Animal-assisted therapy had its large breakthrough in the 1960-ties when a psychiatrist named Boris Levinson discovered the great advantages of involving animals in the treatment of patients. Therapy with animals involves that animals are used in a systematic way, in a person's process of treatment. The most distinguished companion animal used within this area is the dog, but horses, cats, rabbits, birds, dolphins and the most common farm animals are used in animal-assisted therapy. Most animals that are to be used for this specific purpose need to be trained in order to maintain their physical and mental health, but also to minimize the risks for the people that are involved. Most studies within this research area are focused on the positive effects on the patients and less on the effects on the animals.

Historically, the horse has in many ways been important to human beings. Today, Equine Assisted Therapy is a form of treatment in which the horse is used as a tool from the treatment of the client. Supported Equine therapy has a therapeutic purpose and may vary depending on the patient's needs and the professionals work competence. Various studies show that animals have a positive impact on people. The aim of our study was to explore how Equine Assisted Therapy is used within the practical fields of social work in Sweden.

Aim: The aim is to create a review that examines different forms of massage therapy and their effects on hypertension.Method: Literature review of 10 scientific articles on the subject of massage and its effects on blood pressure. The literature searches were made with PubMed and Cinahl using the keywords "massage therapy", "effects" and "blood pressure".Results: The articles showed that massage had a positive effect in lowering blood pressure. This could be explained by greater extent of relaxation in the participants investigated and an increased activity of parasympaticus and reduced secretion of stress hormones. The articles do not agree on what form of massage therapy is most effective in lowering blood pressure and it is uncertain for how long the effect can remain.Conclusion: Massage is usually seen as a treatment without scientific basis. There is evidence that suggests that massage therapy is an effective treatment for lowering blood pressure.

Insufficient intake of vegetables is a reason for micronutrient deficiencies and malnutrition in developing countries. With urbanization, globalization and a growing world population it is of major importance to secure sufficient food supply for the world?s population. Part of the solution to increased food security among the world?s poor could be the introduction of vegetable home gardens, plots for small scale vegetable production which can provide households with sufficient vegetables as well as serve as an extra income source. The study Improving peri-urban home gardens aims at examining the existence of vegetable home gardens in the peri-urban areas of Hyderabad, India.

The study examines the meaning of having a dog in the workplace of personnel who work with therapy. The purpose was to examine the personnel?s view of dogs in their work envi-ronment. The study uses two theories. One is ?psychosocial work environment? and the other theory used is ?symbolic interactionism?.

AimThe aim of the present study was to study possible evidence for shock wave therapy on pain and function in patients with plantar fasciitis.Questions1. Does shock wave therapy reduce pain in patients with plantar fasciitis?2. Does shock wave therapy improve function in patients with plantar fasciitis?MethodA systematic review of the literature was performed in the databases PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane and Cinahl.

This paper is intended to provide a picture of which associations water can wake in the human mind from the perspectives of garden history as well as from that of environmental psychology. I hope to paint a fairly broad picture of our perception of water that can serve as a basis for discussion and as a starting point for different forms of design work in landscape architecture. The historical perspective emphasizes the importance of water as a condition for the emergence of gardens and in a wider perspective the importance of water in early cultures. Also, I describe a picture of how water has been used throughout the history of gardens from early Egypt to the baroque era. The garden history analyzed from an art historical perspective gives a picture of human associations to water, and the history behind these associations is presented. As a compliment to the art history approach, I have chosen to highlight our associations with water from the perspectives of environmental psychology and evolutionary science.

Within psychodynamic therapy the concept of countertransference is considered as valuable to understand the therapy process. Much of the research has focused on countertransference as dependent to therapy outcome (Hayes, Gelso & Hummel, 2011) and less of the research has been dedicated to trainees view on the concept. The object off this study was to examine how trainees define, identify and use countertransference. The study takes a qualitative approach and phenomenological perception of knowledge. Eight trainees has been interviewed and the interviews has been analysed with thematic analysis.

