Animal-assisted Therapy Program

The Animal-assisted Therapy Program uses dogs to meet the emotional needs of children and adolescents. With this type of therapy, patients' physical, social, emotional or cognitive abilities have been shown to improve.

Animal-assisted therapy can:

• Engage your child in therapy.
• Decrease anxiety and help your child relax. This can make it easier for your child to talk about feelings or difficult or scary topics. Children often can tell the dogs secrets or private thoughts they cannot share directly with other people.
• Help develop empathy, nuturing feelings, care giving skills and responsibilty. The therapist uses the dogs to model appropriate behavior and teach social skills.
• Motivate your child to participate in treatment, complete exercises and interact with other to earn time with the dogs.

Is it safe?

Yes. The dogs used in the program are selected with great care. All therapy dogs are certified through Therapy Dogs International or Delta Society. The dogs are specially chosen to work with children, the elderly or disabled people. All therapy dogs are kept up-to-date on required shots.

Finn