Provide names of other journalists involved.
Beth Howard
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Nov-12
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
More and more, animals are playing therapeutic roles. Dogs help hospital patients endure the rigors of treatment–and sometimes even partcipate in it. Service dogs are a source of ongoing treatment and comfort. Horses are used in psychotherapy sessions or in learning situations that help clients better deal with life challenges. Studies show that riding horses (therapeutic riding) can help a variety of physical conditions. In some cases, these methods provide breakthroughs in treatment. This article showcases a local example of each of of the therapuetic roles played by animals with compelling case studies in an accessible story-telling mode.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
I pored over a body of data demonstrating the healing power of animals using Pubmed and other sources and then found local examples and success stories of the principle/therapies at work.
Explain types of human sources used.
I talked with physical therapists, psychotherapists, medical doctors and parents of patients with physical and mental disabilities.
Results:
None.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No clarification has run.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Data can be a great starting point for an article, but finding compelling stories that illlustrate what the data show can help lay audiences understand the value of therapies better than any study.