About
Elizabeth Kjellstrand Hartwig
Founder & Director
The Animal-Assisted Counseling (AAC) Academy officially began in May 2016, yet there were many years of preparation!
Dr. Elizabeth Kjellstrand Hartwig, LMFT-S, LPC-S, RPT-S™, has been passionate about working with animals since as long as she can remember. As a counselor educator and researcher, she specializes in AAC research and instruction. She is the Founder and Director of the Texas State University AAC Academy.
In 2014 Dr. Hartwig was awarded grant funding to conduct a randomized comparison trial on animal-assisted counseling with youth ages 10 to 18. She developed the Human-Animal Resilience Therapy (HART) curriculum for this study and ran the study during the 2014-2015 school year. As part of the HART study, Dr. Hartwig trained 10 practitioners and therapy dogs to provide AAC to youth. The HART study paved the way to develop the AAC Academy, a training program for professionals and graduate students.
Texas State University offers an ideal location for the AAC Academy with large classrooms, clinic space, and AAC supplies to support training practitioners and potential therapy animals. Please check out our website to learn more about the AAC Academy!
AAC Trainers
The AAC Academy is blessed to have highly qualified and experienced trainers to support practitioners in their journey to becoming Certified Animal-Assisted Practitioners. Let us introduce you to our fabulous trainers!
Kim Sullivan
Lead Trainer
Kim Sullivan, MA, LPC-S, RPT-S™, received her BS in Secondary Science Education from the University of Texas at Austin and her MA in Professional Counseling from Texas State University. She and her canine counseling partner Gordon are a Certified Animal-Assisted Counseling Team, working with children, adolescents, teens, and adults through Kim's private practice, Heart and Soul Counseling in Round Rock, Texas. With over 10 years of miniature equine training and volunteering, she is also incorporates her miniature donkey and miniature horse as counseling partners.
Jalen Evans
Co-Trainer, Team Evaluator, & Critter Trainer
Jalen Evans, PhD, LPC, recently earned her doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision from Texas A&M Corpus Christi in Spring 2024. She was a graduate of the 2020 AAC Academy cohort with her therapy rabbit, Loyal. Jalen has authored a book chapter on Animal-Assisted School Counseling Competencies and co-authored an article on AAC training. In addition to being a trainer for the AAC Academy, she is also a Team Evaluator and Critter Team trainer.
AASC Trainers
Kristen Turpin
Kristen is a Professional School Counselor and Licensed Master Social Worker. She has served as a school counselor since 2014 and enjoys bringing her creativity and love of working with children to her role in supporting students' emotional and social well-being. In 2022, Kristen and her therapy dog, Hank, graduated from the Texas State University Animal Assisted Counseling (AAC) Academy feeling equipped and confident to successfully implement a safe and effective AASC program. Hank accompanies her in her work, enriching the therapeutic experience for students and reaching their needs in a way that Kristen finds magical every day.
Amy Blasingame
Amy is a Professional School Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor. She has been a school counselor since 2009 and worked in both elementary and secondary school settings, and as a special education counselor for a school district. In addition to working in schools, she is a contract counselor for a private practice and works with children, adolescents, and adults. In 2022, Amy and her animal partner, Stanley, graduated from the Animal-Assisted Counseling Academy at Texas State University feeling prepared to start an effective AASC program. Stanley partners with Amy in her work, and she loves being able to share an innovative and positive counseling experience with people that enriches their lives!
Animal Trainers
Laura Fennell
Dog Trainer
Laura is a dog trainer in South Austin and the owner of Fuzzy Matters Dog Training and Enrichment. She is professionally certified, holding a CPDT-KA from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. She is also an AKC-approved Canine Good Citizen evaluator, an AKC Fit Dog instructor, and serves as training coordinator for her agility club. Laura's approach to dog training is to lead with empathy and a science-, evidence-based framework to help people improve their relationships with their dogs. Fundamentally, Laura wants to make the world a kinder, happier place through dog training. Laura shares her life with three dogs—Olive, Harper Lee, and Moxzilla Cthulhu (AKA Moxie). She and her border collie Harper are currently exploring canine musical freestyle. Their goal is to develop a dance routine to Uptown Funk.
Cynthia Hodges
Cat Trainer
Cynthia Hodges and her feline partner, Texas Red, were the first cat team to complete the AAC Academy at Texas State University. Cynthia co-developed the Cat Team Evaluation with Dr. Hartwig. She provides training for cat teams that includes clicker training for skills, feline communication, and identifying resources needed for cat partner interventions. In 2023 she co-presented on Cat-Assisted Counseling at the International Society for Anthrozoology Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.
AAC Research
Our goal in the AAC Academy is not only to provide quality AAC instruction, but to move the field forward in evidence-based practice. Dr. Hartwig is an active researcher in the field of AAC. Here is an overview of Dr. Hartwig's publications and national/international presentations:
Publications
Animal-Assisted School Counseling
Dr. Elizabeth Hartwig is the editor of the book Animal-Assisted School Counseling.
Publisher description: "Animal-Assisted School Counseling (AASC) is a hands-on resource that provides invaluable information for school counselors interested in partnering with a therapy animal on campus to help students meet social and emotional goals.
This book presents a wealth of resources for school counselors and school-based mental health practitioners to incorporate animal partners on school campuses with individual students and groups and in classroom and schoolwide settings. Using the American School Counselor Association (ASCA)National Model framework, this book presents AASC interventions that can be implemented as part of the multitiered system of support to address students’ mental health needs. The text also meets the important demand for accountability in school counseling by providing resources for assessing the effectiveness of AASC interventions for meeting student and school outcome goals. Addressing such issues as getting school district buy-in, choosing an animal partner, preparing the school for an animal partner, theoretical applications of AASC, and student-affirming AASC services, the book is organized such that each chapter builds upon the next so school counselors understand what steps to take to become an effective AASC team.
