Introduction: Pets have a positive impact on people. They can improve individual’s wellbeing. Occupational therapists use various occupational therapy concepts and models to understand human occupation. Animal therapy is included in occupational therapy treatment in order to better motivate users to engage in important activities, to better connect with the users and to improve their performance skills and daily functioning. Aim: The aim of this thesis is to investigate the use of animal therapy within occupational therapy models and concepts. We will also examine the contribution of animal-assisted therapy to occupational therapy treatment. Methods: A review of the scientific literature in English was written following the PRISMA model, in the period from 2005 to 2020. The literature was searched through the following e-sources: Dikul, Google Scholar, Science Direct. The key words used were: “occupational therapy with animals”, “animal assisted therapy models”, “animal assisted therapy in occupational therapy”, “therapy with animals in occupational therapy”, “occupational therapy models”. Results: The models used are: Lifestyle performance model, Person Environment Occupation Performance model, Model of human occupation, Lived Environment Life Quality model, Ecology of Human Performance Model. The approaches used were: Client-centered approach, holistic approach, occupation-based approach. The goals of such therapies are roughly divided into improvement of process, motor and social-interaction skills. Discussion and conclusion: We found out that the most chosen Lifestyle performance model has many possibilities of its use in animal assisted therapy. It also turned out that animal assisted therapy can be a motivation in occupational therapy treatment. The goals of such therapies are divided into psychological and physical level, and such therapies can also have a positive impact on the therapist or healthcare professional. The use of research results can contribute to the integration of animal assisted therapy in occupational therapy in Slovenia.
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