One of our favorite subjects here on Mental Health News Radio is how animals can be used to positively impact mental wellness. Jeff Fink, founder of Go Fetch Wellness, joins us to discuss his work and the positive impact he and his therapy dog Earl are having in Behavioral Health.
Join your host Kristin Walker to find out what the animal effect is and how important animals are to your mental well being.
Kristin Sunanta Walker is the CEO of Mental Health News Radio Network, a partner in Digital Tech Initiative, CEO of everythingEHR, and an avid animal lover!
Your host Adam Clark, LCSW, ACS is joined by the founder of Mental Health News Radio Network, Kristin Walker to discuss this terrific new show and why animals are such an important part of mental health therapy.
Kristin Sunanta Walker is the host of Mental Health News Radio. She has volunteered her time as a therapy dog handler with psych hospitals, behavioral health centers, and schools with behavioral health classrooms. She and one of her therapy dogs, Myles, spent seven years speaking, volunteering, and working with mental health patients offering support, comfort, and education about the benefits of animals in mental health treatment.
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Our therapy dogs, Myles and Buddy, were very busy the month of November. They were asked to take part in a course given by NCTide on the importance of using animals during behavioral health therapy. Led by Jill Queen, the president of NCTide, Kristin Walker, therapy dog handler, and Barbara Love, mental health counselor. Kristin also presented 2 additional sessions on what is trending next in behavioral health technology.
We decided to make this course experiential. We had about thirty participants join and had them sit in a large circle. Myles and Buddy sat in the middle of the circle with Barbara Love and Kristin Walker. Thankfully someone remembered to bring a lint roller! All we saw were a sea of black pant legs begging to be covered in hair.
We asked the questions our readers have been emailing. Myles of Smiles is a non-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote the use of therapy dogs within the mental/behavioral health community.
N: When you and Myles are working with kids, does he seem to bond with any certain types of children, for instance children with a mental health issue or children with behavioral disorders etc.?
K: Great questions. I think all the kids need him just because he is such a positive presence. I always feel like I am delivering flowers. Everyone is happy when the flower delivery person shows up. Myles and I are greeted with smiles, cheers, “thank God you are here”, and lots of hugs. The other day someone said it was our ministry. I was surprised by this but I guess it is although no one has put me and the word ministry in the same sentence before.
Yes. These are the kids and adults he bonds with the most. He is very in tune with whatever is going on with their moods. He was well trained with moodiness (he is my dog after all :)) Seriously though, he gravitates towards all kids but if one of them is upset in some way he spends more time with them. He is great with kids that are really shy about reading too.
N: Do the children themselves seem to respond differently toward Myles depending on their health issues? Are there children with specific mental health disorders or behavioral disorders who seem to “need” the therapy with Myles more so than other children? If so, how do they show this to you? Does Myles pick up on this need?
Another incredible day! We had a huge group of people mostly on the floor. Everyone rolled around with Myles. Everyone got covered in dog slobber and no one cared. Myles is so cute I can hardly stand it.
First he “notifies” me when it is time to leave for the behavioral health unit at the hospital. We have been going to this hospital for over 4 years. It is his FAVORITE place in the universe. We show up at 3:30pm on Fridays regardless of a holiday. At about 3pm Myles becomes increasingly anxious and will park himself in front of me. Being the butler as we call him (because he is so polite) he simply stares at me and waits for me to notice and then looks at the door. This is my cue to put the laptop down and get his therapy dog vest on him.
He instantly turns into “Myles at work”. He is very focused. Typically he stretches out in the car but not on Fridays and not when it is time to work. He sits straight up and monitors the road on the way to the hospital parking lot.
Most of our listeners and readers know all about Myles the Therapy Dog. He’s been in parades, traveled all over the United States, and logged miles of visits in outpatient and inpatient mental health organizations. He’s also worked at schools in special needs classrooms. We added his younger brother, Buddy, to the program as Myles got older. Buddy does most of the ball catching and delivering while Myles makes rounds to each patient or student so they can pet him and give him treats.
Jill Queen is the Regional Quality Manager for Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions and President of North Carolina Training, Instruction, Development and Education (NC TIDE), one of North Carolina’s premier training organizations for the behavioral healthcare industry.
Jason Davies joins hosts Kristin Sunanta Walker and Melissa Richards to discuss being a part of The National Conference on Addiction Disorders in Denver, CO. Jason is a counselor with Animal Assisted Therapy Programs of Colorado. He’s brought one of the dogs he utilizes in his therapy sessions, Harley. We talk about the work the organization does and how animals like rats, horses, rabbits, and dogs are used for effective human treatment!
