ANIMAL-ASSISTED INTERVENTIONS AS A RELATIONAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION: THE RPI-AAI MODEL
Abstract
Relevance. Contemporary education systems in helping professions are subject to intensive technicization and standardization, which can lead to the depersonalization of the helping relationship, a decline in clinical empathy, and an increased risk of burnout. This article presents the original RPI-AAI (Relational–Identity Model of Professional Formation in Animal-Assisted Interventions) model, a heuristic pedagogical framework that views animal-assisted interventions as an experiential relational learning environment in medical, veterinary, and pedagogical education.
The study is theoretical and conceptual and is based on a narrative review of literature integrating findings from the neurobiology of affect regulation, attachment theory, and creative social rehabilitation pedagogy.
Purpose. The aim of this article is to develop a theoretical model explaining the role of relational experiences in animal-assisted intervention environments in the process of forming empathy and professional identity in helping professions. The study is conceptual in nature and aims to integrate scattered research findings into a coherent interpretative structure. To this end, the Relational-Identity Model of Professional Education in Animal-Assisted Intervention Environments (RPI-AAI) is presented, which views animal-assisted interventions as a relational learning environment in which emotional regulation, relational experience, and the formation of professional identity create an interrelated developmental process. The main research question can be formulated as follows: How can relational experiences in the AAI environment support the development of empathy skills and the formation of relational professional identity in helping professions?
Methodology. The structure of the article is subordinated to the achievement of this goal. The second part presents the author's Relational-Identity Model of Professional Formation in Animal-Assisted Interventions (RPI-AAI) (Relational–Identity Model of Professional Formation in Animal-Assisted Interventions (RPI-AAI)), which integrates the findings of attachment theory, the concept of affect regulation, and the pedagogy of creative rehabilitation. This proposal is heuristic in nature and provides an interpretative framework requiring further empirical verification, organizing the process of competence development into three interdependent dimensions: regulatory, relational, and identity. Next, the implications of the model for medical and veterinary education are discussed, with particular emphasis on the problem of depersonalization of clinical relationships and the risk of burnout. The next part of the article presents the methodological assumptions of the study, while the conclusion formulates conclusions and directions for further empirical research. The structure of the article leads from the diagnosis of the educational problem, through the construction of a theoretical model, to an indication of its significance for professional education practice.
Results. The process of forming a professional identity is presented on three interdependent levels: regulatory ("I in relation"), related to the stabilization of emotional arousal; relational ("The other as a subject"), in which the animal acts as an "emotional mirror," developing sensitivity to nonverbal signals and the boundaries of subjectivity; and identity ("Me as a professional"), where corrective experience and relational agency support the development of an attitude of responsibility for the well-being of another being. The research results cited in the article indicate that participation in animal-assisted interventions (AAI) can promote the development of self-regulatory competencies and learning strategies, especially among individuals experiencing high levels of stress.
The conclusions suggest that the RPI-AAI model can be a useful tool in professional education, supporting the development of empathy and the building of an integrated professional identity that is resistant to burnout.
Keywords
animal-assisted interventions, clinical empathy, professional identity, affect regulation, human–animal interaction, RPI-AAI model
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