Farm-animal work within care farming

Domain XV · Nature, philosophy, social & rites of passage

What it is

Farm-animal work within care farming is not a single psychotherapy. Care farming is described by Social Farms & Gardens as "the therapeutic use of farming practices", giving people "real activity with purpose and meaning", with tasks ranging from sowing seeds to feeding animals, and referrals…

Format

• Phase A: referral and suitability. Goal: decide whether farm-animal work fits the client's goals and whether it is safe for the client and the animals. Covers goals, animal history, fears and phobias, allergies, immune status, pregnancy, any history of animal abuse or unsafe handling, mobility and…
• Phase C: contracting and goals. Goal: an individual plan with measurable goals, roles (therapist, farmer or stockperson, client), information-sharing rules, confidentiality outdoors, weather and travel plans, and what happens after an incident. IAHAIO requires AAT to have measured and documented…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Phase B: choosing and checking the farm. Goal: confirm the provider runs safeguarding, risk assessment, health and safety, staff recruitment, farming activities and evaluation to a recognised standard. Social Farms & Gardens publishes a care-farming Code of Practice covering these areas. Check the animal side against the IAHAIO farm-animal guidelines (veterinary oversight, species-specific welfare and safety…
• Farm-animal work within care farming is not a single psychotherapy. Care farming is described by Social Farms & Gardens as "the therapeutic use of farming practices", giving people "real activity with purpose and meaning", with tasks ranging from sowing seeds to feeding animals, and referrals usually coming from health, social care and education professionals. Animal husbandry (livestock, small animals, poultry) is…
• Core idea of change, as the Norwegian trial authors propose it: mastering graded, real farm tasks builds self-efficacy; contact with animals may lower arousal and anxiety; the animals and the farmer offer social support; and caring for animals gives people who usually receive care a caregiving role. In their trials, frequent complex work (such as milking) was linked to reduced depression and anxiety, and effects…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Avoidance spreading beyond the incident; blaming the animal or self. Working: an informed decision about returning.
• Goals set by the referrer rather than the client; measuring only attendance. Working: goals change as mastery grows.
• Loss reactions to ending; relapse when routine stops. Working: a concrete next step in place before the last session.
• A bad day becoming the norm (review the plan); risk indicators needing assessment. Working: the client keeps coming on bad days.
• Disclosures overheard by others; attention drifting from a large animal. Working: the client raises material naturally and safely.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.