Dr. Binfet received his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia in Educational Psychology and is now a professor in the Faculty of Education at UBC Okanagan. He is the founder and director of UBC's dog therapy program "B.A.R.K." (Building Academic Retention through K9s). In addition to researching the effects of spending time with therapy dogs on university students' well-being, Dr. Binfet researches children and adolescents' conceptualizations of kindness in school. He is the author of the new book "Cultivating Kindness: An Educator's Guide" published by University of Toronto Press.
Experience
2018–present
Associate professor, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia
Education
2000
University of British Columbia, Ph.D. Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education
Publications
2021
The importance of client-canine contact in canine-assisted interventions: A randomized controlled trial , Anthrozoos
2020
Stress reduction in law enforcement officers and staff through a canine-assisted intervention, Human Animal Interaction Bulletin
2019
What’s important in canine-assisted intervention teams? An investigation of canine-assisted intervention program online screening tools. , Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research
2018
Dogs on campus: Holistic assessment of therapy dogs and handlers for research and community initiatives. , Society & Animals: Journal of Human-Animal Studies
2018
Reducing university students’ stress through a drop-in canine-therapy program. , Journal of Mental Health
2018
When veterinarians support canine therapy: Bidirectional benefits for clinics and therapy programs. , Veterinary Sciences
2017
The effects of group-administered canine therapy on first-year university students’ well-being: A randomized controlled trial. , Anthrozoos
2016
Hounds and homesickness: The effects of an animal-assisted therapeutic intervention for first-year university students. , Anthrozoos
Grants and Contracts
2021
Social and Emotional Learning in the Central Okanagan Public School District
Role:
Principal Investigator
Funding Source:
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
2021
Virtual Canine Comfort to Reduce On-Campus Stress
Role:
Principal Investigator
Funding Source:
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
2018
Canine Therapy to Support RCMP Constable Well-Being
Role:
Principal Investigator
Funding Source:
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
2017
Kindness in Middle School
Role:
Principal Investigator
Funding Source:
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada