Hello,
I Am Dr. Úrsula Aragunde Kohl
Úrsula Aragunde Kohl is a clinical psychologist. Dr. Aragunde-Kohl is a faculty member at the Universidad Ana G. Mendez, Gurabo Campus, at which she developed the first AAI graduate course in Puerto Rico: “Animal-Assisted Interventions in Health Settings.” She also conducted the first Companion animal study in Puerto Rico to better understand the general beliefs and attitudes toward companion animals. She founded the nonprofit Puerto Rico Alliance for Companion Animals, Inc (PR Animals). Their mission is to educate the Puerto Rican community about compassion, kindness, and responsible guardianship related to animals.
Dr. Aragunde-Kohl also created and now chairs the first HAI-related committee within the Puerto Rico Psychology Association called “Integral Wellbeing through the Human-Animal Relationship.” In this role, she promotes the human-animal bond and invites health professionals to consider companion animals essential for effective therapeutic interventions. She coordinates the first professional graduate certificate of Animal-Assisted Interventions at her University.
She has published journal articles and book chapters, including Interaction and Emotional Connection with Pets: A Descriptive Analysis from Puerto Rico, A Manual of Animal Assisted Therapy with Dogs, and Resilience and the human-animal bond. Dr. Aragunde Kohl has developed professional continuing education courses for psychologists and given professional presentations regarding the human-animal bond and animal welfare as a social justice problem. She has worked with teachers all over her island to integrate humane education into the academic curriculum of schools. She continues on several research projects on the human-animal bond and animal welfare. CV
Companionship Without Judgement
My Approach
The Human-Animal Intervention literature has consistently demonstrated companion animals' benefits on physical, emotional, and psychological aspects of health and well-being. This, in turn, provides a sense of security and promotes emotional openness. Furthermore, our interactions with non-human animals have been shown to have a general effect of minimizing feelings of loneliness and stress. Therefore, the evidence suggests that when people interact with non-human animals, it has a positive effect on their general health and well-being.
Its primary purpose is to integrate animals and humans in activities to connect emotionally, physically, and psychologically. It has also been shown that the relationship with companion animals and the interventions that include them can effectively treat psychological disorders by minimizing the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
When we open ourselves to the experience of feeling and thinking in a healthier/positive way helps us grow what sustains us in life. Our companion animals can be the lever to open our positivity (positive emotions, behaviors, pleasant situations).
