Research studies have shown that individuals display noticeable improvement in mood with the involvement of animals such as dogs or horses during therapy.  The Calais School’s Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) Program is comprised of three facility dogs (Cali, Sage and Cleo) and two highly trained and certified handlers (Ms. Ferment and Ms. Roerden). The students can visit with the dogs when they feel anxious, lonely, or depressed and, when appropriate, a facility dog can be present during speech or counseling sessions.

Our AAT team plays a very unique and important role in delivering highly effective behavioral and therapeutic intervention techniques that reap many benefits for our students. At the Calais School, the use of Animal Adaptive Therapy has been shown to:

Improve social skills development. By learning positive ways to interact with a dog, students develop the skills to help them interact with people.

Reduce of stress, anxiety, and depression. The dogs offer unconditional love and is nonjudgmental, which reduces feelings of anxiety or loneliness.

Increase student motivation. By interacting with the dogs, student engagement increases. The students become more open to participating in activities that are fun, comforting and reinforcing.

Facilitate language development. AAT promotes social interaction. Increased language is measurable among students who have difficulty with expressive language.

Enhance feelings of safety and well-being. Cali, Sage, and Cleo provide students with a strong sense of safety, security, and unconditional love. The students know that they can open up to the dogs without fear of judgement.

Learn more about Animal Assisted Therapy at The Calais School!