Rolo shines a spotlight on Anxiety ❤️

Hello there everyone,

Rolo here, just woofing in! Most people seem to know me now but for those who don’t, I work with Heidi in Animal Assisted Play Therapy®. We go into schools to support some of their vulnerable children and young people.

Today I’m going to shine a spotlight on anxiety. So how can Heidi and I work with anxiety? First of all, we meet the child or young person where they’re at. In Animal Assisted Play Therapy® no one has to participate unless they want to. When people are anxious they might not want to make eye contact, which is fine because we dogs can handle that.

Many children and young people instead enjoy stroking or even grooming my poodle coat. Research shows that stroking an animal releases oxytocin, which is a feel good chemical! It’s been shown that even just looking at an animal can have a similar effect, so this probably explains why children and young people who suffer with anxiety seem to enjoy having me in the room!

Sometimes I’ll do something silly which can really help break the ice. I also love a bit of training! Heidi and I find that anxious children often get into that surprisingly quickly. Maybe it’s because I don’t get it all right, so they get to show me how to do something properly. Heidi makes sure that I don’t get stressed because, like children and young people, I have to be comfortable with a task. So it can’t go on for too long! The children and young people always end up less anxious and gain all sorts of skills, as well as self-confidence, from training me. And I have fun, too, so it’s a win-win! Sometimes we even do presentations to others in school!

I'll be sharing more with you in the next blog, but if you'd like to work with Heidi and me in your Oxfordshire school, get in touch at: info@clear-sky.org.uk for more information. 

Rolo 🐾

Animal Assisted Play Therapy Information Sheet