Four Paws
Animal Assisted Therapy

The therapeutic benefit of animals dates back to the late 1800's when Florence Nightingale realised that small animals reduced the anxiety levels in both children and adults.
Sigmund Freud was also a great believer in using animals in his therapy sessions and used his loyal dog Jofi to sense the level of tension the patient was feeling by how close his dog sat to the patient, the closer the dog sat the less tense the patient was considered to be.
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ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY (AAT)
AAT has proven to aid human wellbeing in many areas including;
* developing and improving self esteem and confidence
* offer companionship and comfort
* lower depression levels
* reduce stress
* reduce blood pressure
* lower cholesterol
* provide a sense of purpose with grooming & caring
* offering emotional wellness & support
* evoking various senses including happiness
* reviving childhood memories, particularly beneficial to people with dementia
* providing a sense of calm and relaxation
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CHILD FOCUSED ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY
Read to Rabbits is a service we provide whereby we bring rabbits to children who find it difficult to read out loud in a group / classroom environment. By reading their book on a one to one basis to the rabbit sat either on their lap or beside them they increase their confidence and improve their reading skills. The rabbit reduces the tension the child may feel and aids relaxation thus allowing them to read more fluently.
We also offer group sessions with children where they get the opportunity to pet and groom the animals. This increases their confidence around animals, giving them the chance to interact closely and learn all about them. 
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OUR SERVICE
We are fully licensed by North East Derbyshire Council. In fact we are very proud to be the first business to receive such a licence in our county.  All our animal handlers are fully insured and DBS checked for both adults & children.
We bring a variety of petting animals which include rabbits and guinea pigs, a hand reared sheep, a dog, a pygmy goat or miniature shetland pony to you in your care home / nursing home / school / day centre / private residence / university or halls of residence or hospital . We can tailor our visits to your specific need as we offer group and one to one sessions.  
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