Animal-assisted therapy can promote mental well-being across all age ranges, says 香港六合彩精准资料 accredited counsellor and psychotherapist Sarah Urwin.
Sarah says the unconditional affection and acceptance offered by animals can strike a chord with old people and young people alike.
And she says the benefits include development of relationships and better social interaction, relief from anxiety and stress; and the chance to learn new skills.
Around a third of Sarah鈥檚 clients at her Counselling and Therapy Services near Dartmoor are supported through animal-assisted therapy, equine-assisted therapy or walk and talk sessions on the rolling Devon hills.
鈥淎nimals don鈥檛 care who you are,鈥� said Sarah. 鈥淵ou could be from any level of society, they are unconditional in that regard.
鈥淪ome people feel safer around animals. They get an opportunity to form a relationship in a way they won鈥檛 be able to with a human. It doesn鈥檛 have strings attached.鈥�
Calming
In Oxfordshire, Jill Tidswell took her labrador Choco (pictured below) into a nearby school to help children with learning difficulties and into a home for people with dementia.
Jill said she wanted to use her spare time to do some charitable work 鈥� 鈥渂ut I didn鈥檛 want to leave Choco on his own at home鈥� 鈥� and so became involved with Pets As Therapy.
鈥淭he children would read books to him, they found it quite calming,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit of a treat for them if they can sit on the floor, stroke the dog and read to him.
鈥淭he people in the home had varying degrees of dementia but seeing and stroking Choco they would remember or talk about their pets.
鈥淭hey might remember they had a pet from 80 years ago when they were growing up but couldn鈥檛 tell you if they had children. That was astonishing, really.鈥�
Choco the labrador has visited a school and a home for people with dementia in Oxfordshire
Sarah鈥檚 therapy includes work with horses, dogs and cats, and she says the interest is growing all the time.
鈥淲e really are taking mental health more seriously,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 partly why interest has picked up in animal-assisted therapy, because we are looking for intervention that works, particularly around young people.
鈥淎nd for older people too. For example, I鈥檝e worked with animals like donkeys or small ponies, because older people can remember them from the beach as a child. It is amazing the stories that come out and what they can remember.鈥�
She added: 鈥淭here are a lot of different things going on out there, they are not all the same. It鈥檚 very much that there is something for everyone.鈥