Pet project. The use of pet facilitated therapy among the chronically mentally ill

1. The effects of animal companions on people can be of therapeutic benefit. Using pet facilitated therapy with the chronically mentally ill as a treatment modality offers great potential for positive patient care outcomes. 2. Initiating a pet facilitated therapy program involves establishing policy and procedures regarding animals at the facility. The personality and animal experiences of the patient must be taken into consideration for pet selection. 3. Evaluate the effectiveness of the pet facilitated therapy program. Assess your patient care outcomes to design further interventions.