culprit

i was at a new doctor's office the other day, and i saw a woman with a
golden retriever walk through the waiting room and straight back to the
offices. when it was my turn to see the doctor, i asked about the dog.
apparently, the dog belongs to a therapist in the office, who uses her for
animal assisted therapy. not just taking the dog around to visit sick folks
(like i'd like to do with Manu at some point), but actively integrating the
dog into the therapy plan. for example, she has been desensitizing a woman
who's afraid of elevators, by bringing the dog into the building elevator,
and encouraging the patient to pet and talk to the dog during the elevator
ride. this technique is very effective at getting patients to take that
first step to facing their fears. the therapist also uses the dog children
who have suffered from abuse, because children are much more comfortable
talking about what happened with a dog than with an adult.

i, of course, thought this was just fantastic, and couldn't wait to share.
:-)

if i ever become a therapist in a future life (hey, it could happen), i'll
definitely want to incorporate pets into the therapy!

-kelly

culprit

i was at a new doctor's office the other day, and i saw a woman with a
golden retriever walk through the waiting room and straight back to the
offices. when it was my turn to see the doctor, i asked about the dog.
apparently, the dog belongs to a therapist in the office, who uses her for
animal assisted therapy. not just taking the dog around to visit sick folks
(like i'd like to do with Manu at some point), but actively integrating the
dog into the therapy plan. for example, she has been desensitizing a woman
who's afraid of elevators, by bringing the dog into the building elevator,
and encouraging the patient to pet and talk to the dog during the elevator
ride. this technique is very effective at getting patients to take that
first step to facing their fears. the therapist also uses the dog children
who have suffered from abuse, because children are much more comfortable
talking about what happened with a dog than with an adult.

i, of course, thought this was just fantastic, and couldn't wait to share.
:-)

if i ever become a therapist in a future life (hey, it could happen), i'll
definitely want to incorporate pets into the therapy!

-kelly

the puppy wizard

You're a mental case...

happen), i'll

the puppy wizard

You're a mental case...

happen), i'll