Animal Welfare United States Project #22058

Meet Aspen! Certified Therapy Dog.

by Fair Haven, Inc

Project Report | Sep 30, 2019
What science says about Animal Assisted Therapy

By Kelly Vates | Executive Director

Aspen's new photo for her office ID

Happy Fall everyone!

Thank you for your continued support of Aspen, our agency Therapy Dog. The services provided by Aspen are completely community funded! Which means, we truly could not offer this special support option to the survivors of sexual violence that we serve without your generous suppot! Every donation we recieve goes direclty to support the cost or having Aspen as part of our team! Thank you so much!

Recenlty, I was doing some research on Therpay Dogs and the impact on those struggling with mental distress and I found this article that UCLA recently published on their scientific research findings regarding Therapy Dogs. As much as we "know" and can "see" the impact of the work of our Therapy Dog with clients, it's important to understand the scientific research that not just supports but proves what we know. Here are some of the findings.

Animal Assisted Therapy & What Science Says

For Mental Health:

The simple act of petting animals releases an automatic relaxation response.
- Humans interacting with animals have found that petting the animal promoted the release of serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin- all hormones that can play a part in elevating moods.
Lowers anxiety and helps people relax.
Provides comfort.
Reduces loneliness.
Increases mental stimulation.
- Assist in recall of memories and help sequence temporal events in patients with head injuries or chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Can provide an escape or happy distraction.
Can act as catalysts in the therapy process.
- May help break the ice.
- May reduce the initial resistance that might accompany therapy.

For Physical Health:

Lowers blood pressure and improves cardiovascular health.
Reduces the amount of medications some people need.
Breathing slows in those who are anxious.
Releases many hormones such as Phenylethylamine which has the same effect as chocolate.
Diminishes overall physical pain.
Relax more during exercise.
- Participants were motivated, enjoyed the therapy sessions more, and felt the atmosphere of the session was less stressful during Animal-Assisted therapy.
For Children with Autism
- Many children with autism feel a deep bond with animals and feel that they are able to relate better than humans.
- Children with autism were engaged in significantly greater use of language as well as social interaction win their therapy sessions that incorporated animals compared to standard therapy sessions without them.

Thank you again for your continued support of our Animail Assisted Therapy program. Togehter, we make a long lasting impact on surivovrs of sexual trauma.

silly girl

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