Canine co-therapy: The potential of dogs to improve the acceptability of trauma-focused therapies for children

Signal, TD ORCiD: 0000-0001-5677-9496Objective: Post-traumatic stress disorder is a debilitating syndrome that effects approximately 30% of those who experience childhood trauma. Whilst effective treatments exist, they have high rates of attrition and non-engagement. Augmenting traditional interventions such as trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy is an approach often used to address this problem. The current study aimed to assess the acceptability of a novel adjunct, canine-assisted therapy, which may be particularly useful with younger children. Method: A community sample of Australian parents and caregivers (N = 267) read one of two vignettes describing problematic behaviour following sexual trauma in either a 6- or 13-year-old girl. Participants then rated their acceptability of three described treatment alternatives; traditional therapy alone, with medication and with canine-assisted therapy, using the Treatment Evaluation Inventory–Short Form. Results: Regardless of the age of the child traditional therapy with canine-assisted adjunct had the highest acceptability. Adjunct medication was the least acceptable approach, particularly in those with no prior psychoactive medication experience. Conclusions: Canine-assisted therapy as an adjunct to traditional cognitive-behavioural approaches holds promise as a way to improve acceptability. Implications and future research directions are discusse