Bringing Animal-Assisted Therapy to Pediatric Occupational Therapy

Two years ago, Bresler and her husband relocated to Delaware from New York City. With the added space, the two adopted Simba. Bresler, who holds a master’s degree in occupational therapy from LIU Brooklyn, worked for several years in pediatrics across public and private schools. She rotated through public schools, charter schools, private programs, and pre-K settings, gaining experience with a wide range of student needs.

“I got to see pretty much everything,” she said. “But when I moved I had to find a new job and start from scratch.”

The transition brought a major change in how she practiced. Bresler eventually began working as an occupational therapist for a telehealth service, a role that initially surprised her. “My first question was, how do you do OT online?” Bresler laughed.

Much of the work involved adapting familiar pediatric therapy goals into a virtual format. Sessions often included digital worksheets, typing practice, handwriting activities, and other structured tasks that could be completed remotely. While telehealth differed from the in-person school environments she had been used to, Bresler said it pushed her to think more broadly about how therapy can be delivered and what helps children stay engaged.

At the same time, she was considering the next step in her professional training. Bresler had long been interested in earning her doctorate. “Even when I was in my master’s program, I knew I wanted the terminal degree,” she said.

She enrolled in Touro’s post-professional OTD program in Fall 2023 and completed it in December 2025. “Touro was very welcoming,” she said. As part of the program, Bresler developed a capstone project that combined her pediatric background with a specialty area she had only recently begun exploring: animal-assisted therapy.

Her capstone project, Therapaws, focused on the role therapy animals can play in pediatric occupational therapy settings, and on the need for greater education around the practice. “Animal-assisted therapy is a specialized area of practice that may not be focused on in OT curricula,” Bresler said. “People aren’t really informed about the roles animals can have in therapy.”

Bresler began researching animal-assisted therapy after hearing about it more frequently in professional circles. At first, she found limited literature, but as she continued developing her project, she saw growing evidence supporting its effectiveness. While much of the research has traditionally focused on geriatrics, Bresler chose to concentrate on pediatrics, where she believed the approach could offer unique benefits.

She noted that animal-assisted therapy has been associated with improvements in attention to task, increased motivation, and opportunities for children to build empathy and social-emotional skills. Therapy animals can also be incorporated into fine motor activities and daily living skill development in ways that feel natural and engaging for pediatric clients. “I thought to myself that if I was a child in therapy, being able to play with a friendly animal would make me want to go to therapy,” Bresler said. “It’s unconventional and fun and it has real benefits.”

For Bresler, however, the project was not about encouraging clinicians to bring animals into practice casually. Instead, Therapaws was designed as an educational initiative for occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists.

Her goal was to increase awareness of the fundamentals of animal-assisted therapy, including both its potential benefits and the responsibilities that come with it.

“At the end of the day, you’re bringing an animal into a treatment setting,” she said. “There are things to be careful about.”

Bresler emphasized that therapy animals are not the same as household pets, and that clinicians cannot simply bring their personal dog into a session. Both the animal and handler must go through formal evaluation and training, and the animal must meet vaccination and behavioral requirements. Liability, insurance, and institutional policies also play a significant role, particularly in school settings where administrators may be hesitant.

“It’s a liability issue,” Bresler said. “It does get a little hairy.”

Therapaws addressed distinctions that are often misunderstood, including the differences between therapy animals, service animals, emotional support animals, and pets. Bresler also presented risk-mitigation strategies and ethical considerations, emphasizing that animal-assisted therapy must be implemented carefully.

“Not every dog is made for this,” she said. “That’s why it’s important to go through an evaluation process.”

Bresler delivered her capstone project virtually through two interactive sessions, each lasting 45 minutes. The Zoom format allowed clinicians to attend from different locations and made scheduling more flexible, with sessions held during lunchtime. Participants completed pre- and post-evaluations, and Bresler used multiple measures to assess changes in knowledge and understanding.

“I wanted it to be engaging,” she said. “I wanted people to be able to visualize what an animal-assisted session might actually look like.”

The results showed improvement across measures, reinforcing Bresler’s belief that education is a key missing piece in the field. While animal-assisted therapy is supported by evidence, she said many clinicians lack access to clear guidance on training pathways, certification options, and best practices.

Looking ahead, Bresler hopes to expand Therapaws into a program that can be shared with occupational therapy schools, giving students earlier exposure to an approach she did not encounter during her own training. She emphasized that animal-assisted therapy is a two-way street and must benefit both the client and the animal. “It’s not for every dog,” she said, “but the ones who are suited for it genuinely enjoy the interaction.”