CERTIFICATION PROCESS
Would you like to enhance your professional practice, growth, learning and wellness through partnering with animals? Then you might be ready to become a certified CCAATA Practitioner!
CCAATA PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS
*Please note that regardless of professional and personal backgrounds, there is a need for specialized training and certification in Animal-Assisted Therapy.
2 DESIGNATIONS:
I. Certified Mental Health Practitioner
Certified Mental Health Practitioners have credentials and experience in the mental health field and minimally have a graduate degree in:
- Counselling
- Social Work
- Occupational Therapy
- Or a similar field from an accredited university (exceptions may be made in certain cases; this will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis).
These individuals must have a license to practice issued by an appropriate governmental agency or an accredited licensing body that has the authority to revoke licenses for ethical or scope-of-practice violations. Prior experience and/or training in the field of Animal-Assisted Therapy is an asset, especially training in animal behaviour and safety.
CREDENTIALING
Masters or PhD (May consider a bachelor’s degree in certain jurisdictions). *Note: Practitioners may pursue trainings with CCAATA concurrently with a Masters of PhD. Completion of the degree is required for full certification.
APPLIED PROFESSIONS
Psychologist, Counsellor, Family Therapist, Social Worker, Occupational Therapist.
EXPERIENCE
2000 hours (May be in the process of accruing hours. Completion is required for full certification).
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP
Required.
PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY INSURANCE
Insurance is mandatory when practicing.
II. Certified Learning Practitioner
Certified Learning Practitioners have credentials and experience in areas such as:
- Education
- Nursing
- Psychiatric Nursing
- Child and Youth Care
- Social Work
- Occupational Therapy
- Speech pathology
- Or a similar field (exceptions may be made in certain cases; this will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis).
Certified Learning Practitioners are members of a professional association, have college or university training in childhood development, and have experience working with children prior to enrolling in the program. Prior experience and training in the field of Animal-Assisted Therapy is an asset, especially training in animal behaviour and safety.
CREDENTIALING
Diploma/Degree *Note: Practitioners may pursue trainings with CCAATA concurrently with a diploma/degree. Completion of the diploma/degree is required for full certification.
APPLIED PROFESSIONS
Teacher, social worker, educational assistant, nurse, child and youth care worker, speech pathologist, psychiatric nurse, life coach (with diploma or bachelors degree with a focus on childhood development), or a related field
EXPERIENCE
2000 hours (May be in the process of accruing hours. Completion is required for full certification).
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP
If applicable.
PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY INSURANCE
Insurance is mandatory when practicing.
CCAATA's 5-Step Certification Process
CCAAT Training
- 138 hours of CCAATA Required Training & Workshops. This includes: Fundamentals Training; Intermediate Training; Advanced Training; remaining hours of Adjunct Coursework or equivalent coursework.
Experience
- 2000 Hours experience in your professional field (hours can be gained concurrently during certification process)
Demonstrated Competencies
- Provide a sample mock session with Child-Centered Animal-Assisted Therapy intervention(s) demonstrated.
- Provide evidence of handling the animal(s) specialized in.
- Display ability to teach animal(s) new behaviors using positive, non-aversive training methods.
Supervised Practice
Minimum of 50 CCAATA sessions
Minimum of 10 hours of one-on-one supervision of the candidate’s ongoing cases. Supervision must be with a CCAATA Qualified Supervisor. Supervision is available in-person or via distance, with the criteria that observation of sessions takes place (via video or in person).
Additional Requirements
- Agreement to abide by CCAATA Code of Ethics.
- Professional or Commercial Liability Insurance.
- Recommendation for certification by your supervisor.
- Current Standard First Aid.
CCAATA Code of Ethics: Principles
A Code of Ethics is used to describe the ethical principles, values, and standards which guide practitioners to provide the highest standards of services to clients. The purpose of the CCAATA Code of Ethics is to assist CCAATA Professionals working with therapy animals within their individual scopes of practice.
CCAATA’s code of ethics aligns with the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists 4th edition. It has 4 principles, in descending order of importance:
*Note: It does not supersede CCAATA Professionals’ existing professional ethical codes
PRINCIPLE I: RESPECT
CCAATA Practitioners may come into contact with many different individuals and groups. In these contacts, CCAATA Practitioners strive to develop and maintain constructive and collaborative relationships while adhering to the concepts of non-discrimination, moral rights, equal worth, and unconditional positive regard.
PRINCIPLE II: SAFETY
This principle is founded on the expectation that activities will benefit participants, or at least, do no harm. Central to this principle is the importance of safety (physical, mental, and emotional) of all participants- this includes all humans and therapy animals.
PRINCIPLE III: RESPONSIBLE CARING
CCAATA Practitioners are responsible for the care (physical, mental, and emotional) of all participants- includes all humans and therapy animals.
PRINCIPLE IV: PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE
CCAATA Practitioners must adhere to their scope of practice and maintain the highest professional standards in all aspects of their work with humans and therapy animals. CCAATA Practitioners must also commit to continuous professional development through ongoing consultation and supervision.
Scope Of Practice
A scope of practice describes the activities and interventions which professionals employ when using therapy animals in their practice. CCAATA offers two levels of certification- Certified Mental Health Practitioner and Certified Learning Practitioner- so professionals can work within their individual domain of knowledge and experience related to clients, animals, and the indoor or outdoor environments in which they work.
CCAAT Practitioners are encouraged to work within their scope of practice, follow the standards of practice outlined by the CCAATA code of ethics, as well as adhere to the code of ethics of their profession.
