All of them work with animals in their therapies. Horses, Dolphins and dogs are the stars in this project.
SPAIN
The PCPI program in Cantabria is for students with special educational needs between 16 and 25 years old. The schooling has been in previous schools, but access to our program to prepare for a subsequent job in the best of their abilities. The school (C.E.E. Dr. Fernando Arce) is in Torrelavega (Cantabria), an industrial town of 65,000 inhabitants in the north of Spain. It's a private special education school. It consists of 12 units (1 child education, 8 Compulsory Basic Education, 1 Transition to Adulthood and 2 Initial Vocational Training program at the modality specific workshop), with a total of 105 students aged 3 to 25 years. The center has different services: transportation, residence, speech therapy, physiotherapy, social work and counselling. It has a team of 15 teachers, 5 caregivers, two therapists, one physiotherapist, one counsellor and one social worker. In previous courses we have used animals at the centre. There have been classes where fish, turtles or birds have been used, not to mention the hippotherapy sessions, which are developed from 2000. We have also used dogs in the development of some group activities. This has encouraged us to support, at grass roots, animal-assisted therapy. Actually 2 days per week we organize therapy with dogs.
An example of our activities:
HUNGARY
Jó Úton-Lóháton Alapítvány’s mission is to achieve a real inclusion, more equal opportunities, better quality of life for people, who have special needs.
The organisation gives opportunities to children, youngsters and adults with special needs or with other problems, to benefit from horse therapy and develop themselves through this activity. They sponsor their riders so that they can take part in special festivals and competitions organised in this field. They also accompany and support them all during these activities aspiring to popularise parasport, healthy living and caring for animals. Additionally, they organise summer camps, meetings and workshops for their families, for specialists and volunteers as well. We also endeavour to train adults on dealing with people with special needs to assist their organisation.
They provide their adult trainees with a motivating environment - children who need help, stable with animals and the very cooperative group of staff - that improves their self-confidence and communication skills, strengthens their awareness.
They are one of 70 centres worldwide – the only one in Hungary - who have staff trained, certified, and licensed by SpiritHorse International. SpiritHorse International has developed the only specific methods in the therapeutic riding industry to date. It provides monitoring of quality and continuing training for all licensees.
They will share their knowledge and experiences about this methods improving our practices based on what they learn from each other in this project. As a core partner in the proposed project, Jó Úton-Lóháton Alapítvány will take responsibility to implement allocated project activities, including project management at local level - leading adult/students learning activities in therapeutic horse riding, hosting a meeting, evaluation, dissemination. Learners will be involved in the project at all stages.
ROMANIA
PARTES ASSOCIATION is a very young organisation, made up of highly experimented professionals in social services who worked especially with disabled people. The purpose is to offer opportunities to the people to actively participate to the community life through responsibility, civic participation and social cohesion.
They are very close to disabled people and other disadvantaged categories, the members being professionals working with such. In the project, they can bring their experience as professionals, and also the point of view of families of disabled people. They will cooperate at local level to experiment and use the findings and the recommended animal therapies in the rehabilitation and integration of disabled people.
ITALY
C.I.A.O. “La Tela di Carlotta”Centro Interventi assistiti con gli Animali Olistico “la Tela di Carlotta” is an association that has the objectives to deepen the knowledge, training and application of educational and psychological treatments activating its implementation in the educational, re-educational and therapeutic fields. It carries out studies and research and organises training in the field of Assisted Animal Interventions (AAI) better known as Pet Therapy, referring to the therapeutic fields (AAT), educational fields (AAE), recreational fields (AAA) with the aim of disseminating documentation materials. It conducts actions to raise the awareness and disseminate the AAI through conferences, seminars and debates. It collaborates with public and private bodies, associations, cooperatives, public administrations and private and public enterprises in Italy and abroad.
ESTONIA
NPO Equilibre is developing riding therapy psycho social approach. They have formed an official partnership with a local hospital. Their therapist is part of their rehabilitation team as psychological counsellor/riding therapist and most of the clients come through hospital due to their rehabilitation plan. Their main target group is children with emotional-behavioural problems and their parents – usually depressed and often with severe burn out symptoms. Also some of their clients are autistic children and some have learning disabilities.
LITHUANIA
Lithuanian Sea Museum is a governmental organisation. Lithuanian Sea Museum provides Dolphin Assisted Therapy for people with special needs from 2001. From 2003 to 2006 Lithuanian Sea Museum collaborating with Klaipėda Seamen's Hospital and Klaipėda University launched biomedical research for investigating the impact of Dolphin Assisted Therapy for children suffering from autism. From 2007 to 2011 Lithuanian Sea Museum investigated the expectations of families' raising children with severe cerebral palsy to Dolphin Assisted Therapy. Lithuanian Sea Museum collaborating with NGOs, Klaipėda university, Klaipėda Seamen Hospital each year organises animal assisted therapeutic activities for people with various disabilities. Dolphin Assisted Therapy is science-based, health-orientation. The methodology was created after the first scientific research in collaboration with variety of professionals: social workers, doctors, rehabilitologist, psychiatrist, and psychologist. Individual program was run by dr. Brigita Kreivinienė (Klaipėda university, Health Faculty) who created own methodology in supervision of Prof. dr. Mindaugas Rugevičius (Klaipėda university, Faculty of Pedagogy).
Age of participants usually from 5 to 15 years. However, special programs are organised for older people and adult people with mental disabilities. As well as each year special group - therapy sessions take place for people that are at risk. From 2001 there participated children and adults with various problems and diagnoses: autism, Asperger syndrome, Down's syndrome, cerebral palsy, Landau Clefner syndrome, emotional disturbancies, enuresis, children after sexual exploitation, women with depression after giving birth and others.
UNITED KINGDOM
Red2Green provides high quality opportunities for people with disabilities and disadvantages in and around Cambridgeshire so that they can reach their own goals. Red2Green supports over 300 people, has 40 staff (20 full time equivalents) and around 50 volunteers.
Red2Green provides innovative, personalised and achievable opportunities in a safe environment. We work with partners, both national and local, who share our concern for our clients and their futures. We strive to break down barriers, remove ignorance and fear, so our clients can achieve their ambitions and enjoy their lives.
Their Aspirations project works to provide social skills and independent living programmes for adults with autistic spectrum conditions primarily Asperger Syndrome. Aspirations aims to increase independence and release potential, improve ability to function in social, work and academic settings, and improve life chances.
Their Options project provides stimulating social and educational opportunities for people with profound learning disabilities. People take part in activities such as drama, computing, swimming, cookery, Tai Chi and community visits
They have periodically included Pet Therapy as part of a wider program of activities. This has included keeping chickens, using a PAT dog and arranging for animal's to be brought to the centre to meet their clients.
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