When you think of therapy you might not think of animals, but the use of dogs and other animals in therapy can be very beneficial. Licensed professional therapists Jodi Gies-Crowder and Becky Greenwood, along with her dog Hershel, visited the Rotary Club Wednesday to talk about Centennial Mental Health Center’s animal assisted therapy program.

Gies-Crowder started the program at Centennial in 2006, after finding out about the Delta Society, an organization that certifies therapy dogs.

“It intrigued me, so I started doing research on animals being used in therapeutic ways with individuals with challenges,” she said.

She believed having an animal assisted therapy program would be “really good in a rural area, because animals really play a role in a lot of clients’ lives.” She put together a proposal for management at Centennial and they approved.

At first, Gies-Crowder did some work with her own Corgi dog, bringing him with her to a school to help a child with anxiety to lessen their anxiety. Now, Centennial has three animal assisted therapists: Greenwood, who works with clients in Centennial’s central region, Fort Morgan and Akron, and two who work in the Elizabeth area.

Greenwood has had Hershel for a couple years. He was rescued from a shelter in Phoenix, Ariz., by her daughter.

“So I’m actually his grandma and that’s an important part of therapy, because there’s a lot of kids that are being raised by grandparents, so Hershel can relate to being raised by somebody other than your biological parent,” she said.

The two are relatively new to the animal assisted therapy business. Right now, Hershel’s job is to go with Greenwood to substance abuse groups.

“I wasn’t sure the first time I took him in how he would do, but he’s a natural; he can work a room better than anybody I’ve ever seen. He knows who to go to without being prompted. If somebody’s anxious, he just kind of works his way over, very unassuming, he just kind of hangs out there, checks in on people,” she said.

Gies-Crowder spoke about some of the early pioneers who recognized the importance of the human animal bond, including Florence Nightingale, who had a pet owl that she would take to see her patients to help serve as a distraction from their pain.

Other pioneers include Jane Goodall, who spent many years with chimpanzees in Tanzania, Africa, and Dian Fossey, who wrote “Gorillas in the Mist.”

Gies-Crower talked about the training and credentialing that it takes to work in the animal assisted therapy program.

“There is a lot of screening and training that goes into getting to the place where Becky and Hershel are and Colorado’s a real hot spot for that and I don’t think a lot of people know that,” she said.

Denver University Graduate School of Social Work is the leading school in this country on research in the area of human animal bond. About four years ago, they instigated a master’s degree in animal assisted social work and all of the individuals involved in that program have an opportunity to do conservation work in Africa.

Some of the animal assisted therapy organizations in Colorado include Professional Therapy Dogs of Colorado; Animal Assisted Therapy Programs of Colorado and the Barking C.A.A.T. Ranch; and Therapy Dogs Inc. Both Therapy Dogs Inc. and Delta Society do credentialing, training and registration for individuals who want to work with animals in medical settings or schools.

Organizations outside of Colorado include Intermountain Therapy Animals, who use dogs to help children to read, and Puppies Behind Bars, which trains prison inmates to raise service dogs. Gies-Crowder noted Sterling Correctional Facility has its own program, where inmates train service and therapy dogs.

She talked about the use of therapy dogs to help children after the Sandy Hook shooting, as well as organizations like Freedom Service Dogs, which trains rescue dogs as service dogs for returning veterans.

Gies-Crowder also discussed Centennial’s “stringent screening, training process,” which starts with an initial screening with the interested handler. They talk to the handler about whether the dog has ever had any aggressive behavior, if it has any medical conditions, what kind of training the dog has had and what kind of experience the handler has with the dog.

Interested persons must then go through Delta Society or Therapy Dogs Inc. and get a registration, “because that’s like another set of eyes that’s going to be on them,” Gies-Crowder said. After that, handlers must attend a two-day intensive training with Professional Therapy Dogs of Colorado, “to get them started in learning the more clinical aspects and interventions.”

There is also ongoing training and supervision.

Greenwood pointed out that the training is not only about learning about the clinical aspects, but “watching how much (the dog) can tolerate and not pushing him too hard.”

Both women talked about how the dogs are used in therapy. They can be used to help not only children with stress, but children struggling with behavior. Greenwood noted having the child teach a dog a new trick is a great way for the child to learn about following directions, being patient and following through on things.

They also use the dogs with families, asking the family to teach the dog a trick, such as getting the dog to jump or walk through a hula hoop, which creates a situation where the family has to communicate.

“It creates this kind of friendly atmosphere in this what could have been a family session that would get verbally kind of aggressive and this family suddenly has to all come together to work towards this common goal,” Gies-Crowder said. “It also creates this rich experience for the therapist to observe this family, where the alliances are and the communication happens, where the different roles are.”

“It turns this situation that might be adversarial into this really great experience for the family and they learn, you know, we can communicate, we can communicate together toward a common goal.”

Callie Jones: 970-526-9286, cjones@journal-advocate.com