About Animal-Assisted Therapy
At Cincinnati Children’s, we know a hospital stay, medical procedure or appointment can be a frightening, stressful experience for any child. We offer several animal-assisted therapy programs to help children cope with their health challenges and the treatment they require. Programs include small animal therapy, facility dogs, volunteer dogs and pet visits through the Family Pet Center.
Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapy
- Motivates children to reach specific goals, such as walking, taking medicine and eating.
- Normalizes the hospital experience and makes it less stressful by making it feel more like home.
- Offers children a sense of unconditional love and acceptance.
- Provides a great distraction for children of all ages to minimize anxiety and improve their coping skills.
- Enables positive therapeutic experiences in a stressful hospital environment.
- Reduces stress, fear, loneliness and pain, which improves the healing process and makes care a more positive experience.
