AIR® Dogs: Paws for Minds Therapy Dog Program

AIR® Dogs: Paws for Minds Therapy Dog Program

 

The simple action of petting a dog releases all good de-stressing brain chemical. Interacting with a dog lowers our cortisol stress level. This is a comprehensive program utilizing trained and certified therapy dogs for our mental health. Individuals can train with AIR to certify their personal dog. AIR also offers the AIR School Therapy Dog Program to train dogs owned by school staff members to enhance certified therapy dogs' presence in schools.

 

 

Dogs and handlers are trained and certified to work with students in several ways.
  • All AIR℠ Dog handlers are asked to be Youth Mental Health First Aid certified.
  • The AIR℠ Dogs program evaluators tests and certify dogs with a specific focus on mental wellness, specifically for youth.
1.AIR℠ Mental Wellness Programs - Therapy Dogs accompany AIR volunteers during all AIR Mental Health & Suicide Prevention programming. Program range from elementary through college-age. Discussing mental health and suicide prevention can be difficult topics. After the presentation students are encouraged to meet with the dogs to help them de-stress after what could be a difficult, possibly triggering, program.
 At one school a young woman was triggered by the suicide prevention discussion. She was in tears but refused to talk to a counselor. With less than 5 minutes of interacting with a dog, this young woman stopped crying and left the auditorium with the counselor. 
2. AIR℠ Facility Therapy Dogs - AIR Dog certified trainers and evaluators work with school personnel to prepare teams to work as facility therapy dogs through Animal Assisted Intervention. Training is for the human, as well as the canine, to ensure that all training provides a safe, beneficial environment for students, staff and dogs. Personnel can include school counselors who use Animal Assisted Therapy and build the dog into the treatment plan for the student.
3. AIR℠ Crisis Support Dogs - In the wake of a tragedy AIR Dog volunteers travel to schools to share their dogs with grieving students and faculty. When the dogs enter the facility, there is a change in atmosphere. Students sit on the floor with the dogs, and the counselors sit on the floor with students and the healing can begin.
4.  AIR℠ Awareness Therapy Dogs - Certified Therapy Dogs attend community events, helping to break down the barriers of stigma and help start many conversations about good mental health and suicide prevention.
5.   AIR℠ ESA Dogs – AIR Dogs can assist those looking to train and certify an Emotional Support Animal under the Fair Housing Act (HUD). 

For Information on how your dog can become an AIR Dog or if you are a supervisor interested in having therapy dog teams trained for your school facility please contact us Click Here
Interested in Finding out more about Therapy Dogs, Emotional Support Dogs and Service Dogs?
Speaker, Tricia Baker, CPDT-KA, Therapy Dog Evaluator, Canine Good Citizen Evaluator & Certified Mental Health First Aider presents Paws for Wellness. To find out information on this one-hour presentation covering the benefits of support animals contact us Click here

 

Donate by Mail:
Attitudes In Reverse
Attn: Donate to AIR® Dogs: Paws for Minds Therapy Dog Program
PO Box 3127
Princeton, NJ 08543-3127