Black, A.Chur-Hansen, A.Winefield, H.2011-10-182011-10-182011Clinical Psychologist, 2011; 15(2):69-771328-42071742-9552http://hdl.handle.net/2440/66899Background: Research on registered psychologists' knowledge of and attitudes toward Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) is virtually nonexistent. Aim: To explore Australian psychologists' knowledge of and attitudes toward AAT. Materials and Methods: This paper presents a thematic analysis of qualitative data collected from 9 psychologists speaking about AAT during individual interviews. Results: The first research question explored psychologists' knowledge of AAT and identified 3 key themes: AAT use across the client lifespan in various health settings; training is inadequate; and efficacy studies are lacking. The second question exploring psychologists' attitudes towards AAT identified further themes: AAT enhances therapeutic relationships; AAT used purposefully or incidentally is effective; and there are barriers to AAT implementation. Conclusion: Whilst AAT is deemed to be a useful intervention by some psychologists, its evidence base and training in such interventions are lacking. © 2011 The Australian Psychological Society.en© 2011 The Australian Psychological Societyanimal-assisted therapyclinical practicequalitative.Journal article002011123810.1111/j.1742-9552.2011.00026.x0002929476000032-s2.0-7996012502628416Chur-Hansen, A. [0000-0002-2935-2689]Winefield, H. [0000-0002-4856-5727]