A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE EFFECTS OF PSYCHOTHERAPY ...

CHAPTER 5
IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE
Ethical considerations dictate that social workers conform to principles of best practice
while continually searching for ways to improve the quality of life of persons who sometimes have
overwhelming obstacles to overcome. In adherence to the ethical principles inherent in
responsible social work, practitioners should remain current on, and critically examine, emerging
knowledge relevant to the field. Practice should be based “… on recognized knowledge, including
empirically based knowledge…”, and “[Social] workers should contribute to the knowledge base
of social work and share with colleagues their knowledge…” (NASW, 1997). While research on
the effectiveness of mental health interventions involving horses is emerging, practice appears to
be thriving (Taylor, 2001), a reflection of the common finding that participant and staff perceptions
sometimes exceed statistical evidence. The results of this review demonstrate promise and
should inform policy that adjunct and complementary therapies should be expanded to include
equine-assisted interventions in the psychosocial arena for certain populations. Moreover, the
inclusion of psychotherapy involving equines should be reimbursable by third-party payers.
There are more social workers utilizing equine-facilitated techniques in direct practice
than any other group of helping professionals (NARHA, 2006): This has significant implications
for social work education. There are schools of social work that offer courses and certificates in
animal-assisted therapy (see University of North Texas, n. d.); Denver University’s School of
Social Work offers a Master of Social Work certificate program in Animal-Assisted Social Work,
(Denver University, n.d), the “first of its kind in the nation” (p. 1). Increasingly, schools of social
work are joining with schools of veterinary medicine to form useful collaboratives for practice and
research; for example, Colorado State University’s Human-Animal Bond in Colorado program is
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