Animal Therapies Ltd (ATL) is a national health promotion charity that connects those in need with animal-assisted services making a difference to individuals and families Australia-wide. Animal assisted services can help recipients become more self-reliant, able to thrive and improve their life by providing tools to prevent or manage mental illness, disability, disease and suffering. This includes people at risk of, or who are, experiencing mental illness, eye disease, hearing impairment, seizures, asthma, life threatening allergies, diabetes, fluctuating blood pressure, cerebral palsy, autism, post-traumatic stress, episodic or serious medical crises, disability, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis, stroke, spinal cord injury and other physical, neurological or psychological conditions. 
The charitable purpose of ATL is to advance the understanding, acceptance and accessibility of animal-assisted services for those in need. The Animal-Assisted Services Sector is a rapidly growing health support industry that is meeting the many needs of our communities. While room-based treatment options exist for many, low rates of treatment adherence, tolerability and acceptability hinder practitioner’s ability to reduce the devastating impacts associated with mental health conditions.
Moreover, for individuals with complex mental health profiles, such as those who have experienced traumatic events or abuse, traditional talking therapy can be intolerable or distressing. Animal-Assisted Therapy has grown out of this need for improved treatment acceptability.
To find out more about Animal Therapies Ltd, download venue material to use at your venue, or to organise training, visit the ATL’s website: https://www.animaltherapies.org.au/
