Age

9–17

Sex

ALL

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

Age between 9 and 17 years
experienced a traumatic event
remembers at least one traumatic event
Suffering from posttraumatic stress symptoms (screened via the CATS-2; cut-off ≥ 21; cut-off must be reached by either participant or caregiver)
Basic knowledge of child and parents in German to be able to understand content of the session and to fill in questionnaires
Informed consent (given by legal guardian for participants younger than 14 years)
Positive or neutral attitude towards animals

Inability to complete questionnaires due to lack of language skills or cognitive impairment
Diagnosed autism spectrum disorder; Exclusion only if interaction with others and group ability is limited due to autism
Reported significant impairment or safety issue (e.g., active suicidal ideation, acute psychosis)
Known abuse of substances used for emotion regulation (e.g. cannabis, alcohol, other hard drugs)
Fear of domestic animals
Allergic reactions to domestic animals
Reported aggressive behavior towards animals in the past

Animal-assisted Trauma-focused Therapy for Children and Adolescents