Elizabeth Shatner, renowned champion horsewoman and wife of William Shatner, founded The All Glory Project non-profit to promote, educate and fund animal-assisted therapy (equine and canine) for veterans and their families. On their new website, AllGloryProject.com, the new organization is hosting a study by California State University Dominguez Hills in which adults who have participated in animal-assisted therapies can fill out a survey about their experiences.
Animal assisted therapy (AAT) has demonstrated very positive outcomes with patients who have a variety of disabling conditions. Mrs. Shatner points out that, “For some adults with disabilities, AAT can turn a traditional dull therapy routine into an engaging, stimulating, and meaningful activity that keeps the therapy fun, motivational and sustainable.”
However, according to the CSUDH Dept of Occupational Therapy, “Quantitative studies are needed to show hard proof that this AAT intervention can be very effective in increasing self-efficacy (a person’s belief in his/her own competence). There is a need for more research in order to analyze the value and meaning for clients who participate in AAT.”
The purpose of the study will be to examine the correlations between the perceived benefits of AAT and the actual resulting self-efficacy among disabled individuals who receive AAT. Any disabled adult who has received AAT can participate.
“We are proud to host this study and have a chance to affect the validity of horse- and canine-assisted therapies,” states Mrs. Shatner.
The 10-minute survey can be found at http://AllGloryProject.com until June 30th. Participants will be chosen at random to win $25 gift cards to major restaurants and retailers.
