I am asked every so often about the canines at CALO and why we work with them. I have presented at conferences and with other groups about some of the reasons that animals in therapy make sense. I have made the case that dogs and horses are the best for a number of reasons. I have explained why dogs are best for our setting. Generally I am able to help those who ask to understand our reasoning behind our canine program. From now on I may just refer those who ask to an email that came across my virtual desk this morning. One of our staff, Ben, sent a concise description of what makes our Golden Retrievers such powerful change agents in our program. I am including his email below and have edited it to remove identifying information. He describes an interaction between a student and a Golden and thanks our Canine Program Manager, Jeanna Osborn, for her great work. Here is the email:

From: Walton, Ben
Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 11:02 PM
To: Osborn, Jeanna
Subject: Alisa and Miles the dog

Today I discovered why we have the canine program at CALO.  I am not sure if you have read shift notes on Alisa for tonight, but it details some of her struggles and difficulties.  Alisa was escorted due to self harming--working with her for about an hour and a half.  During this time Tony and myself were using every effort in the book that we had to get her to open up.  We tried being playful, curious, role-playing.  We were intense with her, we were gentle with her, and none of it worked.  Alisa still would/could not open up.   After about an hour and a half a student was walking by and had Miles.  Alisa was sitting at this time and Miles came up to her and lay down on her lap.  Alisa immediately broke down and started to weep on Miles.  Alisa hugged him, and gave him love, and he returned it to her.  After this Alisa opened up.  She talked about how she was feeling like a disappointment and a failure, and our conversation took off from that point.  Alisa was open, vulnerable, and honest.  It was everything you could want in a therapeutic conversation.  After Tony and I had tried our hardest for almost two hours, Miles came and did what we could not.  

Thank you, Jeanna, for your work with our dogs. The impact that Miles had on Alisa tonight cannot be measured. I’m sure you know this happens often at CALO but never has it been so clear to me how unique the comfort from a canine is. All your work tirelessly and patiently working with canines and students often goes unnoticed.  I notice.  Thank you.

Ben

The therapist role is best characterized by the analogy of being head coach of the student’s entire treatment.  This means that the therapist is guiding and directing the opportunities, interventions, and interactions which the student is to encounter while in the program.  Much like any athlete on a team who is being coached, the athlete can be provided with techniques, opportunity, direction, care, compassion, and relationship, but must choose to trust and become accessible and vulnerable to the coaching which is being offered.

The role of head coach incorporates providing these same coaching characteristics (techniques, direction, guidance, empathy, etc.) to every member of the team, especially to parents/guardians. The parents and the student’s ability to work as a team and develop the trust necessary to create authentic change is the most essential dynamic of the treatment.  The therapist facilitates this growth and change through direct coaching of parents by providing specific interventions, meaning and experience of attunement, accurate expression of empathy, and effective accessing of core issues.  This coaching is done through the direct modeling of the therapist and the specific guidance and direction to implement boundaries, experience authentic attunement, facilitate reciprocity, and sustain safety within the relationship. 

The goal of the head coach is the emotional and behavioral health and functionality of the team through the development and experience of trust and emotional intimacy of the individual members.  The therapist as the head coach is constantly focused on accurately meeting the needs of each member and developing an emotionally intimate relationship with them.  This experience of emotional intimacy based on trust, vulnerability, empathy, and attunement becomes the experience for which the primary attachment figures (parents/guardians) learn to function and create safety, dependability, and reliability for healthy emotional and behavioral relationships with each other and their student.  

A head coaches responsibility is being able to create experiences where the individuals within the team learn to function interdependently through their ability trust one another as well as themselves.  This experience relies on the individual members of the team to trust in the guidance and leadership of the head coach (therapist).  The question then is asked, “Are you developing a trusting relationship with your team’s head coach (therapist) where vulnerability, accessibility, and meaningful coaching are being experienced and embraced?”  Make the choice to express your fears, struggles, and difficulties with your team’s therapist and develop the necessary skills to be successful at having a trusting relationship with your student.