Dr. Angela K. Fournier, Bemidji State University professor of psychology, recently published a book titled “Animal-Assisted Intervention: Thinking Empirically” in which she encourages practitioners and scholars to examine interactions between patients and therapy animals.
In addition to her role at BSU, Fournier is also a licensed psychologist and certified mental-health specialist in equine-assisted psychotherapy. Having developed a conceptual model to organize and explain animal-assisted intervention, Fournier’s book offers insight into understanding and identifying the role of therapy-animals in human-animal interactions and their affect on human health and well-being.
Animal assisted interventions is a broad term that is now commonly used to describe the utilization of various species of animals in diverse manners beneficial to humans. The American Veterinary Medical Association formally recognizes that the human animal bond is important to client and community health.
At Bemidji State, Fournier teaches courses in human-animal interaction, health psychology and research methods.
Contact
- Dr. Angela Fournier, professor of psychology; (218) 755-2530, angela.fournier@bemidjistate.edu
Links
- Bemidji State University Department of Psychology
- Animal-Assisted Intervention
- American Veterinary Medical Association
Bemidji State University, located amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling more than 5,100 students, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and eight graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. The university’s Shared Fundamental Values include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and international and multicultural understanding. For more, visit bemidjistate.edu or find us at BemidjiState on most of your favorite social media networks.
2020-B-131