Angela K. Fournier

Animal-assisted professionals carry powerful stories of change—moments of connection, growth, and insight that unfold through human–animal interaction. Bringing Science to Our Stories in Animal-Assisted Services shows how those stories can become the foundation for clear, credible evidence. Through the practical SAGA method (Start with a story, Ask a question, Gather data, Analyze and act), this book guides readers in turning meaningful experiences into measurable insights without losing heart or humanity. Using real-world examples and accessible tools, practitioners learn how to observe human and animal behavior, gather useful data, evaluate programs, monitor wellness, and communicate findings with confidence. By blending story with science, this book strengthens professional credibility, supports animal welfare, and invites practitioners to contribute to the growing evidence base of the field—one story at a time.

Animal-assisted professionals carry powerful stories of change—moments of connection, growth, and insight that unfold through human–animal interaction. Bringing Science to Our Stories in Animal-Assisted Services shows how those stories can become the foundation for clear, credible evidence. Through the practical SAGA method (Start with a story, Ask a question, Gather data, Analyze and act), this book guides readers in turning meaningful experiences into measurable insights without losing heart or humanity. Using real-world examples and accessible tools, practitioners learn how to observe human and animal behavior, gather useful data, evaluate programs, monitor wellness, and communicate findings with confidence. By blending story with science, this book strengthens professional credibility, supports animal welfare, and invites practitioners to contribute to the growing evidence base of the field—one story at a time.

How Change Happens in Equine-Assisted Interventions gives clinicians and researchers an intervention theory on the mechanisms of change during psychotherapy and other interventions that incorporate horses. Chapters introduce the concept of intervention theory, present a theory of the problem (what the client comes with), theories explaining the intervention (what is done during a session), and theories of change (what happens in the mind of a client), with each theory’s function described. Using an autoethnographic approach, the authors describe, deconstruct, and analyze personal experiences as clients during an equine-assisted intervention. Then the authors present and apply a unique intervention theory by linking it to the thoughts and experiences of clients in and after a session. Practitioners will come away from this book with a unique perspective on the field and with an increased understanding of what their clients are thinking both in and out of session. Researchers will have an explanatory theory from which to draw testable hypotheses when studying interventions incorporating horses.

How Change Happens in Equine-Assisted Interventions gives clinicians and researchers an intervention theory on the mechanisms of change during psychotherapy and other interventions that incorporate horses. Chapters introduce the concept of intervention theory, present a theory of the problem (what the client comes with), theories explaining the intervention (what is done during a session), and theories of change (what happens in the mind of a client), with each theory’s function described. Using an autoethnographic approach, the authors describe, deconstruct, and analyze personal experiences as clients during an equine-assisted intervention. Then the authors present and apply a unique intervention theory by linking it to the thoughts and experiences of clients in and after a session. Practitioners will come away from this book with a unique perspective on the field and with an increased understanding of what their clients are thinking both in and out of session. Researchers will have an explanatory theory from which to draw testable hypotheses when studying interventions incorporating horses.

Effective Parenting and Caregiving: Practical Guidelines from Psychological Science equips readers with education and training to help them care most effectively for children—from infants to toddlers and grade schoolers, and on to adolescents. This scholarship teaches seven evidence-based life lessons—principles of human dynamics, which when practiced regularly, help children become healthier, happier, and more successful. Readers learn how to employ positive consequences to effectively influence behavior and apply the power of observational learning. They discover how to become a successful behavior-improvement coach with supportive and corrective feedback. They also learn how to practice empathy, manage behavior as a servant leader, and create an environment of mutual respect, interdependence, and interpersonal gratitude, all helping children achieve self-actualization—the application of personal capabilities for optimal accomplishment. Beyond this achievement is self-transcendence—the most valuable person-state for individuals and their social-support system. Readers learn how to reach that ultimate vision and help others do the same. Effective Parenting and Caregiving is an exceptional textbook for courses within the behavioral and social sciences, especially applied psychology and human development. It is also a valuable guidebook for parents, caregivers, or any individual who wants to optimize the quality of care for others at home, school, work, or throughout the community at large.

This book brings the animal into the scholarly discussion of animal-assisted therapy and other interventions. Challenging the current reliance on outcome studies, the author offers a new way of thinking empirically about animal-assisted interventions—analysis of human-animal interaction as a critical component. Through empirical demonstrations from laboratory and applied settings, the book encourages practitioners and scholars to undergo a deeper examination of the basic interactions that occur between clients or patients and therapy animals. Dr. Fournier provides new ideas on measurement, experimentation, and interpretation of human-animal interaction, aimed at identifying the role of the animal in interventions for human health and well-being.