Ideal for the school counselor, social worker, or psychologist who may not have specific training in AASC, this book will encourage school mental health practitioners to seek out training programs to become an AASC team." (Routledge, 2024).
Canine-Assisted Interventions: A Comprehensive Guide to Credentialing Therapy Dog Teams
Dr. Elizabeth Hartwig is co-author with Dr. John-Tyler Binfet of the book Canine-Assisted Interventions: A Comprehensive Guide to Credentialing Therapy Dog Teams.
Publisher description: "Covering principles of therapy dog team training, assessment, skills, and ongoing monitoring, Canine-Assisted Interventions provides guidance on the most evidence-based methods for therapy dog team welfare, training, and assessment.
The authors offer a linear approach to understanding all aspects of the screening, assessment, and selection of dog-handler teams by exploring the journey of dog therapy teams from assessment of canines and handlers to the importance of ongoing monitoring, recredentialing, and retirement. In addition to reviewing key findings within the field of human-animal interactions, each chapter emphasizes skills on both the human and dog ends of the leash and makes recommendations for research-informed best practices. To support readers, the book culminates with checklists and training resources to serve as a quick reference for readers.
This book will be of great interest for practitioners, in-service professionals, and researchers in the fields of canine-assisted interventions and counseling" (Routledge, 2019).
Read More about Pawsitive training: A preliminary investigation of animal-assisted counseling competencies in a university-based training program.
Read More about Are you and your dog competent? Integrating animal-assisted play therapy competencies.
· Jul 15, 2020 Read More about Advancing the practice of animal-assisted counseling through measurable standards
· Oct 10, 2018 Read More about What’s important in canine-assisted intervention teams? An investigation of canine-assisted intervention program online screening tools.
· Jan 15, 2018 Read More about Practitioner perspectives on animal-assisted counseling
· Apr 7, 2017 Read More about Building solutions in youth: Evaluation of the Human-Animal Resilience Therapy intervention
Presentations
Hartwig, E. K., & Trupia, H. (2024, July 13-16). Animal-assisted school counseling [Conference presentation]. American School Counselor Association Conference, Kansas City, MO, United States.
Hartwig, E. K. (2024, June 27-30). You passed! The development of a counseling-focused canine team evaluation. [Conference presentation]. International Society for Anthrozoology Conference, Hartpury, UK.
Hartwig, E. K., Lozo, N., & Blasingame, A. (2024, June 27-30). Solution-focused animal-assisted school counseling [Poster presentation]. International Society for Anthrozoology Conference, Hartpury, UK.
Hartwig, E. K., Moser, T., Pliske, M., & Smith, J. (2023, October 10-15). Partnering with animals in play therapy panel discussion [Conference presentation]. Association for Play Therapy Conference, Palm Springs, CA, United States.
Hartwig, E. K. (2023, June 15-18). Purrfect partners: A deep dive into cat-assisted counseling [Conference presentation]. International Society for Anthrozoology Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Hartwig, E. K. (2023, June 15-18). Pawsitive training: An investigation of animal-assisted counseling competencies in a university-based training program [Poster presentation]. International Society for Anthrozoology Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Montemayor, W. A. & Hartwig, E. K. (2021, December 3). Animal-assisted school counseling. [Invited presentation]. Education Service Center Region 13, Virtual presentation.
Hartwig, E. K. & Montemayor, W. (2020, September). Animal-assisted school counseling: How animal counseling teams can improve student success and wellbeing [Conference presentation]. International Society for Anthrozoology Conference, Online conference based out of Liverpool, UK.
Hartwig, E. K. (2020, September). Promoting client wellness in animal-assisted counseling through measurable standards [Conference presentation]. International Society for Anthrozoology Conference, Online conference based out of Liverpool, UK.
Binfet, J. T., Hartwig, E. K., & Green, F. L. L. (2020, September). Taking off the vest: When should a therapy dog be retired? [Conference presentation]. International Society for Anthrozoology Conference, Online conference based out of Liverpool, UK.
Hartwig, E. K. (2020, February 1). Building resiliency in children through animal-assisted counseling and family play therapy. [Keynote presentation]. Children’s Mental Health Symposium, Tulsa, OK, United States.
Hartwig, E. K. (2019, October). Canine-assisted play therapy with children and teens [Conference presentation]. Association for Play Therapy International Conference, Dallas, TX.
Hartwig, E. K. (2019, June). Animal-assisted play therapy [Invited presentation]. International Play Therapy Study Group, Wroxton, UK.
Hartwig, E. K. (2018, July). There’s a dog in my session: Practitioner perspectives on animal-assisted counseling [Conference presentation]. International Society for Anthrozoology, Sydney, Australia.
Binfet, J. T., Hartwig, E. K., Silas, H., Harris, N., & McKay, C. (2018, July). Therapy canines: Screening and Assessment. Safeguarding well-being and innovative programming [Conference presentation]. International Society for Anthrozoology, Sydney, Australia.
Hartwig, E. K., & Binfet, J. T. (2017, June). Best practices for screening and selection of potential therapy canine teams: Preliminary findings from a systematic review of U.S. and Canadian AAT programs [Poster presentation]. International Society for Anthrozoology, Davis, CA
Hartwig, E. K. (2016, July). Enhancing the evidence base of canine-assisted therapy [Conference presentation]. International Association for Human-Animal Interaction Organizations, Paris, France
Hartwig, E. K. (2015, October). Canine-assisted play therapy: Hope and healing with kids and canines [Conference presentation]. Association for Play Therapy Conference, Atlanta, GA.