Animal abuse issues in therapy: A survey of therapists' attitudes.

Animal abuse issues can have implications for therapy as a possible predictor of future violence toward humans, as a diagnostic indicator, and sometimes as a feature of a client's abuse history. The authors used a survey to examine the experiences and attitudes of 174 therapists dealing with animal abuse issues in therapy. The authors found that 28% encountered animal abuse issues in the past 5 years and 87% viewed animal abuse as a mental health issue. Attitudes about changing mandated abuse reporting laws to include animal abuse were assessed. Dilemmas therapists face are discussed and suggestions for addressing animal abuse issues are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)