Abstract: This article discusses a new and promising directions in modern psychotherapy – the animal-assisted therapy. The authors note wide prevalence of application of animal-assisted therapy in the Russian literature; however, all of such work mostly contain brief conclusions and results of implementation of separate approach within the framework of animal-assisted therapy, without critical understanding and determination of advantages and restrictions, rather than a list of the areas of application of animal-assisted therapy and specific methodological approaches aimed at solution of particular tasks. This necessitates conducting methodological and methodical analysis of animal-assisted therapy. The authors set a goal to explore some of the main trends and areas of the use of animal-assisted therapy, highlighting specific methods and techniques of correction and development of the particular mental processes and personality structures. The research methods include the theoretical analysis, generalization and systematization of views and results of the experiments on animal-assisted therapy and the impact of animals on human health, carried out by the Russian and foreign scholars. Within the framework of this study, the authors determine the current main tends of animal-assisted therapy: development and correction of speech (structuring verbal sequence, comparison, reading and literacy), communication skills (shared attention, social pragmatic skills), occupational therapy and life skills, mental health and emotional wellbeing. The authors underlines the importance for continuation of theoretical and methodological analysis of capabilities and limitations of the animal-assisted therapy.

Abstract: The authors of the article discuss a new approach to psychotherapy, animal-assisited therapy. They outline challenges and minuses of animal-assisted therapy as these are described by Russian and foreign psychological literature, these including confusion with definitions, unproved efficiency of the method, unclear and unstructured methodological basis. The authors of the article make an attempt to fill in the aforesaid gaps. The aim of this research is to describe the psychotherapeutic method of animal-assisted therapy (definition, objectives, scope and contraindications), demonstrate potentials of the method as well as risks for Russian psychotherapy and to substantiate conductino principles and requirements. The research methods include theoretical analysis, modelling, generalisation and systematization of views and results of Russian and foreign experiments and experience in animal-assisted therapy. The results of the theoretical analysis are the following: the authors define key characteristics, conduction principles and ways to reduce associated risks as well as contraindications for this type of therapy. They also analyze drawbacks and benefits of using different kinds of animals in the course of animal-assisted therapy as well as the main rules for selection of an animal participating in the therapy.