The Section on Human Animal Interaction: Research & Practice, of Division 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology) of the American Psychological Association is dedicated to professional and scholarly activities that advance the understanding of human-animal interactions as they relate to psychology. Check out our podcast series!
Join Dr. Nichole L. Nageotte (Community Research and Evaluation Manager) and Dr. Lynn Von Hagen (Africa Conservation Program Director) - both at the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance - talk about the important role zoos play in conservation.
Sindhoor is a canine behaviour consultant, a canine myotherapist, an anthrozoologist and an engineer by qualification. She researches free living dogs in Bangalore, India. She has presented her findings at major international conferences in the US, UK and has conducted seminars in Europe, UK and South America. She has been invited as an expert on several podcasts, including a few on NPR radio. She maintained a weekly column on dog behaviour, in The Bangalore Mirror for two years. She is a TEDx speaker, the author of the book, Dog Knows. National Geographic calls hers a ‘Great Mind’ in the bookazine, Genius of Dogs. She is currently the principal and director of BHARCS. BHARCS offers a unique, UK-accredited level 4 diploma on canine biosociopsychology and applied ethology.
Join us for a conversation with Hajnalka Selmeci, a sport psychologist who teaches at the Hungarian University of Sports Science while working on her PhD. Hajnalka’s research focuses on the psychology of dog sports and what makes human–dog teams thrive – and she is always excited to talk about the intersection of psychology, performance, and our relationships with animals.
Join us for a conversation with Oxford zoologist Tim Coulson about octopus biology, how predator-prey arms races have shaped life on Earth, and the challenges of human-wildlife coexistence following wolf reintroduction in the American West.
Learn from Dr Ana Davidson and Lindsey Sterling Krank about prairie dogs in the west. These keystone species are threatened by plague and unlimited shooting on public lands, but conservationists are working to stop these threats.
Join us to talk about Kate Miller's latest research. Kate Miller is a PhD student at Colorado State University studying animal training, learning, and behavior. She is the Lead Animal Trainer at Human-Animal Bond in Colorado (HABIC) in the School of Social Work at CSU and a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP), with research interests focused on clicker training, marker use, and evidence-based positive reinforcement training.
Join us for a discussion with Dr Sonya McDowall, a cross-disciplinary researcher, as she talks about examining how social determinants of health drive companion animal welfare outcomes challenge the traditional separation between human and animal wellbeing. Her research is shaping new approaches to policy and practice at the intersection of public health and animal care outcomes.
Join us for a discussion with Dr. Jennie Dapice. She is an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy at the University of New England in Portland, Maine. She has over a decade ofoccupational therapy practice in school-based settings, much of which involved the intentional incorporation of therapy and facility dogs. Her current research examines therapy dog impact on school climate, and she is the co-author of Therapy Dogs in Schools: An Evidence-Based Protocol for Best Practice with Robin Peth-Pierce.
Join us for a discussion with Dr Jo Hockenhull, the Head of Research at The Donkey Sanctuary, leading a team of dedicated researchers working to improve the lives of donkeys and their hybrids across the world.
Join us in a discussion with Dr Sarah King about wild horses and burros in the Western United States. Learn how they are managed, why they are managed, and the complexity of achieving improved wild horse welfare.
Join our conversation with Dr. Kevin Toman, DVM, a veteran small-animal veterinarian, founder of Helping Pets Live Longer (HPLL), and one of veterinary medicine’s most vocal advocates for longevity-first care. You can find out more about Dr. Toman's work here: https://helpingpetslivelonger.com/
Join us to talk with Mikaela Dahlman. She is a researcher, program facilitator, and Certified Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist (C-AAIS) for the Building Academic Retention through K9s (B.A.R.K.) program at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus. Mikaela’s primary research focuses are to understand the impact of canine-assisted interventions(CAIs) on university students and law enforcement personnel, and the nuanced role of the therapy dog handler.
Join us to hear Barbara Vokatis talk about her experiences with AAS in the classroom. Barbara is a professor at the State University of New York at Oneonta, keynote speaker, best-selling and award-winning author, therapy dog partner, andproducer/host of Get Inspired with Dr. Barb podcast. She is an author of books in animal-assisted education (“Teachers and Therapy Dog Teams: Innovative Collaborations to Make a Difference for Children”) and a children’s book (“Carmel Goes to School”) with the therapy dog theme.
Learn about the effort to stop Colorado's unlimited trapping and hunting of coyotes, foxes, bobcats and other "furbearers" in the state. Samantha works with the Center for Biological Diversity's Carnivore Conservation program. She handles carnivore issues nationwide with a focus on state-level progress. Samantha's career has included wildlife commission reform, political advocacy, and coalition building to advance carnivore policy across the U.S. West. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from University California Riverside and a Master of Public Policy from Pepperdine University.
Join us as we talk to Noelle Webb about the personal risks, ethical dilemmas, and societal impact of whistleblowers who challenge powerful institutions in pursuit of accountability and justice. After a 30-year award-winning career in pharmaceuticalsales, Noelle Webb became a whistleblower in 2014, reporting illegal off-label marketing of pain medications and fraud against Medicare. During the ensuing decade of personal and professional upheaval, she found a new path training service dogs for veterans with PTSD, earning a MS in canine cognition. She shares her experiences and the resilience-building power of the human–dog bond in her forthcoming book, Leash of Courage (March 20, 2026).
Listen to Craig talk about Great Horned Owls Craig Perdue, Ph.D. is the owner/operator of Shadow Speak, LLC ( http://www.shadowspeak.org/ ) providing programs involving free-flight encounters with wild bird species to (1) impart an enriched acquaintance between people and wildlife, (2) change conservation behavior affecting preservation of wildlife in their native state, and (3) make publications available directly toward these ends.
Hear Dr. Gwendy Reyes-Illg and Mr. Jeff Hill talk about mass depopulation in animal agriculture, unpacking the policies behind it, the welfare consequences for animals, and the emerging alternatives shaping the next generation of agricultural regulation.
