Animal Assisted Therapy
The use of dogs in animal-assisted therapy is based on the evolutionary bond between humans and dogs, along with a growing body of scientific evidence that regular interactions with a dog in a therapeutic setting yield powerful effects on physical and mental health. Just making eye contact with a dog is shown to significantly lower stress hormone levels and blood pressure, reduce stress and anxiety, diminish pain, and facilitate learning.
Animal-assisted therapy has been shown to be effective in reducing a wide variety of mental health symptoms and can help clients of all ages engage more fully in therapy. Having a dog in the room is often comforting for clients who might be new to therapy or perhaps are reluctant to talk about their problems. For clients dealing with depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress, therapy dogs can help reduce symptoms, increase coping ability, increase motivation, or increase self-esteem. For children and adolescents, therapy dogs can help increase problem solving ability, improve empathy for peers, improve adherence to instructions, increase social functioning, and improve academic progress.
At Nashville Therapy Group, clients can ask to be accompanied by a therapy dog in their sessions. We have a gentle and cuddly companion for our clients to help them along with their therapeutic process.
Meet our therapy dog, Lucy!
Lucy is an adorable little Cavapoo, a hypoallergenic breed designed to be smart, gentle, and extremely affectionate. True to her nature, Lucy has a sweet temperament and loves to be held and cuddled. She is currently in the rigorous training process to become a Certified Therapy Dog with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, which involves daily training sessions, as well as consistent maintenance of obedience skills.
Lucy has successfully passed her American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen test with Meredith Kilgore as her handler. Lucy will soon take a three-part test with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs to evaluate her performance on measures of temperament, behavior, and obedience in a variety of settings.
Lucy will occasionally present in the office while she is in training. If you or your child would like to meet her during your visit, please let us know.
