Studies show that 46-75% of children experience trauma, often resulting in depression, anxiety, and challenging behavior as well as long-term physical and mental health issues. Today's educators, counselors, and clinicians need the right strategies to help. Written by experts with years of experience working with children and teens exposed to…

This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of educators who have had two or more direct interactions with therapy dogs in the classroom setting. Specifically, this study seeks to explore the attitudes and beliefs of teachers as it relates to the use of therapy dogs to de-escalate students exhibiting undesirable behaviors. Additionally,…

Canine-assisted activities in schools can benefit students' educational, emotional, and social needs. Furthermore, they could be an effective form of non-clinical mental health treatment for children and adolescents. In the United Kingdom, school dogs are growing in popularity, however, little is known about how parents perceive canine-assisted…

The current study experimentally evaluated the effects of therapeutic horseback riding on the behavior of children with autism using a multiple baseline across participants design and a waitlist control group for comparison purposes. Participants were observed weekly in an after-school program during four center-based activities and during…

This study investigated the effects of experimentally modifying interpretation biases for children's cognitions, avoidance behavior, anxiety vulnerability, and physiological responding. Sixty-seven children (6-11 years) were randomly assigned to receive a positive or negative interpretation bias modification procedure to induce interpretation…

Described in this article are outcomes, procedures, and suggestions for incorporating a dog into a classroom for students with emotional or behavioral disorders. First, the outcomes for the inclusion of a dog are presented and are reported from an empirical study conducted by the author. Next, details are provided on how teachers would initially…