An animal assisted therapy program for children with mental health disorders: A grant proposal

The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant to implement an Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) program at Kedren Community Mental Health Center. This agency provides mental health services to children and youth who are seriously emotionally disturbed and presenting with impairing psychiatrist symptoms. The grant intends to serve this target population located in Service Planning Area 6, due to the high prevalence of seriously emotionally disturbed children. The goal of this program is to increase children's engagement with therapy by utilizing AAT. AAT will be merged into the individual and family therapy sessions and clinical interventions in order to educate, support, and redirect children away from maladaptive behavior patterns and therefore promote positive development and recovery. Submission for funding was not a requirement for successful completion of this project.