Webinars
Join us for our monthly webinar series in which we hear presentations from leading experts in animal behaviour, human-animal interaction, and animal-assisted services!
Webinars are FREE to SCAS members and £5 plus booking fee to non-members. Please see our event page to register and book your tickets.
Abstract
In my presentation, I first of all describe the need for a medium as a mechanism in psychotherapy, and then describe how a medium advances the therapy process in order to reach the goals of the therapy. The presentation then focuses on animals as a unique medium in psychotherapy. I describe various features of the animals that provide unique opportunities for the advancement of the therapy process, helping clients connect with their inner world, express and work through the content that arises, and thus leading to insight and change
Speaker
Nancy Parish Plass
I have an MA in Social Work, specializing in clinical work with children and youth, and studied in a program in advanced psychotherapy. I have worked in the field of animal-assisted psychotherapy for 19 years with children taken out of the home due to extreme maltreatment, as well as with children in an elementary school and in my private clinic. I am currently running two research projects: 1) Types of psychotherapy and mechanisms that help children make first-time self-disclosures to their therapist about maltreatment, and 2) The effects of interactions with animals, for soldiers and hostages, during war situations. I am currently on the advisory committee for the Israeli governmental Council for Higher Education, with the goal of establishing an MA program in Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy.
Coming up next
August summer break
Details of September Webinar coming soon
2026 Webinars
Dr Ross Barker | Pet-Inclusive Housing, Michelson Found Animals
Dr Steve Dale | A new approach to managing dog bites
Dr Emily Bray | Puppy development of behaviour & cognition
Clare Thomas-Pino | Applying the SCAS Code of Practice
More information on speakers, topics, and dates for 2026 webinars coming soon
Past Webinars
Missed these or any of our past webinars?
The recordings are available to purchase for £5.
Contact us for details at info@scas.org.uk
Dr. Emily Kieson | Wild horses in Scotland and Nepal
Wed 3rd June 2026:
`Dr. Carol Tinga | Companion Rabbits: Scientific Insights into Behaviour, Welfare, and the Owner–Rabbit Relations
Wed 6th May 2026.
Dr. Sandra McCune | Reflections on pioneering HAI research: An interview with James Serpell.
Wed 8th April, 202:6 Free to view.
Dr Helen Tedds | Caring for the Unconventional: Exotic Pets, Policy, and Welfare Vulnerability.
Wed 4th March 2026.
Kris Hill & Clare Thomas-Pino| SCAS-Funded Research: Past, Present, and Future.
Wed 4th Feb 2026: Free to view.
Ana Catarina Vieira de Castro | What’s in it for the dogs? Assessing the outcomes of a prison-based dog training program from an animal behavior and welfare perspective.
Wed 14th Jan 2026
Anita Franklin | Unhousing the Norm: Disability, Pets, and the Politics of Home.
Wed 3rd Dec 2025.
Dr Roxanne Hawkins | The Complex Interplay between the Human-Animal Bond, Perinatal Mental Health, and Companion Animal Welfare
Wed 12th Nov. 2025.
Professor James A. Serpell | Ethology by Proxy: Using Citizen Science to Study Dog Behaviour
Wed 24th Sept 2025.
Phil Arkow | The ‘Dark Side’ of the Human-Animal Bond: Animal Abuse, Human Violence, and its Significance for Human-Animal Interactions
Wed 2nd July 2025.
Professor Daniel Mills | Relationships and the Dog-Owner Bond – a psychobiological perspective
Wed 18th June 2025.
Professor Carri Westgarth | The challenge of “Just Old Age” and the development of the Ageing Canine Toolkit **This Special Webinar is FREE to everyone**
Tuesday 13th May 2025: Watch the recording here.
Jade Statt | StreetVet – Protecting the Human-Animal Bond
Wed 30th April 2025.
Shirin Dhabhar | How Religious and Cultural Influences Shape Canine Behaviour Work in India
Wed 6th February 2025.
Dr Anindita Bhadra | Dogs and Humans, A Story of Co-existence
Wed 8th Jan 2025.