By Stephanie Yamkovenko
The room darkens as clouds from an advancing thunderstorm block the sunlight. Mia senses that thunder and lightning will soon follow. Frightened, she runs across the room, leaps onto the couch, and curls into the lap of her owner. Mia, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, is the pet of Jan Rowe, DrOT, OTR/L, associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Rowe will share Mias storm fears and anxietiesand what coping strategies she demonstrateswith a classroom of children as a part of Childrens Mental Health Awareness Day on May 7.
Rowe will take Mia to Engel Therapeutic School at UAB. Engel School addresses both academic performance and social participation for children ages 3 to 21 years who are emotionally and behaviorally at risk. Hand in Pawan affiliate of the Delta Society that registers animal-assisted therapy teamsprovides monthly visits to Engel School. The visit during Mental Health Month will emphasize promoting discussion of fears and other issues.
For the past 50 years, Mental Health America has celebrated Mental Health Month in May to elevate public awareness. In addition, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) designates one day in May for Childrens Mental Health Awareness Day.
The goals for the awareness day are to raise awareness of effective programs, to demonstrate how initiatives promote positive youth development, and to support children at risk to thrive in their communities.
Rowe regularly volunteers with Hand-in-Paw, and for the awareness day, she and her dog Mia, along with Hand-in-Paw volunteer Betsy Smith and her cocker spaniel Mandy, will visit Engel classrooms and share letters describing each dogs personality, likes, and anxieties. Rowe and Smith hope the letters will facilitate discussion among the students about their own mental health needs.
The children become engaged and interested in the classroom activity because of the dogs friendly and approachable manner. Because many of the children at Engel have or want dogs, Rowe incorporates training, grooming, and pet care tips during her visits so the children can become responsible pet owners. Caring for a pet is an instrumental activity of daily living that can build self-esteem and a sense of responsibility and purpose. Pet ownership can help a child at risk to develop social relationships building on trust, positive feedback, and nurturing.
Studies have shown that stigma is the greatest barrier to children and youth with mental health needs and their families seeking help, and a part of Childrens Mental Health Awareness Day is to reduce that stigma and demonstrate how mental health concerns affect all youth (SAMHSA, 2009).
Occupational therapy specifically addresses stigmas by facilitating people to engage in various occupations, like pet ownership, thereby demonstrating that children with mental health needs can be vital members of society through occupations and participation, says Rowe. The pets also allow the children to bond with another living being when many have had negative relationships with other people.
Occupational therapy plays a unique and holistic role in childrens mental health. Practitioners seek to determine what factors affect the childs ability to meet the demands of his or her occupations and fully participate in them. Participating in meaningful roles and activitiessuch as hobbies, sports, and schoolprovides satisfaction and a sense of purpose for children, which helps develop self-control and a positive self-image.
Practitioners also have expertise in breaking down tasks to identify the factors in the childs functional performance that result in poor ability to adapt to changing expectations in the home, school, and community. Poor adaptation can lead to stress, and for children at risk, high stress situations can promote poor or inappropriate behaviors.
The theme of this years awareness day is Thriving in the Community, which fits nicely with the profession of occupational therapy because participation is a vital part of the professions focus and its brand Living Life To Its Fullest, says Rowe.
Having relationships with pets is a community-focused activity because it promotes social participation for people with mental illness through engagement with the animal, communication, and performing tasks dependably (Zimolag & Krupa, 2009).
Pet ownership is a big responsibility, says Rowe. If the students show an interest in this responsibility, we want to help make that happen, because owning a pet can help the children thrive in their communities.
Stephanie Yamkovenko is AOTAs staff writer.
Resources
AOTA has resources for both consumers and practitioners interested in learning more about occupational therapys role in childrens mental health.
References:
Zimolag, U., & Krupa, T. (2009). Pet ownership as a meaningful community occupation for people with serious mental illness. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63,126137.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2009). National Childrens Mental Health Awareness Day. Retrieved April 27, 2009, from http://www.tapartnership.org/resources/awarenessday.asp
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