Recently, Exult Healthcare did new employee training except it was a bit different. Our latest therapist is Koa, a 3 foot, 5 pound Labradoodle. He has his licensing as well in AAT (Animal-Assisted Therapy).
Koa partakes in therapy sessions from individual, adolescent, family, and couple counseling. Koa is not there just to be a cute pet to look at, he is fundamental in the therapeutic sessions that happen. Animal-assisted therapy provide a sense of calmness, comfort, safety, and become a destressor. Dogs are sensitive to the changes of human facial expression, behavior, and emotion. This is a big reason why Exult chose to begin animal-assisted therapy. The studies that support AAT help show the wide variety of mental illness’s they treat from anxiety to PTSD (https://mayocl.in/2Hw138P).
A session with Koa is dependent on you. Throughout the session he will not come to you unless called
or motioned for. He will be attuned to you and your needs throughout the session. As you have repeated sessions, you will begin to grow a closeness to Koa. You, as the client, go at your own pace of touching, looking, and interaction with Koa.
Koa’s trainer is Astrid Thomson who also provides Exult with equine therapy. He is available to be a part of your recovery team at Exult Healthcare.
