Can Your Cat Be a Therapy Cat?
So many of us share our lives with cats, yet there remains such mystery surrounding this remarkable species that has long been underrepresented in research about the human-animal bond. This gap in our appreciation of the cat-human bond is now being addressed. This week Michelle Fern chats with Taylor Griffin, chief researcher of this study. Tune in to hear how cats are now becoming therapy animals!
Listen to Episode #224 Now:
BIO:
Dr. Taylor Chastain Griffin is the National Director of Animal-Assisted Interventions Advancement at Pet Partners. In this role, she oversees the organizations’ empirical research collaborations and works with other field leaders to motivate standardization and professionalization of the intervention.
With a background as a dog trainer, therapy dog handler, and mental health counselor, Dr. Chastain Griffin came to her position with a variety of experiences that inform her work with Pet Partners. Having completed her doctorate in research psychology with a focus on the human-animal bond, she works to formally integrate expertise in the field of human services with best practices while working with therapy animals. Pet Partners is now creating services for professionals who aim to bring the human-animal bond to their vocational practice—an initiative that has been directed by various large-scale data collection projects and in collaboration with many of the field’s most influential leaders.
Dr. Chastain Griffin and her husband live in Georgia with their son and many, many pets. Dr. Chastain Griffin’s empirical appreciation for human-animal interaction is matched by her personal and professional testimonies of how her animals have inspired countless meaningful interactions in their work as therapy animals.