Therapy Dogs in Schools: A Proposal
Therapy Dogs in Schools: A Proposal
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Issue Date
2022-08
Authors
Freeman, Lauren
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Abstract
Mental health challenges among children and youth are on the rise, while mental health funding and resources in schools stay the same or decrease. In addition, counsellor approaches and school policies do not allow for creative approaches to meet the diverse needs of students. The aim of this capstone is to propose the use of therapy dogs in schools to help school counsellors and the school community. The literature review examines the benefits of human-animal interaction, and dives deeper into the specific use of therapy dogs in a variety of settings. Considering the need for more plentiful and creative supports to meet the growing mental health and social emotional needs of students, this capstone includes a proposal for a resident therapy dog program in a middle or high school setting. The three-pronged program is designed to help alleviate the growing mental health and social-emotional demands being placed on school counsellors and also support the overall wellness of not just individual students but the whole student body. The program proposal includes program design, screening and certification, communication with stakeholders, addressing concerns, implementation, maintenance, and evaluation.
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Keywords
therapy dog , canine therapy , pet therapy , animal assisted therapy , animal assisted education , school policy , youth , children , human animal interactions , school , education , counselling , school counsellor , school counselling , mental health , social-emotional , wellbeing