Exploring the effect of a therapy dog in a group for young people experiencing anxiety
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Exploring the effect of a therapy dog in a group for young people experiencing anxiety

Cara Johnston Practitioner, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, North East London NHS Foundation Trust, London, England
Samantha van Huyssteen Trainee clinical psychologist, University of East London, London, England
Dasha Grajfoner Coaching lab director, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland
James Bruce Sinclair Research delivery manager, Goodmayes Hospital, North East London NHS Foundation Trust, Ilford, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To enhance your knowledge of the use of canine-assisted therapy in healthcare settings

  • To learn about a project that involved introducing a therapy dog to anxiety management groups for young people

  • To consider the effects that the presence of a therapy dog may have on young people

Research suggests that the inclusion of dogs in the delivery of psychotherapy for adolescents may have a positive effect on outcomes. This article details an evaluation that explored the effect of introducing a dog to cognitive behavioural therapy-based anxiety management groups for young people aged between 11 years and 14 years. A total of 35 young people attended these groups, which ran either with or without a dog present. The results suggest that the presence of a therapy dog significantly reduced young people’s anxiety ratings in five of the six sessions and contributed to a higher discharge rate after completing the group therapy (44% in the groups with the dog versus 28% in the groups without the dog). Qualitative feedback indicates that the presence of a therapy dog improved the young people’s experiences by enabling them to feel increasingly relaxed and confident in the group. These findings suggest that a therapy dog can enhance young people’s experiences in group therapy, particularly in the early stages, and increase discharge rates.

Mental Health Practice. 26, 1, 21-27. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2022.e1629

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

cara.johnston@nelft.nhs.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Johnston C, van Huyssteen S, Grajfoner D et al (2022) Exploring the effect of a therapy dog in a group for young people experiencing anxiety. Mental Health Practice. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2022.e1629

Published online: 27 October 2022

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