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John-Tyler Binfet

Professor, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia

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

Professional Memberships

  • International Society for Anthrozoology