Lesson 5 - Influence of environmental factors on teamwork
2023-10-10
Theory of felinotherapy
NCHK Internet course
Term :
Lesson 5 - Influence of environmental factors on teamwork
In every facility there are environmental components that affect the functioning, team balance, skills and success rates of individual teams in different ways. The ability of the animal and handler to perform at a certain level depends on both environmental factors and the skills and talents of the team. The best way to determine if a team is suited for a particular environment is to assess its behavior in that environment.
Regardless of where the team works, it encounters clients, facility staff, and client family members in every setting.
The role of the facility staff, particularly the key person who selects the clients for whom the interventions are intended, influences the balance of the team more than any other element of the environment. Proper selection of clients and the setting in which interventions take place reduces risk, promotes well-being and enables the team to achieve its goals.
The skills of the team and the education and talents of the handler must match the goals of the program. Training with the cat is important, but more important than the training is the cat's talent, his or her composure, reliability and deep relationship with the handler. It is essential that these cats can provide effective opportunities for communication and socialization and that they can accept the client unconditionally and make the client feel safe. Some groups of clinets are not suitable for inclusion in AAI interventions. For example, these are those who might harm animals or handlers, even unintentionally. Part of the work of key staff at the facilities in question is to assess which participants are suitable for AAI.
The target population cannot be changed, but there are often ways to balance it to achieve equilibrium. These include working with distance, the sensory stimuli that affect the animal and other participants (light, play of reflections or shadows, environmental temperature, smells and scents, sounds in the environment), how the animals are handled and restrained, and last but not least, ensuring that the animal and all participants are able to behave naturally, have a free choice of activities and the resulting illusion of control over the environment.
Professional educators and therapists who work with their own animals in their professional environment assume the dual role of handler-therapist. In doing so, they also assume responsibility over the choice of clients and the environment in which they work with their animal. and take on roles and responsibilities on both sides of the imaginary scale. Handlers in dual roles on one side know their animals and their reactions better, which can make intervention easier. On the other hand, they have to divide their attention between the client/patient and the animal they are working with. This creates an imbalance and the concept of working in a dual role can introduce an element of stress into the intervention. It depends on the handler's stress tolerance threshold to make the intervention effective and beneficial and not counterproductive.
Handler therapists/educators who work in this way need animals with whom they have a deep, strong and quality relationship. They need animals that are independent, their behaviour is reliably predictable and their reactions and body language are easy to read. This does not mean that the handler does not pay attention to the animal and leaves them alone with the client. Such an intervention is a gamble on the health and well-being of the client, the others involved and the animal itself. For the well-being of animals whose handler is also a therapist/educator, the time they have to spend with their owner on the job is a major issue. It is necessary to adapt the environment for the animal so that it has sufficient opportunities to display natural behaviour, sufficient places to rest undisturbed away from the clients and generally sufficient resources to display natural behaviour. Handlers in a "dual role" do not have the flexibility to change the environment, the target population they are working with, or the amount of time spent on the job to maintain a balance in the intervention. Given this fact, it is important that they carefully select the animals they work with based on their tolerance to stress and the speed with which they return from an excited state of mind to normal behavior . It is important that they train these animals sensitively and purposefully, taking into account the conditions of the environment in which they will be working, and that they modify this environment so that interventions are as consistent as possible with the welfare of all involved.
Animals as tools or as collaborators in therapeutic processes?
To ensure the quality and safety of AAI programs, it is important that animals are never "used" in AAI programs, but that they are seen as partners in a mutually beneficial relationship. The needs of the animals must always be considered and balanced with the needs of the human participants in AAI programmes. It is necessary to accept each animal as nature created them and not to project our human ideas onto them. In other words, avoid anthropomorphism.
Sometimes it is impossible to achieve a balance. Animal owners who follow ethical principles will withdraw an animal from an intervention if negative factors accumulate in the environment where the intervention is carried out. If the animal cannot perform in an environment that is suitable for it, it is the handler's responsibility to remove the animal from the AAI program. If animals living in therapeutic facilities as permanently housed animals or animals living on therapeutic farms cannot cope with their environment, it is the handler's or animal caretaker's responsibility to find a new home for the animal.
Personal space
Each species has its own rules for personal space and the degree of separation that individuals maintain between themselves in social situations. Animals participating in AAI programs are no exception. Within each personal space there are three zones.
The zone where the animal first becomes aware of the presence of another animal is the public zone. From there, one enters the social zone. Although it is permissible to be in the other animal's social zone, the nonverbal communication between individuals determines whether this is perceived as intimidation or as a permissible intrusion into the social zone. If one individual approaches the other more and more, it intrudes into the other's personal zone, which can be perceived as a sign of favor, threat, or manipulation. Closer to the personal zone is the intimate zone, which refers to contact. The individual is fully aware of the other individual in their intimate zone. Species in this zone follow strict rules of communication. Ignoring or not following these rules may be considered disrespectful or intimidating.
It is very important to know that most AAI programs encourage participants to interact with each other in the intimate zone. Whenever the intimate zone barrier is crossed, the individual responds by sending signals. These signals are clear expressions of respect, satisfaction or fear, defense or aggression. Animals in AAI programs must routinely work in environments and with people for whom their language is completely foreign. The handler's ability to interpret the animal's signals and respond immediately is a very important factor in mitigating the impact of these interactions. Clients should always be appropriately familiar with the animal they are interacting with, its communication signals and natural behaviour. This is by no means a waste of time, but an added layer of intervention that can help to induce a sense of safety.
Touch is the most intimate act of communication, it is an essential part of almost any intervention involving animals, and although no one is suggesting that humans stop petting animals during AAI, it is very important that the animals themselves are allowed to initiate this intimate contact first.
Animals that meekly tolerate interventions in their intimate areas may appear calm, but in reality they are usually stressed, may be in a state of freeze, and it is up to the handler to assess the situation and help their animal partner to relax.
The cat is both predator and prey. It depends on how we let the client approach the cat - the grip from a height, the disproportion between the eye level of the animal and the human can give the cat the feeling of encountering a predator. Predators often hover over prey, attacking, catching the prey and carrying it off to eat it.
In AAI settings, humans are often in groups and physically assume positions over animals that suggest hovering, attacking, and grabbing the animal. Rightly or wrongly, the animals' bodies respond to their intuition and show how concerned they are. This is also why in felinotherapy it is preferable to involve the cat in visits with a small group of clients, for example two at a time, or to opt for individual visits that more closely simulate a normal family environment. Zamping and modifying the space where the encounters occur is also absolutely essential and will be discussed in later chapters.
Body language
Body language allows each species to send and receive messages, use or overcome defense mechanisms, and avoid conflict. The process of communication is complex and is further complicated when different species interpret the signals in their vocabulary differently. Humans often do not recognize animal signals or misinterpret them as disinterest or disobedience, but each signal is part of the message the animal is trying to convey about its personal territory. Similarly, people often behave in ways that inadvertently (unintentionally) signal tension to animals during AAI. So here too, we certainly don't waste time looking at pictures of animal body language, watching videos, role-playing. This activity will enrich the AAI, activate the clients and be an added value ensuring the well-being of all involved.
Who benefits from AAI ?
As previously stated, the environment where therapy animals participate in AAI is stressful for the animals because it is a major change in their environment and there is a disruption in the kind of daily routine that is normal for the species.
A critical element in deciding whether to incorporate a cat into AAI is whether it can quickly recover from the disruption to its daily routine and change in environment and enjoy the interaction.
Incorporation of a cat into an AAI is not appropriate if the emotional or activity level of the target population is inconsistent with that of the cat. For example, we cannot ask a young, active cat to lie still and unmoving with a geriatric client for several minutes. A young animal needs to discharge its energy and natural curiosity through play.
The handler needs to know their particular cat's reactions to stress. Individual signals may vary, but common signs of stress include altered communication patterns and atypical body language compared to a resting state:
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Change in posture and body movements
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change in head and eye movements
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change in the position of the ears
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change in pupil size and eye shape
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accelerated breathing
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yawning
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excessive lazing
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tension in the limbs
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withdrawal from the client's presence
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refusal to accept otherwise favourite food
Most symptoms of stress are universal. People know stress when they see it, even in other species. Not only is it risky and incorrect to conduct visits with a stressed animal, but through emotional coregulation we transfer this stress to the client. Such visits are harmful and counterproductive for all involved.
A known truth
The handler makes up 50% of the AAI team, but has 100% responsibility for its functioning and the welfare of all involved. The importance of proper education, training and selection of a handler cannot be underestimated as they are irreplaceable. The experience, skills and health of the handler are as important as the assessment of the animal. This is the only way to minimise the risk to all AAI participants. The handler's knowledge, talent and skills directly affect the risk of injury, infection or inappropriate interactions. The handler's role in AAI is to present the animal. This presentation includes preparation (building a strong bond and trusting relationship, training, veterinary care, proper housebreaking), consideration of all aspects prior to the encounter, immediate assessment of all situations that will occur during the AAI, and prioritizing the cat's best interests and protection at all times. Presentation skills include the ability to communicate effectively with the client and, in particular, to listen to the client, engage the client, be proactive, and sensitively redirect behavior if the client cycles back to negative thinking patterns.
The handler must therefore :
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ensure appropriate interaction between human and animal.
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demonstrate the appropriate social skills (eye contact, smiling, confident manner, conversation) needed to interact with people in AAT and AAA.
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ensure the preparation, conduct and conclusion of the visit.
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know and proactively use AAT and AAA interaction techniques with the target population.
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maintain discretion
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behave in a pleasant, calm and friendly manner in response to all participants throughout the intervention
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demonstrate proactive (not reactive) animal handling skills.
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behave as a protector of the animal in all situations, respecting the animal's natural needs.
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be able to read the animal's body language (stress, arousal) and act accordingly.
