Restoring Something Lost - The Mental Health Impact of Therapy Dogs in Prisons
"...the Centre for Mental Health published a new report evaluating the impact of therapy dogs in a prison environment.  “Restoring something lost: The mental health impact of therapy dogs in prison”... describes the evaluation of a  therapy dog scheme introduced to three prisons in England’s North East by Rethink Mental Illness to pilot, develop and test initiatives which may reduce the risk of self-harm or self-inflicted death in prison. Rethink therapy dogs worked with women and men (including young men). The mental health benefits of therapy dogs have been demonstrated widely across health care settings. In the light of increasing rates of self-harm and suicide in prisons, the Centre for Mental Health explored whether these benefits could be replicated amongst people in prisons.

Evaluating the work of Rethink Mental Illness in three prison sites, Dr Durcan found that the therapy dogs had a calming influence on prisoners, helped increase coping skills and strategies, and provided a safe space for them to explore ways of expressing and processing emotions."

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