Pets in the Classroom

Joey is an albino, leopard Gecko currently in our Outreach Program; although, he has been part of our Summer Camp Program as well as our Day Treatment Classrooms.  Joey comes to our organization with a unique ability to support trauma as he himself has a traumatic past that included time in a Special Care Nursery when he was first born.  This gives our clinicians who work with Joey and clients opportunities to discuss trauma, and introduce empathy, as well as demonstrate how one can thrive after a traumatic start.  Joey helps decrease anxiety, can be an amazing motivator, and can also be used to support regulation.  Joey has been accessed by clients and families to provide support and decrease anxiety, as just holding Joey can have this impact. The benefits of working with Joey are demonstrated daily and he is well-loved by staff, clients, families, and all who meet him.

Animal Integrated Programs

Pathstone Mental Health continues to embed innovative, and evidence-based therapies to support our young people and families to thrive. Pathstone has introduced Animal Integrated Interventions. This is a broad term that is commonly used to describe the use of various animals in animal assisted therapy. Animal integrated interventions are goal-directed interventions which can be an integral part of the treatment process. They are designed to promote improvement in human physical, social, emotional or cognitive function. Facility animal are expertly trained to partner with a handler and are committed to serving their clients.