Children’s Perceptions of Animals

Join us for a free webinar on October 16, 2024 at noon (EST) as Laura Peterson presents Children’s perceptions of animals in their social environment – implications for research and practice.

This webinar, is rooted in a social constructivist paradigm, will explore the existing research pertaining to the unique ways in which children perceive animals in their social environment. There is growing interest in understanding how children’s perspectives of animals are different from those of adults. We review the current research in this area, how it applies to equine assisted services, and identify potential areas for future research. We will also explore how understanding child perception can influence practice. This will include a description of child centered techniques that providers can use to explore how their pediatric clients may understand their interactions with horses – which can be different from the providers observations of the same interaction.

Laura is executive director and clinician at Wild Irish Farm, an equine-facilitated psychotherapy (EFP) center that she founded in Newington, New Hampshire. Her innovative program helps children with mental health needs through a combination of individual or family psychotherapy and riding or interacting with the stable’s eight horses.

Recently, she began a pilot study at the farm to analyze the effectiveness of equine-assisted play therapy for seven- to eleven-year-olds with anxiety.

“Horses are motivating for children, yet they’re also a source of fear,” says Laura. “So we’re teaching kids how to understand them and to become more comfortable through different feedback mechanisms.”

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Topic: October 16th Webinar-Children's Perceptions of Animals