Family Achievement Center’s
Animal Assisted Therapy:  Meet Henry!

Family Achievement Center clients may also benefit from the clinic's Animal-Assisted Therapy services. Animal Assisted Therapy is the utilization of animals as a therapeutic modality to facilitate healing and rehabilitation of patients. FAC’s Animal-Assisted Therapy is available through Henry, the clinic’s facilitated service dog. Henry is a yellow lab that was raised and trained through NEADs, an organization devoted to training and raising dogs for people with disabilities.  NEADs is based in Princeton, Massachusetts. Henry and the owners of Family Achievement Center participated in an extensive 10-day training at the NEADs campus in Massachusetts before returning to Minnesota to begin work at FAC.

In addition, Henry and the FAC staff have received additional training by Lauren Clark, dog trainer / canine interpreter. Lauren, who is also an Occupational Therapy grad student, has developed very innovative ways to incorporate Henry - as a Rehabilitation Dog - more effectively into a child's treatment session. The extra training and guidance has been very motivating and successful for both clients and staff!
For more information, visit www.k9interpreter.com.

Animal Assisted Therapy can provide improvements in human physical, social, emotional and cognitive functioning.  Clients may use the animals to help them achieve specific goals through the use of the following activities:

• Helping to groom the animal with a brush
  

• Throwing or kicking a ball for the animal to retrieve
  

• Fastening a leash to a collar
  

• Taking the animal for a walk
  

• Encouraging speech by using the animal as an example and focal point during therapy

Even simple interaction with the animal may be used as a reward or motivator for clients. The animal can also be used to build rapport, self-esteem and social interaction for the client while decreasing stress.

Please feel free to stop in and ask to see Henry on your next visit to Family Achievement Center!