The Identification, Assessment, and Treatment of Adults Who Abuse Animals

This book provides step-by-step guidance on how to identify, assess and treat adults who have abused animals. The theoretical framework employed is broad, encompassing cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, attachment, and trauma-based theories. Organized by stages of therapy, the text discusses how to frame the therapy, establish a working relationship, deal with resistance, establishing accountability, clarifying values related to animals, and teaching self-management skills such as empathy, attachment, accommodation, reciprocity and nurturance. Additional materials are included or referenced, including an appendix of cases that illustrate the variety of client presentations and electronic supplementary material demonstrates role-played interviews and a workshop presentation.

• accountability
• animal abuse
• animal hoarding
• animal welfare
• attachment theory
• cognitive behaviorism
• cycle of violence
• empathy
• human-animal relationships
• psychiatric disorders
• self-management

• Animals and Society Institute, Washington Grove, USA

  Kenneth Shapiro

• Department of Psychology, Langara College, Vancouver, Canada

  Antonia J.Z. Henderson

Kenneth K Shapiro earned his BA from Harvard University and his PhD in clinical psychology from Duke University. He is president of the Animals and Society Institute and he is founder and editor of Society and Animals: Journal of Human-Animal Studies; cofounder and coeditor of Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science; and editor of the Human-Animal Studies book series. He also published over 40 refereed articles, book chapters and invited papers. Dr. Shapiro is one of the developers of AniCare and AniCare Child, the only psychological treatment models for animal abusers, and trains therapists throughout the country on the use of these models.

Antonia J.Z. Henderson is a professor of psychology at Langara College in Vancouver, British Columbia, with 20 years teaching experience: specializing in psychology of human & animal relationships and equine behavior. She has an extensive publication record in peer reviewed journals (e.g. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare, Society and Animals, Journal of Family Violence, Journal of Family Psychology, Personal Relationships). 

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