For over 10 years, Calais has tapped into the power of man’s best friend to deliver therapeutic services to students with disabilities. Today, we are home to one of the nation’s first school-based therapy dog programs, integrated through a proprietary technique called The Calais Method.

Although therapy dogs have grown in popularity in schools across the country, most interactions with students are limited to meet-and-greet scenarios. The Calais Method takes it to the next level with a carefully structured approach for maximizing the therapeutic value of human dog interactions in a variety of school-based scenarios.

“The Calais Method takes a data driven approach that elevates the benefits of therapy dogs. To date, it has helped countless Calais students reach academic and therapeutic goals while also reducing anxiety and school phobias,” explains John Cohrs, Executive Director. 

Our highly trained handlers and highly credentialed therapy dogs play a pivotal role in delivering related services, including individual and group counseling, reading remediation, speech therapy, occupational therapy, social skills building, physical therapy, in-school crisis response and goal-oriented classroom support.

To date, Calais has received statewide recognition for its trailblazing therapy dog program. In 2022, the New Jersey School Boards Association honored our program with the Innovations in Special Education Award. In 2024, the Morris County Chamber of Commerce recognized Calais with the Innovative Program of a Nonprofit Organization award.

“The dogs make my son want to do things that he has struggled with in the past. He used to struggle with reading, but he has fun when he does it and we can tie the direct success (of his reading) to working with dogs. It feels exciting and fun for him. Being with the dogs makes him want to read,” shared a Calais parent. 

Presently, our therapy dog program includes a staff of full and part-time therapy dog handlers and therapy dogs. Our proprietary techniques are helping students with disabilities to achieve immeasurable academic, behavioral and therapeutic success. 

As one of only a few schools in the nation offering standardized therapy dog integration in special education, our long-term goal is to expand Animal Assisted Interventions, using The Calais Method, beyond special education to public schools, helping even more students thrive!