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| Published Monday, April 12, 2021
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Puppies join a project of assisted psychotherapy in the Mental Health and Psychiatry Unit at the San Juan de Dios Public Hospital, in San José Province, Social Security said.
The use of puppies to help people with mental illness will develop during this year. The puppies will also be used to help some patients with heart disease, cancer, and in group sessions.
This method of therapy is led by Marielos Fernández, a nurse from the Mental Health Unit, who uses the pets from Psicopet, an organization that works with psychologies and has trained dogs, which are certified clinical in this type of therapy.
"This work is done by Psicopet voluntarily, which allows us to have more tools to work with the patients that we already have selected," Fernández said. "In individual and group sessions, issues such as self-confidence, depression, anxiety and pain for an unexpected diagnosis."
The Affinity Foundation who has worked for more than 30 years with animals and people, said that animals used in therapies have undergone training and been integrated into a multidisciplinary team of health and education professionals.
They help improve patients' interpersonal and social contact, as well as stimulate their physical and mental activity. In other words, the use of therapy dogs mainly helps focus on four specific aspects or areas such as physical, cognitive, emotional and relational.
According to Fernández, there is no health without mental health, that is why it is vital to strengthen the emotional resources of patients through different therapeutic tools, including puppies.
Take the recent case Gerardo Picado where he practiced puppy therapy. He said that attending his sessions was a positive experience because he would be accompanied by a three-year-old dog named Blanquita.
"I felt very good, talking is always good, as the minutes passed the puppy felt more comfortable and was very loving with me, also, I felt more comfortable talking about what the professional was asking of me," Picado said.
According to Sonia González, a clinical psychologist at Psicopet, these interventions with puppies create a bond between the patient and the animal to improve communication and be able to work on anxiety, depression and stress, among other issues.
"The relaxation that the puppy produces is an excellent benefit since the patient is more motivated and committed to the process," Gonzalez said. "In some cases, we even teach patients how to use their pets as an important therapy resource for them."
The participating dogs must be qualified therapy pets. They must pass a test to define if they are suitable to work with people, and they receive training that lasts one year, Gonzalez said.
This year, group sessions are also being held for hospital employees, their families and their pets through virtual sessions, according to Social Security.
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