Can Dogs Help Break the Chain of Intergenerational Abuse?

Utilizing Animal-Assisted Interventions with Child Survivors of Trauma to Curb the Cycle of Violence
Kelly Mace Cianciolo
kelly.m.cianciolo@gmail.com

What We Know Canines Aid Individual Counseling

The majority of children who experience abuse do not go on to Research has shown that individual counseling after a traumatic
become perpetrators event early in life can help lead to greater outcomes down the road.
Often times caregiver involvement in therapy creates even better
The majority of perpetrators did experience some form of abuse in results. Several studies are showing that including a dog into the
their childhood process can also have wonderful benefits including:
A strong support system and early interventions help to break the Greater caregiver approval of therapy
cycle of violence
Quicker rapport built with therapist
Research is showing that incorporating animals, specifically
canines, can help enhance the benefits of these interventions Improved attachments

Better impulse control

Enhanced self-esteem

Decreased trauma symptoms

Stronger social skills

Relevance to the Helping

Furry Friends in Forensic
Interviews
Forensic interviews are vitally important for the investigative
process. They allow for a trained professional to inquire about details
of the abuse in a sensitive and unbiased way. They also often lead to
referrals to counseling, where the road to recovery can begin. However,
even the best conducted forensic interviews can easily cause stress
symptoms in the interviewee. Survivors of trauma often already
experience elevated heart rates and increased levels of stress
hormones, exasperating these could lead to an inability to finish the
interview or even cause health concerns.
A study showed that having a therapy dog in the room while a
forensic interview was being conducted reduced the child’s
discomfort and lowered cortisol levels as well as blood pressure.
When children are less stressed it is better for their overall health and
it is also easier to make memories which could aid if being called upon
to testify later down the line.
Professions
Utilizing dogs is not going to be appropriate in every child abuse
case, but keeping an open mind and being aware of when they could
be beneficial could have great outcomes for our clients. If a four-
legged friend could ease the stress of a forensic interview, enhance the
benefits of counseling, or help make testifying in court a little easier it
is worth it to explore an animal-assisted intervention or make a
referral to a qualified resource who offers these unique opportunities.
It is important to work within your competencies, especially when
considering bringing another living being into our work. However we
have seen how “bringing out the big dogs” with intention and in
conjunction with other evidence based practice can have real
advantages.
As helpers trained to take a holistic view of the problem, we have
seen that adding canines to practice can have health benefits,
behavioral advantages, and assist in recovery, all of which can lead to
better future outcomes and lessening the chances that the cycle of
violence continues. When used appropriately canines can help
enhance the lives of our clients and may even make the world a
safer place in the future.
Pups Guide Group Trauma
Treatment
A study compared three different groups for children who have
experienced sexual abuse. The first was the typical group curriculum,
the second added a canine to the group, and the third added a canine
into the group as well as incorporating the dog into the curriculum. All
three programs were successful in decreasing trauma symptoms, with
the ones that incorporated a dog being even more effective and the
third group which utilized the dog into therapeutic stories yielded the
best results.
These outcomes highlight the positives of incorporating a dog into
therapy, but even more so emphasize the importance of using animal
interventions intentionally. There are clearly advantages to merely
having an animal present during group therapy, but taking the time to
tie it into the therapeutic protocol can increase the efficacy and
positive results of our interventions.

References
Dravsnik, J., Signal, T., & Canoy, D. (2018). Canine co-therapy: The potential of dogs to improve the acceptability of trauma-focused therapies for children. Australian Journal of Psychology, 1-9. doi:10.1111/ajpy.12199
Krause-Parello, C. A., & Gulick, E. E. (2015). Forensic interviews for child sexual abuse allegations: an investigation into the effects of animal-assisted intervention on stress biomarkers. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 24(8), 873-886. doi:10.1080/10538712.2015.1088916
Kelly, M. A., & Cozzolino, C. A. (2015). Helping at-risk youth overcome trauma and substance abuse through animal-assisted therapy. Contemporary Justice Review,18(4), 421-434. doi:10.1080/10282580.2015.1093686
Dietz, T. J., Davis, D., & Pennings, J. (2012). Evaluating animal-assisted therapy in group treatment for child sexual abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 21(6), 665-683. doi:10.1080/10538712.2012.726700
Parish-Plass, N. (2008). Animal-assisted therapy with children suffering from insecure attachment due to abuse and neglect: a method to lower the risk of intergenerational transmission of abuse? Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry,13(1), 7-30. doi:10.1177/1359104507086338