I received an interesting email today, and since I get similar emails pretty often, I thought I’d share my answer with readers.
Hello,
My name is ____ and I'm from Israel. I'm on my fourth year of internship in clinical psychology, and many of my patients are diagnosed with PTSD or CPTSD.
Unfortunately, therapy with dogs is not a very familiar treatment in my country, and I believe that this therapy can really help people who are suffering and it can provide them a better life.
Unfortunately, therapy with dogs is not a very familiar treatment in my country, and I believe that this therapy can really help people who are suffering and it can provide them a better life.
I want to integrate this therapy in my clinic, so I would like to know if there is an option to learn it in your center, and whether there is, I would appreciate any further details on the process.
Thank you.
Hello,
Unfortunately, we don’t have a program like that. One reason is that when therapist realize that therapy dogs shouldn’t work more than two hours a day—once that fact is settled, many therapists decide to go some other route.)
I do know one person who is a therapist, who works with her dogs (she is a speech therapist).
There is no official licensing requirement for working with an animal in your therapy practice. What she did:
- Read “Before and After Getting Your Puppy” by Dr Ian Dunbar
- Bought a Golden Retriever puppy from a great breeder that has mellow dogs
- Took a puppy socialization class with the puppy, like at
- Took Obedience 1, 2, and 3 classes (about six months long each) like at
- Took two Therapy Dog classes, like at
- Then she brings her dog to her practice, up to two hours a day. (Therapy dogs shouldn’t work more than that.)
I hope you find this helpful!
Best regards,
Tom Coleman
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