PAWS Your Stress: The Student Experience of Therapy Dog Programming

Auteurs-es

  • Rebecca Lalonde University of Saskatchewan
  • Colleen Dell
  • Tim Claypool

Résumé

Animal Assisted Activity (AAA) programs have emerged as a popular form of support for students. This study is an in-depth, qualitative examination of the experiences and perspectives of four frequent student participants of an AAA program at a Midwestern Canadian university. Semi-structured interviews resulted in identification of common themes in the student experience. Participants reported that the program provided opportunities to be in-the-moment, facilitated social connections, and complemented existing healthy coping skills. Students also expressed feeling loved, comforted, and supported. Implications and recommendations for AAA programming in a post-secondary setting are discussed.

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Publié-e

2020-12-18

Numéro

Rubrique

Research Study/Recherche