HAND-IN-PAW INC
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Mission Statement
To improve human health and well-being through Animal-Assisted Therapy.
About This Cause
Hand in Paw is Alabama's premier Animal-Assisted Therapy provider and a national leader in the field. We provide services in collaboration with 100 medical centers, schools, and human service agencies throughout North Central Alabama. From school classrooms and counseling offices, group homes for youth with behavioral challenges, substance abuse recovery units, domestic violence shelters, cancer treatment centers, to early intervention programs for children with developmental delays, the applications are endless, and effective across the board. Medical and educational professionals with whom we partner report often that Animal-Assisted Therapy calms and motivates patients/students when it seems like nothing else will. In the course of therapy, recovery, rehabilitation and painful treatment, motivation is a critical factor, affecting a person’s ability to rise above any number of challenges. Through our programs, interventions are delivered by carefully screened, rigorously trained volunteer handler and animal Therapy Teams. Therapy Teams are re-evaluated every two years, receive continuing education, and follow strict risk management and infection control protocol at all times. Hand in Paw’s staff works to recruit, screen, train, test, place and manage volunteers, implement, coordinate and evaluate programs, and raise awareness in the community of the many physical, mental and educational benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapy. Our unique programs tackle some of the biggest challenges facing our region: • Pawsitive Living™ is a curriculum-based violence prevention program for at-risk teens and preteens. It helps find solutions to life’s challenges, from communication and conflict resolution to understanding self-worth. Contract Program Facilitators lead a number of Therapy Teams equal to the number of youth. Working with pets empowers the youth and teaches responsibility and compassion. • No More Bullying! is a 5-session humane education program for elementary and middle school children. Incorporating the expertise of educators, counselors and animal behaviorists, the program gives children the skill set to solve problems in a caring and productive way and the courage to stand up for themselves and those who are weaker. • Our Petscription program helps people reach therapeutic and educational goals. Therapy Teams work with medical professionals and educators to help patients and students grasp, stand, walk, speak, learn, make breakthroughs during counseling sessions, or they may simply provide needed distractions from pain and fear. • In our Sit, Stay, Read! program, reluctant young readers are paired with our Therapy Teams to make reading a positive, non-threatening learning experience. Children with low self-esteem are often more willing to interact with an animal than with a person. Teachers report an increase in self-confidence, classroom participation and academic performance as a result. We believe that our videos demonstrate our impact in a special way. They include many heartfelt testimonials from volunteers, community partners, and patients whose lives have been improved thanks to our Therapy Teams. To view, please visit https://handinpaw.org/media/video-gallery.