AAC Academy Application

Thank you for your interest in the AAC Academy!

This application covers information about you, your professional experience, your interest in animal-assisted counseling, and your animal partner. Many of the questions have required responses (marked with an *) so that we can learn more about you and your interest in AAC. Please plan on at least 30 to 45 minutes to complete this application. You will need the following items to complete this application:

Photo of you and your animal partner (both of you must be in this photo; please do not include other animals or people)
Professional liability insurance (for the practitioner; what you currently use for work/private practice)
Letter of consent, if your animal partner belongs to someone else
Rabies certificate (for dog or cat teams)
Canine Good Citizen Certificate (if you have completed it)

Contact Information

First Name *

Last Name *

What are the letters after your name, if any? (e.g., MA, LPC-S, RPT)

E-mail Address *

Phone Number (with area code) *

Street Address *

City *

State *

Zip Code *

Professional Experience

AAC Academy participants learn to integrate AAC skills with clinical skills in working with children, teens, and families. Admission to the AAC Academy requires the participant to be a current graduate student or hold a master's degree in a social services field. Indicate graduate status or the highest degree you have obtained. *

Indicate the field in which you are studying or obtained your highest degree. *

Counseling

Marriage and family therapy

Psychology/School psychology

School Counseling

Social work

Other

If you chose Other, please describe.

What graduate program (i.e., college or university) did you attend for your degree? *

Are you a current student in the Texas State University Professional Counseling Program? *

If Yes, select your program track:

Certifications or credentials currently held: (check all that apply) *

No certification or credential

Certified School Counselor

EMDR Certified Therapist

ATR - Registered Art Therapist

RPT - Registered Play Therapist

Other

If you chose Other, please describe.

Describe your professional work experience within the past 5-10 years (e.g., What you do for a living? This is not limited to experience working with animals.). *

The AAC Academy involves learning to utilize AAC skills with children, teens, adults, and family members. Describe your experience in working with clients and their families. *

AAC and Animal-Related Information

How did you learn about the AAC Academy? *

Did you participate in an online AAC Academy Interest Meeting? *

If you did participate in an Interest Meeting, how did this impact your decision to apply to the AAC Academy?

What are your goals for enrolling in the AAC Academy? (e.g., how will it help you in your professional work) *

If you get accepted to program, are you prepared to register and pay for the trainings in May? *

See the Schedule and Rates page for early bird, student, and regular payment due dates.

How will you pay for the AAC Academy? (e.g., pay yourself, school district will pay, split cost with agency) *

If another party is helping to pay, make sure they are aware of the payment due dates.

The AAC Academy involves a commitment to participating in all three trainings on the dates listed in the Schedule on the AAC Academy website. How do you plan to commit to completing these trainings on the scheduled dates? *

The Intro to AAC training is offered in a virtual format, but the other two trainings, Intermediate Methods in AAC and Practicum in AAC, are in-person trainings. If you live outside of Texas or farther than the Austin/San Antonio area, how do you plan to attend the two in-person trainings with your animal partner? (Put N/A if not applicable.) *

The AAC Academy offers an Animal-Assisted Play Therapy (AAPT) track for practitioners interested in learning how to partner with an animal in play therapy with children. Would you like to participate in the AAPT track? *

The AAC Academy offers an Animal-Assisted School Counseling (AASC) track for school-based mental health practitioners interested in partnering with an animal in a school setting. Would you like to participate in the AASC track? *

Do you have any access requirements you would like us to be aware of? *

Your response will help us to provide any reasonable accommodations needed.

One important component of the AAC supervision process is having a work site that allows you to provide AAC services. Do you have a work site (e.g., practice, agency, school) that allows you to offer AAC services with an animal partner? If not, how do you plan to get a work site and/or approval to offer AAC services. Please describe. *

Share your experience working with animals and any animal-related volunteer activities in which you have participated. Include all the pets you've had and any species with which you've worked. *

Describe any negative experiences you have had with animals. How did you handle these experiences and what would you have done differently, if given the chance? *

What do you hope to contribute to the field of animal-assisted counseling? *

Animal Partner Information

You will need an animal partner to complete the AAC Academy. This section will cover information about your animal partner.

Animal Name: *

Species (e.g., dog, cat, hedgehog) - currently the AAC Academy is limited to dogs and small animals *

Breed (e.g., golden retriever, domestic shorthair) *

Attach a photo of you and your animal partner. This photo must include both you and your animal partner and no other animals or people. If accepted into the AAC Academy, this photo will be used to introduce and welcome the new cohort. By providing this picture, you are giving the AAC Academy permission to use this photo. *

How old is your animal partner? *

Canines should be 1 year old by July (the Intermediate Methods in AAC dates).

How long have you known your animal? *

Does your animal belong to you or someone else? *

If your animal belongs to someone else, please upload a letter of consent from that person allowing you to work with their animal.

Animal Health

Veterinarian Name and Contact Info

Is your animal up to date on all vaccines and veterinary exams? *

Upload rabies certificate for dogs and cats (for small animals upload other shot/veterinary records) *

Describe any health issues your animal may have and what you are doing to address this. (Put N/A if this is not applicable.) *

Fit for AAC Work

Therapy animals need special skills to work in clinical settings in close contact with people and around other counseling and service animals. Complete this information about your animal so we can assess suitability for AAC work. Some of these skills can be trained and others cannot. Be as honest as possible so that the AAC Director and trainers can provide the best support to you and your animal.

A prerequisite for the AAC Academy is for practitioners with dogs to have passed the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) evaluation. Have you and your dog earned a CGC certificate? *

Upload a copy of your Canine Good Citizen Certificate.

If you haven't completed the CGC, how do you plan to complete this by May?

Is your animal partner a Service Animal or Emotional Support Animal? *

The AAC Academy does not train service animals or ESAs for AAC work.

What is your animal's favorite game or activity? *

How does your animal respond behaviorally to meeting and being pet by new people? *

How does your animal respond behaviorally to unfamiliar children, men, people with hats, and people with assistive equipment, such as canes or wheelchairs? (respond for each situation) *

How does your animal respond behaviorally to activity and noise, such as a child playing a harmonica? *

How does your animal respond to unfamiliar dogs who keep to themselves and appear to mind their own business? *

How does your animal respond to other dogs who are barking, excited, or even aggressive? *

Select the types of training methods you have previously used with your animal. (Select all that apply) *

Agility training

Alpha dog or dominance training

Basic obedience training

Clicker training

Electronic training (with an e-collar or shock collar)

Mirror training

Positive reinforcement

Service dog training

Other training

If you selected Other training, please describe.

Describe a situation/situations when your animal has shown signs of aggression toward a person or another animal. Also describe how you handled this situation. (Put N/A if this is not applicable.) *

Describe if your animal has ever injured or killed another companion animal. (Put N/A if this is not applicable.) *

What signals does your animal use to indicate stress? *

How do you respond when your animal is stressed? *

How do you discipline, correct, or redirect your animal's undesirable behavior? *

What is your favorite thing that your animal does? *

Why do you think your animal would make a great counseling partner? *

Is there anything else you would like us to know about you or your animal? *

If you happen to see this, do not fill this field.