Getting Started in AAI Course

Getting Started in AAI Course Details

Woman using her laptop to take online Animal Assisted Intervention Courses.

Whether you’re getting started as an AAI practitioner or looking to validate your practice, the animal assisted therapy training course Getting Started in AAI is a great place to begin.

Prepare yourself to design your AAI Program Manual, access tools and download templates such as model informed consent documents, permission slips, and records specific to the therapy animal.  Apply professional skills to your work with a therapy or facility animal, and the strategies needed to find and work with an external therapy animal handlers.

Module 1 – Professional Skills, Knowledge, Attitudes and Standards of Practice

  • Recognize the base-level standards of practice that apply to all interventions.
  • Identify professional competencies required before offering AAI services.
  • Assess your own readiness to partner with a therapy animal in a professional setting.

Module 2 – Documenting AAI: Creating Your Program Manual

  • Identify general documentation needed for professional AAI services.
  • Recognize aspects of liability insurance that must be considered when implementing an animal into professionalized practice.

Module 3 – Implementing the Diamond Model

  • Distinguish between the Triangle and Diamond Models in AAI.
  • Determine when working with a volunteer or paraprofessional team is the best choice.
  • Identify best practices in establishing a partnership with a paraprofessional or volunteer.
Woman using her laptop to take online Animal Assisted Intervention Courses.

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Get the best rate for the Getting Starting in AAI 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.

Courses Other AAI Professionals Took

See the other AAAIP courses that AAI professionals took to prepare themselves for the Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist Certification (C-AAIS) exam.