The Friendship Foundation

John George Psychiatric Pavilion 

This facility, a campus of the Alameda County Medical Center, is an acute care psychiatric hospital. The animal-assisted therapy program has been an extremely successful part of the patients’ treatment for approximately twenty years. Often individuals who receive care at this county facility have been marginalized by our society. They can derive great benefits from the small kindnesses of volunteers who interact with them. Prior to participation in treatment thru the a.a.t. group, patients are screened for their ability to respond appropriately to both members of the team – the handler and the dog. The group, led by occupational therapists, is introduced to each a.a.t. team. The handlers share information about their dogs and then group members share stories about their own pets or experiences with animals. This is followed by a chance to pet the dogs and watch some of them display their repertoire of clever tricks. Volunteers report this to be one of their most rewarding experiences. Therapists notice increased communication between patients and staff, improved sense of well-being, and more positive patient to patient interactions following participation in this group.