Promoting Children’s Well-Being: Therapy Dogs

Jalongo, Mary Renck; Petro, Janine

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-77845-7_9

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Human mental health and animal health are inextricably linked (Blazina et al, 2011;Beck, 2015;Renck Jalongo and SpringerLink, 2018) and it is to be noted that this potential impact in an educational setting is an area lacking the research insight it fully deserves, both in this research study and in the available literature. Through further substantiation of this research, ascertaining the exact cause and effect is potentially ground breaking, a future research action denoted as essential © 2021 NASEN by Palley et al (2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…There is further research required into how animals are chosen to work within a school context and ascertain if the steps taken in this study to choose the dogs are universal enough to apply in other school settings. Renck Jalongo and SpringerLink (2018) reiterate the need for extensive, yet adaptive, protocols around which interactions with the dogs can be structured. This should come with as practical caution as being adaptive to the needs of the children in their experiences with the dogs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Enabling positive change in primary school: learner‐led research in a Scottish context

Gibson¹,

Clark²,

Dunnigan³

et al. 2021

Support for Learning

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The relevance and value of increased learner participation in effect change research is increasing in its significance and importance across the education sector, guided by current national governance and the move of local authorities to implement action research models to drive improvement. This paper reports on a study led by primary seven pupils in a remote rural Scottish primary school, working collaboratively towards planning, developing, implementing and evaluating learner‐led research. The pupil researchers created their own initiative, introducing dogs to the classroom, which was designed to increase self‐esteem and self‐efficacy for all learners in their school. Through the implementation of the initiative, they were observed to develop their own social and emotional well‐being as they engaged in the process of interviewing, results analysis and subsequent resource dissemination. This article discusses the collaborative and supportive relationship alongside the desire to bring about positive change that must underpin genuine collaboration.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Enabling positive change in primary school: learner‐led research in a Scottish context

Gibson¹,

Clark²,

Dunnigan³

et al. 2021

Support for Learning

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“…Several terms describe how dogs provide therapeutic benefit. A therapy dog refers to a dog trained to provide therapeutic benefit mainly through Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT), Animal-Assisted Intervention (AAI), or Animal-Assisted Education (AAE) ( 2 ). AAI, Animal Assisted Interventions, is an umbrella term that encompasses AAT, AAE, Animal Assisted Activity (AAA) and Animal Assisted Counselling (AAC) ( 5 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therapy dogs are first selected for their temperament and subsequently trained together with their handler, usually by therapy dog organisations, to be calm and obedient such that there are able to provide emotional support, comfort, and companionship to different individuals in various educational, health care, and community settings ( 2 ). In AAT, the therapy dog forms part of a professional therapeutic treatment with a professional to deliver a specialised expertise and practise based on the professional's profession ( 2 ). For example, assisting a psychologist to provide regular, structured, and tailored intervention for a client with mental health concerns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the potential benefits of a therapy dog program, there are several concerns and challenges which might arise from successfully introducing a therapy dog into a school context. Primary concerns by schools include legal implications and liability, allergy concerns, hygiene and sanitation concerns, safety concerns, cultural differences, fear of dogs, animal welfare, funding associated with animal maintenance and program implementation, as well as a lack of administrative support ( 2 , 27 – 32 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Therapy Dogs in Educational Settings: Guidelines and Recommendations for Implementation

et al. 2021

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Therapy dogs in educational settings have gained increase traction in recent years. Despite its potential benefits and popularity, there remain concerns of perceived risks such as sanitation, allergies, and safety issues, as well as a lack of guidelines, regulations and support resources available to school staff. Research is further lacking into the implementation process of therapy dog programs in educational settings. To construct a set of recommendations for school staff to achieve successful implementation of a therapy dog program, the present study investigated the perceived facilitative and impeding factors when implementing a therapy dog program. A total of 13 school staff and 2 coordinators from therapy dog organisations took part in an open-ended online survey and/or a semi-structured interview over the phone, with the aim of gathering their perspectives of implementing a therapy dog program in schools. The thematic analysis of the data indicated facilitative factors such as program flexibility, whole-school support, the need for communication and training for all staff, as well as dog welfare. Successful implementation of therapy dogs in an education setting appear to revolve around (1) flexibility of the dog therapy program to target school's needs, (2) qualities of program instigator, (3) whole-school support, (4) communication, training and education, (5) considerations for dog's welfare. Key barriers identified included a high workload, lack of guidelines on processes, lack of support from the school community, as well as the need for better understanding of the role of a therapy dog. The results highlighted the importance of a whole-school effort when implementing a therapy dog program, as well as the need for guidelines for assessing school readiness, key factors for consideration, and strategies to overcome challenges associated with program implementation.

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Psychosocial Treatments: Psychotherapy, Behavioral, and Cultural Interventions

Trujillo

2023

Atlas of Psychiatry

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Promoting Children’s Well-Being: Therapy Dogs

Cited by 6 publications

References 57 publications

Enabling positive change in primary school: learner‐led research in a Scottish context

Enabling positive change in primary school: learner‐led research in a Scottish context

Therapy Dogs in Educational Settings: Guidelines and Recommendations for Implementation

Psychosocial Treatments: Psychotherapy, Behavioral, and Cultural Interventions

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