Touched by an Angel
Rohini Fernandes, a clinical psychologist, has a colleague quite unlike any other. Everyday Rohini goes to work with her best friend and role model — Angel, a beautiful Golden Retriever. Rohini, a certified Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) practitioner, works with ‘co-therapist’, Angel, to help adults and children improve social, verbal, physical and cognitive skills, as well as help clients deal with emotional and behavioural problems. With Angel’s help, Rohini has been able to get through to the most uncooperative of clients too. “Angel provides that extra something that a human therapist cannot. Having a friendly pet in the room helps the client relax,” says Rohini.
Rohini, started the Animal Angels Foundation (www.animalangelsfoundation.com) in January 2005, after Angel completed her training as a therapy dog. “The idea of using animals to help people first occurred to me during my fieldwork when I was studying for my Masters in Arts. We had to work in the psychiatric wards of various hospitals. I thought if only I could have a dog sitting by my side, rather than just apply the conventional therapy that we had to use,” says Rohini. Six months after starting the foundation, she met Radhika, who shared her passion for animals. Together the duo decided to reach out to as many people as they could. Today, the team at the foundation comprises four human therapists and 20 canine co-therapists.
“Our AAT programs in kindergartens and schools have helped educate children about animals. Showing children what it means to be responsible for another creature’s survival has helped them learn important lessons such as patience and kindness. We have successfully used AAT in areas of psychiatric disorders or physical disabilities with adults,” says Rohini.
Angel was selected for AAT after a temperament test when she was a puppy and was socialised to different situations and populations. “Angel has a very important role to play as my co-therapist. She knows what is expected of her and there are many instances where she has done exactly what I want her to do (like resting her head on a child’s lap) without me commanding her. She is my role model because she provides unconditional love and does not discriminate on grounds of colour, creed, deformity or failure,” says Rohini.
While Angel is a Golden Retriever, the breed is not as important in AAT as is a dog with a friendly personality and good temperament. “We have Labradors, Great Danes, Cocker Spaniels and even mixed breeds as part of our team,” says Rohini.
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