Animal Assisted Therapy
Animals Help Heal Emotional Wounds
His parents were physically abusive and addicted to drugs, so he and his two siblings moved in with their grandmother. Violence was the only way Danny knew to express himself. His grandmother received daily calls from school about his disruptive behavior. Then one day he assaulted a teacher.
After numerous problems with truancy and aggressive behavior, school counselors referred 13-year old Danny to the Mental Health Center of Denver day treatment program. Like Danny, many of the students in the program have failed in a regular school setting because of serious emotional disturbances caused by violence in the home or abuse or neglect. The program includes a full-day elementary and middle school for youth with serious emotional problems. The program objective is to address behavior problems by dealing with the underlying emotional issues so that kids return to regular school as soon as possible – usually within six months.
Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is an innovative therapeutic technique sometimes used by MHCD in the day treatment program to reach at-risk youth who might not open up in a traditional setting. “Some of these kids have been traumatized and they don't trust adults,” says Carri King, a day treatment therapist. “They tend to respond more readily when a dog is involved in individual or group sessions.”
Behavior Reduction in Kids (BARK) is an animal assisted therapy program used by MHCD in conjunction with the Denver Dumb Friends League. MHCD students train dogs for adoption while receiving therapy and working on individual treatment goals.
Within a few weeks of beginning the BARK program, Danny evolved as a peer leader. He has learned to eliminate his aggressive behavior, speak in an assertive voice and verbalize his needs by working with a therapist and certified animal assistance dogs. His bad attitude has disappeared and Danny wants to adopt an animal of his own – something his grandmother is considering.
For more information on Animal Assisted Therapy and BARK, visit www.mhcd.org .
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