Serious, they’re awesome for companionship and friendliness – - – IF you get the right kind.

Let me tell you tho – Dogs are the best choice… cats just mind their own business and really couldn’t care less about you as long as they’re fed and warm and dry. Dogs actively want to play and are interested in doing stuff with you and like interacting with people.
And other animals, although neat and fun, are either very hard to train, or just honestly aren’t intelligent enough to really connect with.

RESEARCH it first. Don’t spend months…there is such a thing as overanalysing something, and you don’t want to be afraid to make a decision and 2nd guess yourself for the next 3 weeks. But some breeds ARE MORE TRAINABLE and LOYAL and FRIENDLY than other breeds.

But YES, dogs would be a HUGE asset to recovering from depression. just make sure to utilize them to their fullest potential – Take them for walks and play with them often. Let them sleep on your bed. etc… Remember, pets take after their owners!
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To answer your question: a massage therapist is either licensed, certified or registered, depending on the regulation agency in your state or municipality. LMT, RMT, CMT are the most common abbreviations for these credentials. There are certifications in medical massage, but it does not necessarily hold a lot of water right now. It just seems to be another title. The most recognizable certification entity for massage therapists is the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork http://www.ncbtmb.org/
You can obtain a certification by taking one of their two certification exams. They are even working on another advanced certification for massage therapists. Even though this is considered a national exam, not all states or regulatory agencies recognize these exams for licensing. If you do not want to be a regular relaxation massage therapist, then worry less about the title, and research more on specific continuing education programs that will gravitate you away from the rest who want to remain relaxation massage therapists. Titles are nice, but most people have no idea what they even mean; especially your potential clientele. Market yourself as something different in the way you work with people, the other healthcare providers you associate with, and the quality of service you provide. Find therapists in your area or even out of your area that you would like to imitate, then befriend them. Experienced therapists often like to share their experiences and how they got where they are. If they don’t, then you probably don’t want to be like them anyway. Look for CE courses from David Kent, Whitney Lowe, Ralph Stephens, Paul St. John, John Barnes, Aaron Mattes and topics on orthopedic massage, sports massage, muscle energy technique, myoskeletal alignment technique, manual therapy techniques, trigger point therapy, assisted stretching, myokinesthetic system, active release technique, etc, etc.
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14 yr LMT, BS, NCTMB, CSMT, NCMMT
See: all those titles, and I still have to explain all of them 99% of the time when somebody actually takes interest

I HATE TO SAY ,BUT A CAT IS PROBABLY WHAT YOU NEED–LOW MAINTENANCE AS FAR AS EXERCISE,BUT THEN AGAIN WALKING IS VERY THERAPEUTIC IN ITS OWN RIGHT.
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Why couldn’t eggs be harvested from removed ovaries? Women have hysterectomies every day. I think you are seeing problems that don’t exist.
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I do not see PT going away. I think another big threat is ATC used as PTA. This is not legal but happens. PT are getting more efficient with evidence based medicine. Patients are getting better sooner. We also need to empower our paitents to take ownership on their rehab.
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PT, DPT, PCS