Intervention Strategies Flashcards
7 cards from real AAT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Intervention Strategies flashcards as text
During an AAT session with a trauma survivor, the animal moves away from the client repeatedly. What is the BEST intervention strategy?
Answer: Process the animal's behavior as a therapeutic metaphor about boundaries
The animal's boundary-setting behavior can be therapeutically processed as a powerful metaphor for healthy boundaries with trauma survivors.
Which intervention strategy is MOST appropriate when introducing AAT to a client with a reported dog phobia?
Answer: Use systematic desensitization starting with photos or videos before live animal contact
Systematic desensitization using a graduated hierarchy of exposure is the evidence-based approach for phobia treatment within AAT.
A therapist wants to use AAT to address social skills deficits in a child with autism. Which strategy is MOST evidence-based?
Answer: Structured turn-taking activities involving the animal to practice social reciprocity
Structured turn-taking and joint attention activities with the animal directly practice the social reciprocity skills most affected in autism.
When using AAT with a group of elderly residents in a care facility, which intervention strategy best addresses social isolation?
Answer: Group sessions where residents share stories about their own past pets while interacting with the animal
Group reminiscence combined with animal interaction addresses social isolation by creating shared experiences and facilitating peer connection.
A client with depression shows minimal engagement during standard AAT sessions. Which strategy adjustment would MOST likely increase therapeutic engagement?
Answer: Assign the client an active caregiving role such as grooming or feeding the animal
Assigning caregiving responsibilities activates behavioral activation principles and gives the client a sense of purpose and accomplishment.
In AAT, what is the purpose of a 'processing pause' after an animal-human interaction moment?
Answer: To help the client reflect on and verbalize their emotional experience
Processing pauses create structured opportunities for clients to articulate and integrate emotional responses that arise from animal interactions.
Which intervention strategy should be AVOIDED when working with a client who has a history of harming animals?
Answer: Allowing unsupervised one-on-one contact with the therapy animal
Unsupervised contact is contraindicated for clients with animal harm history; the therapy animal's welfare requires continuous monitoring as an ethical priority.