Animal-Assisted Therapy

The animal assisted therapy program at Corewell Health Children's is administered by the hospital's certified child life specialists. The program helps hundreds of young patients each year cope with the stress and anxiety of hospitalization through interactions with furry, four-legged volunteers.

Child life specialists accompany each dog and the dog's volunteer owner/handler on all visits with patients. The children enjoy petting the dogs, playing with them and simply focusing on something other than their health.

Animal assisted therapy is a goal-directed intervention designed to promote improvement in human physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning. The program helps the child life services team fulfill its mission to promote effective coping through play, preparation, education, and self-expression activities.

In addition to room visits and extra one-on-one time for patients who need more support, the animal-assisted therapy program offers several therapeutic components, including:

• Distraction during IV starts and other minor procedures
• Assist with physical therapy or occupational therapy sessions
• Special group events

All participating dogs are certified through Therapy Dogs International.