FSU Student Shows Significance of Animal Therapy on Well-being Through Research
As a case management assistant at AdventHealth Central Florida Division, Online MSW student, Fabiana Mattos Da Rocha, works alongside hardworking doctors, nurses, and other helping professionals and connects with patients and their families on a daily basis. She noticed in 2025 an increase in signs of quiet burnout, exhaustion and being overwhelmed across the board. But one day, Mary Rose Gullet, president and founder of Honey’s Mini Therapy Adventures (Honey’s Minis), brought a miniature therapy horse onto the hospital floor.
“The change in the unit was immediate,” Rocha voiced. “Patients’ faces lit up, nurses stopped rushing for a moment and you could almost feel the emotional temperature drop.”
The moment held real significance for Rocha, who grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with a familial connection to horses. “Horses have actually held a special place in my heart long before this project,” she explained. “My father served in the Brazilian military and my sister competed in horse dressage in the Rio de Janeiro State League. Horses were always part of my family’s story.”
For Rocha, horses represented “dignity, strength, and gentleness,” a calming presence that she witnessed for the first time when she encountered Honey’s Minis. “It felt like a full-circle moment—my roots, my social work path and my love for human connection all met in one place.”
As a student in the Online MSW Program with a goal of earning her licensure in social work, finding those points of connection between what she learned in her course and her personal and professional life was what she valued most. Seeing the impact of creative therapies, such as equine/animal therapy, matched well with Rocha’s own creative interests.
While growing up in Brazil, Rocha earned her bachelor’s degree in graphic design in visual communications from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. But after working in the design field for several years, she felt that something was missing. “My career no longer aligned with my purpose,” she recalled. After living in the United States for many years, the turning point in her career came when she worked with Papa Pal in Orlando, Florida, a company that supports older adults through their aging journey.
“I helped with non-emergency medical transportation, dialysis, labs, doctor appointments, but what stayed with me most were the moments in between, listening to their stories, advocating for their needs and helping them feel less alone,” she recollected.
When looking for an MSW program, Rocha stressed that she was not only seeking admission, but also one that aligned with her values and purpose. “FSU’s Online MSW Program offered exactly what I needed,” she explained,” academic rigor, flexibility to keep working in a hospital and a clear commitment to human dignity. I felt seen, challenged and supported.”
And now at the end of her graduate program, Rocha was able to intern with Honey’s Minis and Mary Rose Gullet, who possessed an MSW and years of expertise in mental health. From this experience also came the opportunity to research the impact of miniature horses and animal therapy on people’s well-being. With Gullet’s support, Rocha decided to conduct a study on the impact of equine therapy in AdventHealth and other healthcare facilities across Central Florida.
Rocha then presented the results at a conference hosted by the FSU College of Communication and Information’s 2025 School of Communication Conference, with a theme of Sensational NOLE – Research that Moves, Motivates and Makes Meaning, sharing “Healing in Hooves: Measuring the Emotional and Clinical Impact of Mini Horse Therapy in Patients and Health Care Staff” at a panel. She set the scene, describing the stress, compassion fatigue, and quiet burnout in the healthcare setting and how she went about measuring the impact of the mini horse therapy visits.
Using simple Google Forms and QR codes, 27 patients/family members and 74 healthcare workers self-reported how the mini horse visits impacted them. The results surprised even Rocha, with more than 90 percent of participants reporting feelings of joy, calmness and connection, and 83 percent reporting an improved mood.
“What surprised me most was how consistent the emotional shift was across very different groups,” she described. “ICU nurses, emergency room technicians, behavioral health patients, families waiting for news, older adults in memory care, staff who were clearly burned out all reported similar feelings—more calm, more joy, more connection, even after just a few minutes with the horses.”
Through all these experiences, Rocha feels greater assurance that she is on the path she was seeking with renewed courage and purpose. “I am actually becoming the clinician I once only imagined.” After graduation, she is excited to continue working in healthcare settings, where she will work at the intersection of medical social work, wellness, and innovative therapeutic interventions. “I see my future work as a bridge between clinical care and creative approaches.
