Certification in Animal Assisted Interventions

Why Get Certified?

At Dreamcatcher™ Animal Assisted Wellness Academy, we have been educating people from around the world to the highest standards in Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) for more than a decade. There is no other helping medium quite like working with animals. In order to ensure these AAI programs are safe, ethical and effective, it is vital that professionals hoping to work with animals within their scope of practice first gain the necessary knowledge and skill.
Including a sentient being of an entirely different species within your work with people can be exhilarating, heartwarming, joyful and effective but without enough preparation for both the professional and the animal it can become frustrating, overwhelming, confusing and even dangerous.
At Dreamcatcher™ Animal Assisted Wellness Academy, we have worked extensively to offer the most in-depth and comprehensive education and certification in Canada. If you are in a helping profession, have a passion for animals and would like to explore how you can partner with an animal safely and effectively within your scope of practice, we have a program tailored to your needs.
Lakeland College also offers a college accredited certificate in Animal Assisted Wellness, for people who already hold at least a college level education in a helping profession. The certificate program was created in partnership with Dreamcatcher™ Animal Assisted Wellness Academy. Certain trainings taken at Dreamcatcher™ previously, may count as credits towards the certificate through Lakeland (contact us for more details about this). ​​
Students will take the course that fits their profession or scope of practice:
  • Animal Handler
    • For people with no formal education in a helping profession
  • Animal Assisted Wellness Practitioner
    • For people with a diploma or an undergraduate degree in a helping profession or master’s degree that is not ‘therapist’ specific
  • Animal Assisted Educator
    • For people who are educators, teacher’s aides, instructors by profession
  • Animal Assisted Therapist
    • For people with a master’s degree and designation “therapist”
Choose the species you wish to work with:
  • Equines – Dreamcatcher™ encourages all people wanting to certify to work with full-sized equines to contact EFW Canada​
​Special Notice
Dreamcatcher™ does not provide animal assisted services training to anyone who will be:
  • Practicing Animal Assisted Interventions in a farm animal setting within a 50km radius of the Dreamcatcher™ facility
  • Practicing equine facilitated work in the same manner as Dreamcatcher™ within a 50 km radius of Dreamcatcher™.
​This includes but is not limited to: individual therapy, group therapy, skill building, team building, specialized camps and retreats, teaching and training, field trips and other services that are specific to Animal Assisted Services.