This paper is intended to provide a picture of which associations water can wake in the human mind from the perspectives of garden history as well as from that of environmental psychology. I hope to paint a fairly broad picture of our perception of water that can serve as a basis for discussion and as a starting point for different forms of design work in landscape architecture. The historical perspective emphasizes the importance of water as a condition for the emergence of gardens and in a wider perspective the importance of water in early cultures. Also, I describe a picture of how water has been used throughout the history of gardens from early Egypt to the baroque era. The garden history analyzed from an art historical perspective gives a picture of human associations to water, and the history behind these associations is presented. As a compliment to the art history approach, I have chosen to highlight our associations with water from the perspectives of environmental psychology and evolutionary science.

Compassion Focused Therapy är en integrativ transdiagnostisk behandlingsform som syftar till att öka self-compassion och minska skam och självkritik hos individer med psykisk ohälsa. Skam och självkritik har i hög grad identifierats hos personer med ätstörningar, som också ofta anses svårbehandlade. Denna studie syftade till att undersöka huruvida CFT kan vara ett behandlingsalternativ vid ätstörningar. En single-subject design med upprepade mätningar användes (n=5). Studien visade på tvetydiga resultat men indikerar att en del individer kan vara hjälpta av denna behandling.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects ofparticipation in an integrated intensive stuttering program (IST) on stutteringbehavior, intelligibility and communication attitude, at individual and grouplevels. Five children aged eight to twelve years participated in the study.Stuttering behavior and intelligibility were judged by two independentstudents in speech and language pathology based on a total of eight videorecordings, before, during and after therapy. Communication attitude wasmeasured by the Swedish version of the self-report questionnaireCommunication Attitude Test (CAT-S). At an individual level, the initialstuttering profile and the changes shown during and after the IST varied. Ata group level, a significant decrease in stuttering frequency and asignificantly higher level of intelligibility were found, after as compared tobefore therapy.

Background: Pet therapy has existed as a concept since 1964 when the American child psychologist Boris Levinson coined the term. Nowadays Animal Assisted Activity (AAA) and Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) are both recognized concepts, and with progressed research the science of pet therapy increases.Purpose: To summate the most recent science in pet therapy (therapy dog) research with focus on physical, psychical, and social effects.Methods: Literature study/review with descriptive design, research on 21 articles published from year 2003 and onward. Articles used in the study were chosen through beforehand decided criteria, subject to quality rating, and summated in an overview. The main results were summated and presented in similarities and differences.Results: The main result of the summation was that important results could be measured in each of the three fields of research. Physical/physiological effects: pain relief, differentiated results on vital signs, and increased activity.

The aim of this study was, that from a view of professional's understand the meanings of including horses in therapy. In order to achieve the aim of the study, qualitative method was used and therewith interviews was performed with professionals who work with equine- assisted therapy. The professionals did also have an education which allowed them to independently treat clients and besides that at least five years of experience of equine- assisted therapy. The issues of the study was to understand the professionals? view of the horses role in equine-assisted therapy, which opportunities and constraints professionals consider that equine-assisted therapy entails and also if the horse could bring something unique to therapy.

Musikalisk prestationsångest (MPA) är ett vanligt förekommande problem bland musiker och kan i vissa fall omöjliggöra en karriär som musiker. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att utvärdera en 5 sessioners behandling med Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) för MPA. Resultatet är lovande, 7 av 8 deltagare fullföljde behandlingen och flera deltagare fick förbättringar på såväl ACT-relaterade mått som på mått för MPA. Resultatet motiverar vidare forskning om ACT för MPA..

The report aims to show how outdoor environments have been shaped with the purpose of experiencing them from the inside of buildings, through an overview perspective. Two Danish gardens are used as examples. One is the Baroque garden in the garden of Frederiksborg castle in Hillerød. The Baroque garden is thus a part of a larger garden. The second garden is the Charlotte Garden, a relatively newly constructed garden within a housing complex in Østerbro in Copenhagen. Both gardens are analyzed on the basis of visual expression and structure. In the report, it is also discussed how the contemporary society have evoked the different ways of shaping the gardens.