Ken Huey described to Lon Woodbury on L.A. Talk Radio how canine therapy works. He discussed how and why pet dogs like Golden Retrievers help in residential treatment for kids with attachment issues, particularly those who have been adopted.
About Ken Huey and Change Academy of the Ozaarks (CALO)
After completing his BA in English, Ken Huey received a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from Florida State University. He then earned his Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Purdue University. Dr. Huey has been working with troubled youth for 17 years, starting as a therapist in community mental health, and then later spending time in a private practice.
In November of 2006, Dr. Huey launched CALO, a relationship-based change program. Creating meaningful relationships with parents or guardians by looking after purebred Golden Retrievers is the heart of the canine therapy treatment model.
How Canine Therapy Heals Children
Dr. Huey related to Lon Woodbury exactly how golden retrievers help students establish love and responsibility by taking care of their adopted animals.
As pupils experience the problems of training their newly adopted Golden Retrievers, they start to understand the aggravations their new Moms and Dads may have experienced. This experientially introduces them to concepts like caring, sympathy, and obligation.
Since golden retrievers have a calming effect on humans by regulating blood pressure and heart rate, they teach playful and loving acceptance. This is an invaluable life lesson for students who have been physically abused or never had the calming physical closeness of a loving parent earlier in life.
Typically, golden retrievers don't respond well unless given clear instructions from a care-giver. As a result, students learn healthy ways to assert themselves and how they send and receive verbal and non-verbal messages.
Dr. Huey also shared some examples where dog ownership taught the children to become much more aware and well-balanced. In one story, for example, a girl learned how to feed her dog regularly after it began to lose a noticeable amount of weight. This girl gradually became aware that she had unintentionally treated the dog with the same neglect with which she had been treated in her early years. By learning to care for her own adopted dog, she also learned how to care for herself.
Conclusion
Eventually, the canine-adolescent relationship enables students to develop an understanding of adult love, a process described as "transferable attachment." While standard talk therapy frequently fails to have any result on adopted kids, canine therapy works wonders because the experience of taking care of all the demands of a pet can inform kids what their foster Moms and Dads experienced as well.
About Ken Huey and Change Academy of the Ozaarks (CALO)
After completing his BA in English, Ken Huey received a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from Florida State University. He then earned his Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Purdue University. Dr. Huey has been working with troubled youth for 17 years, starting as a therapist in community mental health, and then later spending time in a private practice.
In November of 2006, Dr. Huey launched CALO, a relationship-based change program. Creating meaningful relationships with parents or guardians by looking after purebred Golden Retrievers is the heart of the canine therapy treatment model.
How Canine Therapy Heals Children
Dr. Huey related to Lon Woodbury exactly how golden retrievers help students establish love and responsibility by taking care of their adopted animals.
As pupils experience the problems of training their newly adopted Golden Retrievers, they start to understand the aggravations their new Moms and Dads may have experienced. This experientially introduces them to concepts like caring, sympathy, and obligation.
Since golden retrievers have a calming effect on humans by regulating blood pressure and heart rate, they teach playful and loving acceptance. This is an invaluable life lesson for students who have been physically abused or never had the calming physical closeness of a loving parent earlier in life.
Typically, golden retrievers don't respond well unless given clear instructions from a care-giver. As a result, students learn healthy ways to assert themselves and how they send and receive verbal and non-verbal messages.
Dr. Huey also shared some examples where dog ownership taught the children to become much more aware and well-balanced. In one story, for example, a girl learned how to feed her dog regularly after it began to lose a noticeable amount of weight. This girl gradually became aware that she had unintentionally treated the dog with the same neglect with which she had been treated in her early years. By learning to care for her own adopted dog, she also learned how to care for herself.
Conclusion
Eventually, the canine-adolescent relationship enables students to develop an understanding of adult love, a process described as "transferable attachment." While standard talk therapy frequently fails to have any result on adopted kids, canine therapy works wonders because the experience of taking care of all the demands of a pet can inform kids what their foster Moms and Dads experienced as well.
About the Author:
Lon Woodbury, the founder of Struggling Teens, has recorded the entire interview on his weekly L.A. Talk Radio show for people to listen to at their convenience.
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