Therapy Dogs at New Transitions Counseling Center

There are a number of benefits to using therapy dogs in counseling. First, therapy dogs can provide emotional support to people in the counseling process. They can help reduce stress and anxiety, and promote feelings of happiness and well-being. Additionally, therapy dogs can help clients feel more comfortable and open up more in therapy. This can be especially beneficial for clients who are struggling to share their feelings or experiences.

Who Can Benefit From Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT)?

Therapy dogs can help counselors better understand their clients. By observing how clients interact with the therapy dogs, counselors can learn more about their clients' personality, emotional state, and social interactions. This information can then be used to provide therapy accordingly, particularly with the following types of individuals:

• People with autism, depression, and other disorders
• Persons experiencing developmental and social or psychological impairment
• Those who have survived trauma
• Individuals coping with grief and loss
• Persons with adverse physical health conditions
• Individuals who have not previously been successful in traditional talk therapy
• People who prefer a more visual, non-verbal mode of communication

Why Are Therapy Dogs Used in Counseling?

Canines are frequently utilized in hospitals, mental health facilities, and rehabilitation centers where their presence lowers anxiety, suspicion, anger, and aggressiveness while also improving human interactions. During therapy dog visits, patients get relief from day-to-day stresses and enjoy a safe and hopeful environement. For example, simply by making people happy, frequent interactions with a dog in elderly care homes encourage activity, promote contact with reality, foster self-care, and improve physical wellbeing. The use of therapy dogs in counseling is just one facet of animal-assisted therapy.