Canine-Assisted Psychotherapy for Children with Trauma-Induced Dysregulation

This book provides mental health researchers and clinicians with valuable insight into the pathway that leads from developmental trauma to dysregulation and psychopathology.
Incorporating science that explains the impact of early trauma, this book details the theory, mechanisms, and applications of neurobiologically informed canine-assisted psychotherapy, using illuminating case studies that demonstrate the efficacy of the author's model.

Robbi Stevenson Woolard, PhD, has spent more than 35 years treating children, adolescents, and their families with traditional diagnoses and early childhood trauma. She has trained and incorporated dogs, horses, and other animals into treatment to restore regulation, function, and wellness in victims of interpersonal trauma. Woolard has been involved in the design and implementation of innovative programming and has developed and instituted crisis-response protocols for schools. She has also been involved in local, national, and international crisis and disaster response and collaborated in a multi-country, interagency initiative to develop a coordinated protocol for transportation disasters.

Section One: Development and Dysregulation of Children through a Neurobiological Lens 1. When Bad Things Happen to Good Children 2. Growing the Baby Brain 3. Attachment Provisions Regulation and Resilience 4. The Neurobiological Dysregulation of Early Trauma Section Two: The Potential of the Dog to Support Healing Dysregulation 5. The Coevolution of Humans and Canines 6. The Tao of the Dog 7. Ensuring the Welfare of the Working Psychotherapy Dog Section Three: The Structure and Mechanisms of Healing Dysregulation 8. The ni-CAP Framework 9. Melding Mechanisms