“Good heart” — that’s the name of a new joint project of the Centre of Psychosocial Rehabilitation and the Centre for Wild, Exotic and Domestic Animals Rescue “Feldman Ecopark Good Home”. It started on the Eve of Christmas: the children attending lessons according to the program of psycho correctional Eco-therapy in the Regional Landscape Park read fairy tales to the dogs that also stay here on rehabilitation.
“Ours pets were saved from death, animal abuse, they had suffered a lot. They are frightened, got through severe stress and now are in desperate need of communication with kind-hearted people —the head of the Service for Wild, Exotic and Domestic Animals Rescue “Feldman Ecopark Good Home” Iryna Podvoiska told. — Games with children, their care and attention help our dogs to overcome fear and mistrust. And kids learn to be more kind and responsible”.
According to the head of psychological service of the Centre of Psychological Rehabilitation Feldman Ecopark Tetiana Aliieva, children who are undergo rehabilitation on the basis of the Centre on various methodologies, including animal therapy already for a month take part in the Good Heart project.
“These lessons are special. Our children spent day, helping those who need them. They cared of dogs from the Good Home, played with them, and, above all, read Christmas fairy tales to them. In doing so, they kept watch over behavior changes of their pawed friends from mistrust to sympathy. Thus, the sense of belonging and social need runs the main component of psychological adaptation. This method of a bibliotherapy with animals appeared in the USA not long ago and gains popularity worldwide. We decided to apply such know-how in the project too” — Tatiana Aliieva told.
The mass media have repeatedly reported the fact that dogs to whom children read fairy tales become friendlier and find new owners quicker. Such lessons are also useful for young readers.
“Children, undergoing our psycho rehabilitation, have met many difficulties in life despite the early age. They often experience negative feelings: anxiety, loneliness, perhaps, misunderstanding by the surrounding. It is important for us to reveal them emotionally and to develop skills of positive communication, to teach mutual understanding, mutual respect, mutual aid — the head of the medical service of the Centre of psychosocial rehabilitation Inna Vashkite emphasizes. — Love and caress towards our little brothers, and, above all a concrete good deed is the best thing in such situation”.
The organizers of the Good Heart project intend to develop it and plan to carry classes in fairytale Canis therapy at least once in a month.
It should be reminded that the Centre of Psychosocial Rehabilitation on the basis of Feldman Ecopark works since 2013 and helps children to overcome various diseases, mental and behavioral disorders. The Centre also renders assistance to adults, in particular, ATO veterans and families of IDPs. Since its opening, more than 6300 people, 1900 of whom are children have undergone rehabilitation in the Centre.
Besides, it should be reminded that since the opening of the Centre for Wild, Exotic and Domestic Animals Rescue “Feldman Ecopark Good Home,” its workers and volunteers have already found owners to nearly 18,000 pets and rescued more than 4,000 wild animals.
