Research suggests that the inclusion of dogs in the delivery of psychotherapy for adolescents may have a positive effect on outcomes. We 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. 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.
Links:
RCNi – Exploring the effect of a therapy dog in a group for young people experiencing anxiety (rcni.com)
UCL made this open access - Exploring the effect of a therapy dog in a group for young people experiencing anxiety - UCL Discovery
