AD ASTRA
Adjunctive dog-assisted interventions to improve mental health:
a research development programme
AD ASTRA
Adjunctive dog-assisted interventions to improve mental health:
a research development programme
AD ASTRA was a Programme Development Grant (PDG) funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR; award number 205656) between 2023 and 2025. It was jointly led by Dr Elena Ratschen and Dr Sophie Hall from the Universities of York and Nottingham. The views expressed here are those of the website authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
What we dID
Developing and improving strategies to support people with mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions is a national priority. Dog-Assisted Interventions (DAIs) are therapies or activities involving a dog that are increasingly used in health, care and community settings (e.g., schools) with the goal to improve mental health and wellbeing. Although the practice of DAIs is flourishing in the UK, the scientific evidence related to it remains overall poor. You can read more in this British Medical Journal editorial.
AD ASTRA was about developing the foundations for gold standard research on DAIs that will have the capacity to harness the full potential of DAIs. We wanted to help make DAIs better and safer for both human and dog partners and contribute to shaping policy and practice.
Click below to find out more about AD ASTRA.
tHE AD ASTRA PROGRAMME
Meet the Team
The Work Packages
The Work Packages
The AD ASTRA research programme was led by a team of researchers at the Universities of York and Nottingham who are working in collaboration with academics, clinicians and dog-assisted intervention providers across the UK.
The Work Packages
The Work Packages
The Work Packages
AD ASTRA included three work packages to help develop better quality research and practice related to DAIs.
AD ASTRA Voice
The Work Packages
AD ASTRA Voice
We have developed partnership panels to help us with various research activities in AD ASTRA.
Contact Us
The AD ASTRA programme is now closed, but we are busy working on the next project, which was developed as a result of our AD ASTRA research.
The next project will focus on the development and piloting of a theory-, evidence- and practice-based dog-assisted intervention to support neurodivergent children in primary schools.
If you are interested in contributing to this research, please feel free to get in touch!
Email us: adastra-project@york.ac.uk
