The PAWSitive effect of canine assisted intervention in supporting young victims of trauma and abuse

The Canine Assisted Intervention (CAI) Program provides children and youth who are survivors of suspected abuse or maltreatment with empathy, affection, unconditional acceptance and trust before, during and after their visit... [ view full abstract ]

The Canine Assisted Intervention (CAI) Program provides children and youth who are survivors of suspected abuse or maltreatment with empathy, affection, unconditional acceptance and trust before, during and after their visit with the Suspected Trauma and Abuse Response Team (START) and SeaStar Child and Youth Advocacy Centre (CYAC). There is ample evidence supporting the use of animal therapy throughout the literature. In Nova Scotia there has been significant media coverage recently regarding veterans and first responders being paired with service dogs to help manage their post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.

The levels of stress and anxiety associated with attending appointments at START and the CYAC directly impacts the client’s ability to engage with providers and can negatively impact the client’s experience. Through implementing a CAI program we are able to provide emotional support, distraction and comfort to clients and caregivers. Our goal is that clients and their caregivers will engage in therapy/interviews/medical exams more readily.

Adding CAI to START and the SeaStar CYAC to address the needs of children and youth who are survivors of trauma and abuse is a natural match. During the dog’s visits, clients learn about boundaries, respect, trust and socially acceptable behaviours. Clients and caregivers alike benefit from interacting with the dogs and their handlers as they learn about the different types of service dogs, how to approach dogs, and teaching the dogs new tricks.

This workshop will review the different types of working dogs; provide an overview of program development, implementation and evaluation strategies, policy, financial and long-term commitment considerations for implementing a CAI program. We will share our evaluation tools, client experiences and outcomes data, describe the successes of programs such as ours across Canada, provide tips for getting started and demonstrate the importance of incorporating child and youth friendly elements in your program.