-Animal Interactions

John-Tyler Binfet

20. Labracadabra! The Magic of Animal-Assisted Social Work

Yvonne Eaton-Stull

21. Human-Animal Bond in Colorado (HABIC) at Colorado State University

Helen Holmquist-Johnson

22. Mutual Rescue: From Multiple Sclerosis to Working with Therapy Dogs in Education

Diana Pena Gil

23. Getting in the H.A.B.I.T: Bringing Animal Assisted Interventions to Victims of Crime Bethanie A. Poe
24. A Social Workers Experience at a Veterinary School and Teaching Hospital

Eric Richman

25. Supporting Students and Companion Animals in University and Community Settings

Clarissa Uttley

26. "Yes, I work with animals…No, I’m not a vet": Animal-Assisted Intervention and the Indian Experience

Georgitta Valiyamattam

Part 3: For Profit, Not for Profit and Government

27. Making a Difference as an Animal-Assisted Interactions Program Coordinator?

Tanya K. Bailey

28. Changing Lives, One Service Dog at a Time

Sarah Birman

29. Canine- Assisted Family Treatment Court Coordinator

Megan Bridges

30. Nurse-Led Canine-Assisted Intervention Practice

Cindy Brosig

31. Promoting Animal Welfare in a Context of International Development: A Career in the Non-Governmental Sector

Ashleigh F. Brown

32. Advancing Standards and Professionalization in the Field of AAI

Taylor Chastain

33. A Day in the Life of an Executive Director at an Animal Protection Think Tank

Ivy Collier

34. Occupational Therapy: Using Meaningful Occupations to Enhance Function Throughout the Lifespan

Emily DeBreto

35. The Clinical Direction of Dogs

Matthew Decker

36. Animal Instincts: Following an Unmarked Path from Volunteerism to a Career in Human Animal Interaction

Marivic R. Dizon

37. A Look into Animal Assisted Interventions Abroad: Entrecanes Association in Northern Spain

Carolina Duarte-Gan

38. Program Design, Implementation, and Management: Human-Animal Interactions

Carrie Nydick Finch

39. Experiences in Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI): Practice, Research and Teaching

Patricia Flaherty Fischette

40. Human-Animal Interaction on the New York City Subway (Long Before Pizza Rat)

Maya Gupta

41. A Fair Shake For Youth: Helping Middle School Kids Connect with Dogs—While Discovering their Own Best Selves

Audrey Hendler

42. Kids and Dogs. Sounds Easy, Right?

Indy Hlava

43. Working with A Facility Dog in a Veterans Affairs Hospital

Elizabeth Holman

44. An Industry Veterinarian’s Perspective on a Career in Human-Animal Interaction

Karyl Hurley

45. Pick your Own Adventure, Finding a Career in the Non-Profit World

Emily Patterson-Kane

46. Organized Animal Protection as a Career: Meaning, Mission and the Academic Contributor

Bernard Unti

Part 4: Private Practice, AAI Program

47. Symbiotic Relationship Between Therapist and Co-Therapist: The Story of Emmie

Donna Clarke

48. A Professional Transformational Journey in the Practice of Animal Assisted Interventions

Molly DePrekel

49. A Legal Career with Animals

Akisha Townsend Eaton

50. Conducting Canine-Assisted Psychotherapy

Betz King

51. Scientist-Practitioner Approach: Harnessing the Power of Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy and Animal-Assisted Interventions in Private Practice

Elizabeth A. Letson

52. Applying Theoretical Frameworks and Organizational Structures to Help Develop the Field of Animal-Assisted Interventions: The Questions We Must Ask and the Answers We Must Seek

Katarina Felicia Lundgren

53. For the Love of Horses

Fay McCormack

54. Please Bear with Me: Working with My Canine Co-Therapist

Janus Moncur

55. Counselling with a Therapy- Animal

Patricia Nitkin

56. Forget Me Not Farm: A Haven for Children and Animals to Bond and Break the Cycle of Abuse

Carol M Rathmann

57. Integrating Human-Animal Interactions and Psychology: Research & Service

Yahaira Segarra

58. The Art and Science of Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy

Marilyn Sokolof

59. Animal Assisted Play Therapy

Risë VanFleet

60. Create your Herd: Developing a Career through Lived Experiences

Aviva Vincent

61. Canines, Equines, and Social Work

Heather White

Lori R. Kogan, PhD, is Professor of Clinical Sciences at Colorado State University, USA. She is the Chair of the Human-Animal Interaction section of the American Psychological Association and Editor of the Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin, an open-access, online publication supported by the American Psychological Association.

Phyllis Erdman, PhD, is a professor of counseling at Washington State University and is a licensed mental health counselor, and past chair of the Human-Animal Interaction section of Division 17 of the American Psychological Association. She has been working in the field of human-animal interaction for over ten years, including assessment of equine therapeutic interventions, pet grief, and documenting the need for emotional support animals.