University of Chicago
The goal of this pilot project is to test for initial efficacy of the Recovery \& Care Canine-Assisted Therapy program that has been developed and implemented in Lawrence Hall, a Chicago-based residential treatment center for maltreated youth. In this study, the investigators test the feasibility, acceptability, and short-term efficacy of expanding the program to a group of youth currently in outpatient treatment for social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Results from this project will provide preliminary evidence of whether a structured, goal-oriented intervention program focused on dog training activities has direct impact on increasing youth emotional self-regulation, impulse control, and self-efficacy, which are important targets for intervention among youth with mental health problems. If successful, this project could lead to a larger, randomized control clinical trials study that tests the longitudinal impact of the program that could further lead to national dissemination of the Recovery \& Care curriculum as an alternative therapeutic approach.
The study uses a longitudinal, within-person design with two parallel conditions. This study involves three cohorts of youth who will participate in one of two 6-week interventions. For each cohort of youth, half of the sample will be randomly assigned to the Recovery \& Care Canine-Assisted Therapy condition, and half of the sample will be randomly assigned to an active control condition (Canine Education \& Bonding). The two conditions will run in parallel. The order of the two intervention conditions will be counterbalanced across study cohorts. The Recovery \& Care Canine-Assisted Therapy…
Inclusion Criteria: * Currently receiving outpatient mental health services at the University of Chicago or have received outpatient mental health services from the community in the last 12 months. * Available for scheduling during the entire 6-week intervention program * Interest in participating in the program Exclusion Criteria: * Severe cognitive, psychiatric, or physical condition or limitation that would prevent participation. * Severe animal allergy * Animal phobia * History of mistreatment of animals. * Above-average scores on both measures of behavioral regulation and emotional reg…
Active intervention. An 6-week session of structured, goal-oriented activities where youth focus on mastering dog obedience and dog training skills. Each session is 1 hour and 15 minutes in length and includes education, review of prior sessions, and specific skill-building activities. Skill-building activities progress in complexity during the course of the 6-week curriculum.
Active control intervention. An 6-week session of semi-structured activities. Sessions are 45 minutes in length. Youth in this condition engage in an educational component, passive observation of dog-training skills, and an active free-play session with the dog-handler teams.