Upcoming Events
AAAIP hosts two different kinds of events throughout the year: mentoring circles and mini-conferences. All events are free to AAAIP members. Mini-conferences are open to the public at a registration fee.
Mentoring Circles: Join expert guest speakers for a short presentation on the designated topic followed by a discussion between the expert and AAAIP members with corresponding questions on the topic. Members can find sign-up links in the AAAIP Member Newsletter*
Mini-Conferences: These 2-3 hour sessions feature several expert speakers presenting on FAQs and best practices
*Note that the topics covered on this calendar are subject to change based on ongoing member feedback.
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April 17th
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Mentoring Circle: AAI in Schools (AAAIP members only) |
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7:00-8:00 pm Eastern, 4:00-5:00 pm Pacific
Access: Free to AAAIP members, closed to the public
Registration link available in the online community.
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April 24th
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Mini Conference: Therapy and Facility Dog Programming in Medical Settings: Implementing Best Practices and Navigating Roadblocks |
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3:00-5:30 pm Eastern, 12:00-2:30 pm Pacific
Speakers: Cathy Bennett, Whitney Romine, Andrew PK Bentley, Diane Pekarek, Gina Fisher Caldwell, Russ Weinberg, Taylor Chastain Griffin, & Annie Peters
Audience: therapy animal program coordinators, child life specialists, facility animal handlers, and professionals partnering with therapy and/or facility animals in medical settings.
Access: $29 registration OR free to AAAIP members
Learn more and register.
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| May 2nd |
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Mentoring Circle: Less Common Species in AAI (AAAIP members only) |
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7:00-8:00 pm Eastern, 4:00-5:00 pm Pacific
Speakers: Niki Vettel (guinea pigs) & Joey Lusvardi (cats)
Description: Animals like dogs and equines are most commonly incorporated into animal-assisted interventions, but there are other species with much to offer to your clients! Hear from two subject matter experts to learn about their journeys partnering with cats and guinea pigs. Bring your questions about the impact of these less common species and about how you too could work towards partnering with them in your practice.
Access: Free to AAAIP members, closed to the public
Registration link available in the online community.
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| May 14th |
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7:00-8:00 pm Eastern, 4:00-5:00 pm Pacific
Speaker: Mary Margaret Callahan, Director of Education, Standards, and Certification, AAAIP
Description: Are you interested in obtaining your title as an Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist? What is the importance of this designation, and how do you know if you are ready to sit for the online proctored exam? Join AAAIP’s Director of Education, Standards, and Certification to learn more about the certification exam and how you can take steps towards earning your credential today.
Access: Free to AAAIP members, closed to the public
Registration link available in the online community.
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May 30th
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Mentoring Circle: Facility Animals and AAI in Medical Settings |
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7:00-8:00 pm Eastern, 4:00-5:00 pm Pacific
Speakers: Cathy Bennett, Whitney Romine, Andrew PK Bentley, Diane Pekarek, & Russ Weinberg
Description: Following April’s Mini-Conference on AAI in Medical Settings, we’re bringing back our event speakers to answer any questions you might have about AAI programming in medical facilities in your community. Learn more about each of these professionals work and bring your questions for a discussion about best practices in this space.
Access: Free to AAAIP members, closed to the public
Registration link available in the online community.
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| June 4th |
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Mentoring Circle: Mitigating and Preparing for Incidents in AAI (AAAIP members only) |
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7:00-8:00 pm Eastern, 4:00-5:00 pm Pacific
Speakers: Mary Margaret Callahan, Director of Education, Standards, and Certification, AAAIP & Taylor Chastain Griffin, PhD, Executive Director, AAAIP
Access: Free to AAAIP members, closed to the public
Registration link available in the online community.
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| June 19th |
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Publishing your Work in the AAI Space |
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7:00-8:00 pm Eastern, 4:00-5:00 pm Pacific
Speaker: Silvia Mesa
Description: Are you interested in publishing resources related to your work with therapy animals. AAAIP member and author Silvia Mesa will be joining us to tell us about her journey towards publishing her book “Walking with Prada”. Bring your questions for this conversational discussion empowering all members to elevate our collective advocacy for the field.
Access: Free to AAAIP members, closed to the public
Registration link available in the online community.
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June 24th
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Preventing Burnout for Therapy/Facility Animals and the Provider |
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7:00-8:00 pm Eastern, 4:00-5:00 pm Pacific
Speaker: Colleen Pelar
Description: Our roles as helpers and educators can be emotionally taxing to us as providers, and our animal partners can also experience similar levels of burnout. This conversation with acclaimed dog trainer Colleen Pelar will dive into behavior plans and strategies that we can incorporate to promote true thriving for all involved in AAI.
Access: $19 registration OR free to AAAIP members
Register
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| July 16th |
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Get the Zoomies: Applying Findings from Therapy Animal Research to Practice |
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7:00-8:00 pm Eastern, 4:00-5:00 pm Pacific
Speakers:
Description: Are you prepared to integrate recent research findings into your practice with therapy animals? We can help! Mental health counselors Dr. Leslie Stewart and Amber Bach-Gorman are both therapy animal experts who are engaged in empirical literature in the field. This fun discussion will explore how research findings impact their professional work with practical suggestions for other providers partnered with therapy/facility animals.
Access: $19 registration OR free to AAAIP members
Register
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August:
date TBD
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Mini-Conference: Professional Competencies when Partnering with Therapy Animals ($29 registration fee OR free to AAAIP members) |
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September:
date TBD
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Mentoring Circle: Professional Competencies in AAI (AAAIP members only) |
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October:
date TBD
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Mini-Conference: Best Practices in Assessing Professional Therapy Animal Teams ($29 registration fee OR free to AAAIP members) |
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November:
date TBD
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Mentoring Circle: Assessing Therapy Animal Teams |
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December:
date TBD
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Mentoring Circle: End-of-Year AAI Assessments |
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Recorded Events
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Recordings of past AAAIP events are made available at a discounted price or at no cost to AAAIP members. Recordings are available to non-members for purchase.
Sessions from the 2023 Theory and Practice Conference are available for purchase in the following bundles. Visit the AAAIP Learning Management System and click on Purchase.
- AAI with Special Populations: 3 recorded sessions on AAI in medical, collegiate, and correctional settings.
- Applied Tools for AAI Practice: 5 recorded sessions that address AAI program development.
- Researching AAI: 2 recorded sessions available focused on researching AAI.
- Individual Sessions on Specific Species:
- Equine AAI Practitioner Responsibilities
- Counseling Kids with Critters
- Cat Training 101
Learn more about these sessions.
AAAIP Mini Conferences:
Mini Conference recordings are available to AAAIP members at no cost. Non-members can access the recordings for $29 each. Visit the AAAIP Learning Management System and click on Purchase.
Visit our YouTube page or Facebook page to view recordings of AAAIP Facebook Live Events.
Mentoring Circle event recordings are available in the online community.
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Event Questions
For questions about AAAIP events, please contact AAAIP.
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