SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT

The PAT project involves seven organisations sharing knowledge about the application of pet assisted therapy as a behavioral intervention with people with diverse needs and disabilities.  The learning partnership aims at the transnational exchange of experiences and tools developed in each partner country related to support and help for people in need through the use of pets and to support therapist as assistant. All partners use animals for therapeutic intervention to support people with disabilities or special needs and their families. Animals are a tool in the structured behavioral therapy we provide (and can act as a reinforcing stimulus of a particular skill or action).  We will share our knowledge and improve our practices based on what we learn from each other.
Learners will be involved in planning and delivering the project at all stages. The participants in the project activities will be will people older than 16 years. The project will bring benefits to people with special needs who are in need of an affective support making them feel active again in the society, less alone and isolated and make them feel active citizens. The project aims also at making the community aware of the issue of Animal Assisted Activities, so we will produce a training design on this matter. The partnership will organise transnational meetings, seminars with experts of the Third Sector and associations specialised in AAA - Animal Assisted Activities and AAT - Animal Assisted Therapies, visits to institutions and organisations dealing with the issue, in the partner countries. People with special needs will attend the transnational meetings. During the process, we´ll produce a handbook about the AAT as methodology, and a film about the AAT in Europe.