Animal emotionality and wellbeing is a much-discussed topic in the animal behaviour world. This has led to an increase in research in this area of the industry, and some of the findings contributed to the applied methodology of MHERA™. It is a state-of-the-art approach that provides a practical framework for the behaviourist, veterinarian and animal professional to evaluate the individual animal’s emotional and mood states, and helps you to identify imbalances that likely affect behavioural and emotional well-being. It is not a rigid formula or recipe, but a fluid assessment tool that can be applied to most animal species, and that takes an individual’s uniqueness into consideration.
MHERA™ is an acronym for:
Mood State Assessment, including Cognitive Bias.
Hedonic Budget Assessment.
Emotional Assessment.
Reinforcement Assessment.
The successful completion of this course will qualify professionals as MHERA™ Wellbeing Practitioners.
MHERA™ is a must-have tool for anyone working in the animal industry, whether with companion animals, animals in rescue facilities, rehabilitation, as well as professionals who work in all aspects of animal care including veterinary practices, grooming or with any animals where behavioural analysis, emotionality assessment, training and behaviour modification may be required. We teach the science behind, and application of, MHERA™, which means once you have the tools and the know-how to apply them, you are well-equipped to influence the emotional and behavioural wellbeing of the animals in your care.
MHERA can be thought of as a compass that guides the practitioner through the process of considering the role of emotion in behaviour holistically. Its approach first looks at the animal as a member of a species, then it ‘zooms in’ to consider all the individual elements that resulted in the animal in front of you – and it helps you to then assess all the emotional components that contribute to this animal’s wellbeing and behavioural health. It is a tool that helps you to identify areas with deficits that affect emotional wellbeing, to identify if your treatment programs are working the way you intend them to, and to measure if your enrichment programs are successful – all from the ANIMAL’s point of view.
This course is delivered via our state-of-the-art Student Learner Management Portal, with PowerPoint narrated lectures, live online tutor support and a final case study. A big advantage for anyone passionate about MHERA is that this course is tutored in person by MHERA creator, Karin Pienaar. There is a reading list of two compulsory books, and the course can be completed at your own pace over 12 months.
ENROLL WITH US AND GET A FREE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO THE MHERA APP (6 assessments per month).
What the student will learn:
- An introduction to the MHERA Concept.
- Panksepp’s CORE emotional states (Affective neuroscience) and their role in behaviour.
- Type classification.
- The Science of MHERA.
- Discrete and Dimensional Models of emotionality and how this has been integrated into the MHERA Concept.
- MHERA Applied.
For a final evaluation, students are required to submit one Case Study demonstrating their ability to apply MHERA on an animal of their choice.
Course details:
Duration: 12 months. Students can do the course in their own time and can start at any time.
Type of course: Online.