Are Dogs Beneficial in Therapy Sessions?

owner with her pets

Dogs Improve Therapy Sessions

The comfort and joy your dog brings you is immeasurable. But can they help improve therapy sessions? Even though no one can put a hard number on just how much dogs help, there are measurable positive results from dogs being introduced into therapy sessions.

The Impact

When dogs were present during therapy sessions:

  • Depressed patients were more social and experienced decreases in depression.
  • Children with severe ADHD showed increased attention spans.
  • Autistic or developmentally disabled patients were more social, and showed increased attention spans.
  • Patients with Alzheimer's experienced decreases in depression and anger, with increased attention spans.

Of course, having a dog isn't right for everyone. But if you're in the right place in life and have love to give, you might be surprised by the ways your life improves.

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