ABSTRACT

Nature-based interventions that incorporate animals and the natural environment in therapeutic settings are increasingly common. However, there is a gap in understanding the intervention qualities that may facilitate treatment goals. To help answer this question, we analyzed interviews of 78 staff members at a residential and day treatment school that is an established leader in nature-based interventions. When reflecting on interventions, staff highlighted qualities such as delayed or immediate gratification, sense of safety or fear, and grounding or stimulation. Interventions were often described as offering qualities which could support more than one treatment goal. For example, a dog might provide immediate gratification by approaching a quietly seated student, or their presence could help a student feel safer in therapy. Each quality also displayed a subjective component: while one student might find time with horses grounding, another could benefit from the opportunity to manage the stimulation experienced by the horse’s smells and sounds. Further research into understanding qualities of nature-based interventions and how practitioners might elicit them from a variety of intervention types is warranted.

摘要

将动物和自然环境纳入治疗环境的基于自然的干预措施越来越普遍。然而，在理解可能促进治疗目标的干预质量方面存在差距。为了帮助回答这个问题，我们分析了对寄宿和日间治疗学校 78 名工作人员的访谈，该学校是基于自然的干预措施的公认领导者。在反思干预措施时，工作人员强调了诸如延迟或即时满足、安全感或恐惧感以及扎根或刺激等品质。干预措施通常被描述为提供可以支持多个治疗目标的品质。例如，一只狗可能会通过接近安静坐着的学生来提供即时满足，或者它们的存在可以帮助学生在治疗中感到更安全。每种品质还显示出一个主观成分：虽然一名学生可能会花时间与马匹接触，但另一名学生可能会受益于管理马匹气味和声音所带来的刺激的机会。有必要进一步研究了解基于自然的干预措施的质量以及从业者如何从各种干预类型中引出这些质量。