22. Companion Animals

‘Timmy was never in the well. Yet, the phrase “Lassie! Timmy’s in the well,” inspired by a 60-yearold television show, lives on.’ With a foreword by Patricia McConnell, author of The Other End of the Leash, APA is very excited to publish a brand-new book on Companion Animals. In this 22nd episode of Psychiatry Unbound, Nancy R. Gee, Ph.D., editor of The Role of Companion Animals in the Treatment of Mental Disorders sits down with Dr. Laura Roberts to go between the covers of this fabulous book -a passion project for Nancy and the contributors- which examines the therapeutic bond between humans and animals. Gee also discusses her work at the Centre for Human Animal Interaction at VCU.

In this episode:

Introduction (1:00) Dr. Gee reflects on the book’s creation (1:52) Pookie the dog’s influence on APA editorial policy (2:50) What’s it like to be surrounded by psychiatrists? (3:11) Therapy dogs (5:09) Partnering with animals in the context of mental health (8:00) The role of aquariums in boosting the caloric intake of seniors (10:40) Dr. Gee’s background in psychology (13:10) Intended take-aways from the book (15:40) End credits (18:28) Show Notes and Resources:The Role of Companion Animals in the Treatment of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association Publishing) 2023 Learn more about Nancy R. Gee, Ph.D. Transcript and further episodes: https://psychiatryonline.org/psychiatry-unbound