This project explored the phenomena of school based mental health practitioners' experience with animal assisted therapy. The purpose of this study was to begin to identify and understand the existing gap between a promising practice and a profession that could be aided by its use. Analysis of qualitative data gathered from semi-structured interviews investigated how the attitudes of school based mental health providers were influenced by their perceptions of its potential benefits, barriers to use, and challenges of implementation within the elementary school setting. Eleven school based mental health providers participated in semi structured interviews using video conferencing. Qualitative analysis and coding (Saldana, 2013) yielded three themes: (1) the experience of being a provider, (2) perception of how animals provide support, and (3) knowledge. Participants universally viewed animal assisted therapy as a beneficial practice that would benefit a majority of their clients. However, the key finding in this study was the limited knowledge of animal assisted therapy demonstrated by school based mental health providers. Participants had limited knowledge of the defining features of animal assisted activities, resources for implementation, the positive impact on student engagement, how to apply the practice to their work, how to overcome challenges, and how to effectively sell the idea to their school communities. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]