Ever Wonder Why Dogs are Present in Therapy? Counselor Trainee Shares How Her Therapy Dog and the Polyvagal Theory Help Her Students
Science tells us that when we feel safe and connected, humans can learn and grow and thrive.
As a counselor in schools, I’ve spent years reading about classroom management strategies, interventions and relationship building activities to increase feelings of connectedness and safety in our students in order to help support their availability for learning. I worked really, really hard to build supportive relationships with children where my counseling office could become a safe space at school. I’ve invested hours with individual children, making connections throughout their school day, connecting with their families, so that if or when a moment of distress hit in their lives, they might feel safe to feel, and be, with me.
And then, our school got a therapy dog, Gily.
Suddenly, what took me time and intentional effort, took our school therapy dog… 5 minutes. Suddenly, what took me intentional language and the right soothing words or the funny line to make a child laugh, took the school therapy dog one simple cuddle. I didn’t really understand what was happening initially, I just knew this dog was making quick changes in childrens’ moods, really easily.
Since coming to work at Rooted Compassion as a clinical mental health counselor in training, so much has clicked about what has been happening with Gily and the students she has worked with.
The Polyvagal Theory tells us that our individual nervous systems pick up on cues of safety around us.
As human beings, we have a natural need and desire to be connected to others and when we are not, the feeling of emotional danger can creep in and cause our nervous system to be unregulated. When we feel safe and connected to another, co-regulation is occurring. As humans, we can adjust our behavior and the environment in a number of ways to create this feeling of safety for others; our body language, tone of voice, facial expressions all communicate much more than our words ever could.
Through this connection, we co-regulate.
So then, can a dog co-regulate with a human? The answer is a resounding YES!
Dr. Porges says, when it comes to co-regulation, “Any mammal will do!” In my experience dogs can be exceptionally good at it. Our individual nervous systems pick up on the safety cues dogs often give off. When a dog feels safe, it gets closer to you, it wags its tail, it cuddles, it looks you in the eye. Everything about a therapy dog’s calm body language expresses his or her safety and instantaneously gives our nervous system cues to feel safe too.
This co-regulation between humans and dogs can be extended to other mammalian pets as well. We can build secure, safe attachments to these beloved pets, which can help us co-regulate and calm ourselves through closeness to them. Touching a nurturing animal can rapidly calm and soothe us when we’re stressed or anxious. A family pet might do more to ease the separation anxiety a child might feel at bedtime and increase feelings of safety and security than any routine or comforting words a parent might offer.
Interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone) and lower blood pressure, all connecting back to our nervous system.
Having Gily join me in therapy sessions at Rooted Compassion has provided me with the opportunity to watch her be incredibly present with the people she is interacting with. When someone is struggling, she seems to just innately know to lay still and stay close.
A nurturing dog's focus is on the human at all times; it makes sense that the science tells us that dogs reduce feelings of loneliness and increase feelings of social support given their full attention to being present with their people.
We all crave safe spaces. Spaces we feel connected and secure. I am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to incorporate a therapy dog into the counseling space for those that might benefit from interacting with her.
REFERENCES:
The Power of Pets | NIH News in Health. (n.d.). Retrieved September 13, 2022, from https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power-pets
The Health Benefit of Companion Animals| Pets Are Wonderful Support (n.d.). Retrieved September 13, 2022 from https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/management/upload/comment-4704-attachment_.pdf
PHOTOS:
Pawprint in the sand - Photo by Unsplash
Dog, woman and child - Photo by Unsplash
Keri & Gily
Keri Perdrix (she/her/hers) is a licensed school counselor and is currently a student in Xavier University’s bridge program to obtain her mental health counseling license. As a clinical counselor in training, Keri is working towards a Trauma Responsive Care certification. She aims to create a secure, affirming, relationally-focused environment for every individual she works with so they feel safe and empowered to explore and overcome challenges.
The Rooted Compassion team is made up of a group of counselors who have a variety of specialties in order to best serve our clients. We recognize that every person has his/her own personal and unique life experiences and that one modality will not work for every client. Listed below is a summary of our counselors’ specialties at Rooted Compassion:
Emotional Freedom Techniques
Grief Counseling
Somatic Focused Counseling
EMDR
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Mindfulness-Based Practices
Trauma Responsive Care Techniques
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Drama Therapy/Expressive Arts
If you are interested in learning more about what Rooted Compassion is all about, please contact us today, look through our website, or find us on Instagram and Facebook.
Rooted Compassion Counseling is Ohio’s leading practice for trauma therapy through the lens of the nervous system. Our focus is to walk alongside clients as they heal from depression, anxiety, trauma, grief and/or loss. If you or someone you know are seeking to explore and build an inner sense of calm and safety, please contact us today. We would love to help you to find a counselor and counseling techniques that will guide you on your mental health journey to healing.
