Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT)

I have completed levels 1 and 2 training from the International Institute for Animal Assisted Play Therapy and received supervision in AAPT. My therapy dog, Rogue, is registered with Pet Partners and she is an eager and active co-facilitator of therapy sessions.

I offer Animal Assisted Play Therapy to children to help with a variety of issues, including low self esteem, depression, anxiety, attention and learning difficulties, and poor social skills, to name a few. It primarily focuses on the child's strengths while also addressing his or her life challenges. While all of my therapy during the Covid-19 crisis is provided online, this particular form of therapy needs to be done in the office. I will resume offering it once it is safe to do so.

Having loved and lived with animals most of my life, I know the therapeutic benevolence animals offer is unparalleled. Research studies have shown the efficacy of human-animal interactions and the therapeutic benefits they provide for their owners and clients. As I have specialized in canine and equine-assisted psychotherapies, I highly encourage clients to interact with animals personally or in a more structured, therapeutically beneficial manner.

I am trained in animal assisted therapy. Our office does have a feline co-therapist, who is available upon request.

When doing therapy, I often relate back to animals and how they function in their own world. Do animals have anxiety and to what extent do they have anxiety? Why is anxiety chronic in humans but not in wild animals? When it comes down to it, humans are animals and if we look at animals behavior, we can often help explain our own behavior and get back to our natural instincts.

I utilize Animal Assisted Therapy and Animal Assisted Interventions. During COVID-19, since I am seeing clients entirely through telehealth, I welcome your pets into session to help you cope. I also use many metaphors involving the animal world to help you see different perspectives. When it is again safe to return to in-person sessions, my animals (golden retriever and kenyan sandboas) look forward to greeting you.

Alongside my Chihuahua puppy Cancun Veas, I am able to harness the therapeutic powers of the human-animal interaction to assist in a comfortable and safe environment as you pursue your mental health goals. I also provide Emotional Support Animal or ESA letters for clients who are in need of assistance to address mental health issues with companionship and support.

I am the founder of the American Association of Animal-Assisted Therapy and love working with my dogs.

I have a certified professional canine co-therapist, Moxey, CBD, CBD- A and use her in individual therapy. I received my certification and AASW credentials on August 25,2019.

Meet my rescue Gracie! She takes her job very seriously and enjoys meeting and greeting new clients!

If you’re nervous about coming in and talking to a therapist, you’re not alone. If you find yourself feeling this, animal-assisted therapy can be a great way to help you feel more at ease. Many of my clients love working with Rockstar the therapy dog, as they can pet him to self-soothe, look at him instead of me, or use him as a distractor to let themselves talk about challenging emotions or events. He'll be happy to meet you!

My certified therapy dog, Cascade, and I partner for many sessions. Studies have shown that interacting with a familiar animal can lower stress levels, decrease heart rate and blood pressure, and increase oxytocin. I harness this power by including Cascade in sessions to help clients regulate, practice mindfulness and frustration tolerance, and build family skills.

I have a Bichon Frise who is certified as a therapy canine. Goofy began working in 2019 at Brooke Army Medical Center He is a hypo-allergenic canine. He currently works part time with me

We may talk about ways people can use relationships with the animals they have at home as a healing resource.

I specialize in animal-assisted therapy, and often partner with my certified therapy dog, Nalu. I graduated in 2020 with my certificate in Animal-Assisted Social Work from the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work.

Coming Soon for In-Person sessions. Shelby is my Goldendoodle who is has worked with children and adults in therapeutic interventions in the past. Due to Covid, she has had to take a hiatus however will be returning to her work in therapy soon!