Ken Huey clarified to Lon Woodbury on L.A. Talk Radio how canine therapy works. He discussed how and why golden retrievers are pet dogs that work perfectly for kids with attachment disorders, especially if those kids are adopted.
Background On Ken Huey and Change Academy of the Ozaarks
After finishing his BA in English, Ken Huey got a Masters degree in Psychology from Florida State University. He then studied for a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Treatment at Purdue University. Dr. Huey has been dealing with struggling youth for more than 17 years, starting his work as a therapist in community mental wellness then later opening a private practice.
In November of 2006, Dr. Huey founded Change Academy of the Ozaarks, a relationship-based behavior modification program. Creating meaningful relationships with parents or guardians by taking care of purebred Golden Retrievers is the heart of the canine therapy treatment model.
How Canine Therapy Heals Children
Dr. Huey explained to Lon Woodbury exactly how Golden Retrievers help students develop love and responsibility by taking care of their adopted pets. Students also heal through other therapeutic programs, as well as by spending time at the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks with their dogs, fellow students, and therapists.
Pupils also heal through a variety of other restorative programs, in addition to healing by spending time at the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks with their canines, fellow students, and therapists. As students experience the problems involved in training their adopted golden retrievers, they start to comprehend the disappointments their foster Moms and Dads could have experienced. This experientially introduces them to concepts like caring, empathy, sympathy and family duty.
Considering the simple fact that golden retrievers have a calming effect on humans by helping them lower their blood pressure and heart rate, they they teach the joy of being playful and loving. This is an invaluable life lesson for pupils who have been physically abused or who have never had the relaxing physical closeness of a loving mother and father earlier on in life.
Typically, Golden Retrievers do not respond well to people unless given clear directions from a care-giver. As a result, pupils discover healthy means to be assertive and sending and receiving spoken and non-verbal messages.
Dr. Huey shared some examples where pet dog ownership instructed the kids to become a lot more mindful and well-balanced. In one story, for example, a young lady discovered ways to feed her canine regularly after it started to lose a recognizable quantity of weight. This young lady slowly became aware that she had unintentionally treated the canine with the exact same neglect with which she had actually been treated in her early years. By finding out how to care for her own adopted dog, she discovered the best ways to begin to take care of herself.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the canine-adolescent relationship allows students to develop an understanding of parental love, a process referred to as “transferrable attachment.” While traditional talk therapy often fails to have an effect on adopted children, canine therapy, the experience of looking after all the needs of a dog, can teach them what their adopted parents must go through as well.
Learn more about Lon Woodbury on Struggling Teens. He has recorded the entire interview on his weekly L.A. Talk Radio show for people to listen to at any time.
