A Northern Territory mother is putting a new spin on animal therapy work, replacing traditional therapy dogs with the most unlikely of creatures - frogs and hermit crabs.
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"When it comes to mental health treatment and therapy, one size doesn't fit all," Kate Irwin said. "That's why we use different, tailored approaches for people to get to explore what is or has been happening in their lives."
Ms Irwin, who can lay claim on having a family link to "the Crikey Irwins", said while larger animals demanded respect, small creatures would allow people to bring out their nurturing side.
"Smaller animals work well in therapy settings as people can build a relationship with them that is comfort-based," she said.
"In a play-based way, hermit crabs can become a conduit to help explore and repair relationships or move past trauma."
The mother-of-three said hermit crabs and frogs, among other small animals including stick insects and rabbits, were used in different settings, including crab art therapy, where crabs with painted legs crawl across a white canvas to paint a picture which is then interpreted.
"I don't like the word 'therapist', I don't have a lounge and I don't want you to lay on it," Ms Irwin said.
"There is so much stigma attached to the work 'therapy'.
"People are the experts in their own lives, we just help them explore it in different ways."
Ms Irwin said art and animal role play were vessel that helped people tell a story "without having to relive the pain they may have experienced in their past".
She said the idea for therapy hermit crabs came from her 12-year-old daughter who wanted hermit crabs to add to the family's Darwin-based menagerie about a year ago.
"Some people freak out about it. But even that reaction opens a door and gives us something to talk about," Ms Irwin said.
"Hermit crabs feel really bizarre on the skin, but it's easy to establish an emotional connection to such small creatures," she said.
"Crabs also work well for phobias, as well as rehabilitation after strokes as they help with the recreation of neurological structures.
"Small animals can bring comfort and growth and facilitate therapeutic repair."
In a bid to showcase her work, Ms Irwin, together with colleague Erin McComack, will be attending the first of the NT's shows, Fred's Pass Show, in Darwin, on May 25 and 26, with their business Regional Combines Therapies.
"We're not a petting zoo, we're mental health professionals," she said.
"Many people - young and old - get overwhelmed at shows due to a lot of noise and a lot of people, and we want to provide a safe space for the entire family to have a play with the animals, and maybe even explore their fears."
