Best Practices in Therapy Animal Handling Course

Best Practices in Therapy Animal Handling Course Details

A hospital worker gently holds a tabby cat in a hospital, skilled handling and care in a professional therapy animal setting.

Study the key terminology in the field of AAI and learn general skills and requirements in the therapy animal course Best Practices in Therapy Animal Handling. Define how the relationship and teamwork between the handler and therapy animal impact the team dynamic. Recognize how therapy animals should be directed through respectful and safe client interactions in this animal therapy course.

Equip yourself to partner with a therapy animal by gaining the critical knowledge covered in the Best Practices in Therapy Animal Handling Course.

Module 1 – Overview of Therapy Animal Work

  • Recognize key terminology in AAI.
  • Examine handler responsibility relevant to responsible animal ownership.

Module 2 – Core Concepts

  • Differentiate between proactive, reactive, and inactive handling.
  • Examine handler responsibility relevant to responsible animal ownership.

Module 3 – Relationships and Teamwork

  • Identify handler responsibilities relevant to therapy animal welfare.
  • Describe how AAI can result in stress for a handler, animal, or client, and how to manage it.
  • Evaluate body language, and learn to respond in a way which supports your animal.
  • Clarify the essential traits of a therapy animal team.

Module 4 – Respect & Safety

  • Identify handler responsibilities relevant to client safety.
  • Describe infection risks and outline solutions to mitigate those risks.

Assessment in Best Practices in Therapy Animal Handling

  • This 20-question quiz covers all content for Best Practices in Therapy Animal Handling.
  • A passing score of 80% is required. You must complete Modules 1-4 before accessing this assessment.
A hospital worker gently holds a tabby cat in a hospital, skilled handling and care in a professional therapy animal setting.

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Get the best rate for the Best Practices in Therapy Animal Handling Course, plus all other animal-assisted intervention coursework, by becoming a member of AAAIP.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Our courses are fully self-paced and easy to follow. They are designed for busy professionals like you—those new to working with therapy animals, or those already working with them and looking to do it even better. You’ll hear the lessons read aloud, and you’ll answer real-world, scenario-based questions (think: multiple choice and drag-and-drop). At the end, there’s a quick knowledge check and you’ll get a certificate you can show your administrators. The content is based on trusted national guidelines, so you’ll know you’re doing things the right way from the start.

You can go at your own pace—seriously. Courses are self-paced and usually take people 2–4 hours to complete, depending on how deeply you engage with the content. You can start, stop, and return whenever your schedule allows—no pressure, just progress.

Yes, they’re designed to be as inclusive as possible. Every course has accurate closed captions, can be used with screen readers, and includes features like keyboard shortcuts, playback speed controls, and zoom-in options. Whether you’re using a laptop or assistive tech, you’ll be able to access everything you need.

Our courses are built by and for professionals in animal-assisted interventions. Each one was developed with input from AAI experts and grounded in national Competencies to make to make sure what you’re learning is meaningful, ethical, and relevant to your work.

You will see a Buy Course section at the bottom of each course page. Simply enter your email address and click “Next”. You will receive a login code via email, which you can use to log in to the LMS. Follow the instructions on the screen to proceed.

The email address you used to log in to the Learning Management System (LMS) might not match the email address used for your AAAIP Membership. The same email must be used to have your membership discount applied to your course purchase. If you were charged the wrong amount, please Contact Us.

Good question! AAAIP’s online courses are interactive learning experiences with activities, knowledge checks, and a certificate at the end. Recordings are replays of past events and webinars.

All the AAAIP courses are built to match the key skills and knowledge areas used in certification. We even label which topics connect with which domain on the Specialist Certification exam, so you can choose what’s most helpful. Whether you’re pursuing certification now or planning ahead, these courses will move you closer to professional recognition in AAI.

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