Emotional Support Animals
Pets are amazing! If you have one then you are already reaping tremendous benefits through your human-pet bond and relationship. We at Healing Acres, cherish our loveable cats, rabbit, dog, and super friendly calves and Holstein cows!
Do you feel that your pet (or animals) brings you joy and even alleviates symptoms of depression or anxiety? It’s proven that healthy connections with our pets are positively correlated to improved mood, comfort, and more fulfilling social interactions when our pets are near. This is why I am excited about Healing Acre’s unique ability to offer animal assisted supportive therapy as part of your treatment approach! In conjunction with effective traditional forms of talk therapy, we can interact with, pet, and even feed the animals that we call family at our Healing Acres Property and Farm.
What better way of practicing new found skills such as mindfulness while feeding a beautiful cow some fresh hay, petting our friendly and cuddly cats, or feeling the super soft fur of our bunny, “Sunshine.” While we come to understand the nature of your anxiety or depressive disorder we will also engage in skill building and cognitive strategies to treat your symptoms. The benefit of interacting or just simply observing our animals will add the perfect experience and allow you to fully managing your anxiety and related symptoms.
In fact, Animal-Assisted Therapy is recognized as an option of therapeutic intervention, and the use of emotional support animals is becoming more prevalent. Emotional Support Animals (ESA’s) are not to be confused with Service Animals, which are dogs that are specifically trained to perform tasks and assist an individual with a disability in a variety of ways.
While some people may argue that ESA’s are not as vital or effective as Service Animals, those who rely on an emotional support animal would be quick to disagree. People suffering from mental illness stand to gain significant relief from their symptoms of depression or anxiety. A 2018 study conducted by BioMed Central Psychiatry concluded that pets do provide benefits to people suffering from mental illness. They not only help the individual manage their condition, but they’re also useful in times of crisis.
So if you …
- Are suffering from anxiety or depression
- Have a pet that alleviates the symptoms of your mental illness
- Rely on your pet for comfort or affection
- Don’t have a pet but are interested in becoming acquainted with our pet family
Then we can: in conjunction with traditional CBT and talk therapy incorporate our animals into your therapeutic plan with the goal of more fully alleviating your depression or anxiety. You can receive significant emotional support from an ESA. A support animal can help alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety by providing comfort and affection, as well as offering hope and a sense of purpose.
If you’re suffering from depression or anxiety and are interested in having your symptoms more fully alleviated through the companionship and affection of Healing Acre’s loving animals, contact us today.