Canine Therapy Corps

Canine Therapy Corps teams work with individuals dealing with substance abuse recovery, some of whom are in residence as an alternative to serving jail time. The program follows our award-winning curriculum developed to improve communication skills, anger management, self-esteem and self-awareness.

During this six-week program, participants work with the dogs on progressively advanced obedience and agility, culminating in a graduation where each participant demonstrates proficiency in dog handling. The program helps to break the cycle of crime, personal violence and neglect that often accompanies substance abuse.

Photo courtesy of Veronica Zhang

Our program at this prestigious facility (formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago) works with clients of all ages who are recovering from head trauma, spinal cord injuries, burns and a variety of other catastrophic occurrences. Volunteer teams use agility equipment and other recreational techniques to motivate clients to regain mobility, strength, balance and the ability to lead independent, productive lives. This is the site of the published research study on the impact of animal-assisted therapy on ambulation.

Photo courtesy of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

Our volunteers visit with children, who have suffered sexual abuse and assault, awaiting appointments with treating professionals at a multidisciplinary facility.

Our volunteers work in the Yacktman Pavillion, providing animal-assisted therapy within outpatient pediatric therapy services. Volunteer teams work one-on-one with young children and their therapist. In this exciting program, the therapist works directly with the volunteer to identify goals within the speech, occupational and/or physical therapies for each young client.

This program, which started in January 2009, is designed to meet the varying needs of students on the autism spectrum. Goals include improving sensory processing skills, social and communication skills and memory, as well as activities for daily living and increased impulse control. CTC is proud to have developed a portfolio of proprietary materials for use in our programs for children with autism and other cognitive and developmental delays.