Applying Supervision to Animal Assisted Therapy: Using the Integrative Development Model

Authors

Rachel W. Rachlinski, University of New OrleansFollow
Kelli A. McFarland, University of New OrleansFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4496-8181

Author Biography

Rachel Rachlinski has been a Professional Counselor for 15 years and is a board-approved supervisor in both Louisiana and Maryland. She received her MS in Counseling from Johns Hopkins University where she also received a Post Masters Certificate in Play Therapy. She earned a Post Masters Certificate in Human-Animal Interactions at the University of Denver. Ms. Rachlinski is currently a doctoral student in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of New Orleans where her research focus is the impact of Emotional Support Animals on students and the campus community at HBCUs and exploring counselor education programs supporting animal assisted therapy. Rachel has been a provider of Animal Assisted Therapy since 2014 and actively provides Emotional Support Animal evaluations and letters. She has presented and published on these topics as recently as the International Association of Psychology and Counseling World Conference and the Big Easy Seminar in 2025. Ms. Rachlinski was also the recipient of the 2024 Prospective Counselor Educator award from the Louisiana Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. Beyond her work focus, she enjoys her three dogs and trains her therapy animals.

Kelli McFarland is a Baton Rouge, Louisiana native. She received her Master's of Clinical Mental Health and Rehabilitation at Louisiana State University Health Science Center in New Orleans and is currently a doctoral student at University of New Orleans in the Counselor Education and Supervision program. McFarland is a state Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and is a full time Staff Therapist at Tulane University. She is currently serving as Chapter President of the University's chapter, Alpha Eta, of the Internataional Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Honor's Society.

Document Type

Article

Keywords

animal assisted therapy, integrative development model, counselor supervision, counselor education, competencies, IDM-AAT supervision model, competencies, animal assisted therapy training, supervision of animal assisted therapy

Subject Area

Clinical Supervision, Counseling, Counselor Education

Abstract

A study conducted by Hartwig and Smelser (2018) reported 91.7% of clinicians being aware of animal assisted therapy (AAT) who agree it is a legitimate treatment model. However, 57% of respondents expressed interest in receiving AAT training. Although published standards and competencies published by ACA and IAHAIO indicate the requirement for clinical supervision when implementing AAT, research does not address supervision protocols for AAT. This manuscript suggests a protocol for supervising the implementation of AAT. The consequence of untrained supervisors is the potential harm to the well-being of the client as well as the clinician and the animal. As such, the purpose of this manuscript is to propose the application of the Integrative Developmental Model (IDM) to AAT supervision. The creation of the IDM-AAT supervision model provides an overview for supervisors who work with clinicians new to the utilization of animals in clinical sessions. Scenarios are provided to demonstrate considerations and suggestions to implement this model.

Public Significance Statement

This manuscript addresses guidelines and ethical considerations for clinicians who supervise those clinicians newly implementing animal assisted therapy. The proposed supervision model guides supervisors to be aware of standards from key organizations in the field of counseling and animal assisted services. It provides adequate interventions as their supervisees implement new areas of practice to ensure they are doing no harm to clients or animals.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.70013/aqb9kpqf

Recommended Citation

Rachlinski, R. W., & McFarland, K. A. (2025). Applying Supervision to Animal Assisted Therapy: Using the Integrative Development Model. Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 19(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.70013/aqb9kpqf