Past Event! Note: this event has already taken place.
Colleen Dell: PAWSitive Support
November 10, 2016 at 6:00 PM
| Location: | 100 St. Patrick's Building |
| Cost: | Free |
This event is free to all, but seating is limited. Please register here in advance.
Title: PAWSitive Support: Canine Assisted Interventions in the Treatment of Addictions & Mental Health
Presented by: Colleen Anne Dell, Professor & Research Chair in One Health & Wellness, University of Saskatchewan, Department of Sociology & School of Public Health
Captain (retired) Marc Lapointe, Canadian Armed Forces, Special Operations Forces & Sticker, AUDEAMUS Service Dog
Animal Assisted Interventions (AAIs) are increasingly being offered in the primary health care field in Canada, including in addictions and mental health, and range from therapy dogs in counseling sessions to non-riding therapeutic programs with horses. However, there is little awareness and sharing amongst programs and limited documented evidence about AAI effectiveness. What appears common amongst AAIs though, is recognition of the benefits of the human-animal bond. In this presentation, Dr. Dell describes the basics of canine specific AAIs within a One Health Framework. She will highlight AAI outcomes focusing on the human-animal bond found in her extensive practice and research program within addictions and mental health. Captain (retired) Marc Lapointe will share his firsthand account of how the bond with a service dog can help improve mental health for military veterans.
About Dr. Colleen Anne Dell: Colleen Anne Dell was appointed a Centennial Enhancement Chair in One Health and Wellness at the University of Saskatchewan in 2016, with a focus on addiction and mental health. She is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and School of Public Health. She is also a Senior Research Associate with the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, Canada’s national non-governmental addictions agency. Dr. Dell is a graduate of the Canine Behaviour Psychology Academy, Extreme K-9 Professional Dog Training, in Illinois, USA.
Grounded in an empowering and community-based participatory approach, Dr. Dell’s research focuses on wellness, with specific attention to animal assisted interventions and addictions and mental health. She has three St. John Ambulance registered therapy dogs who are involved alongside her and various community and academic partners in studies examining how the human-animal bond, and more specifically animal assisted interventions, can help enrich wellness among individuals and communities. This ranges from addictions treatment facilities through to university and criminal justice institutions. The often unacknowledged welfare of animals is of particular interest to Dr. Dell.
Prior to her appointment as the Centennial Enhancement Chair in One Health and Wellness, Dr. Dell held a Research Chair in Substance Abuse at the U of S. Funded by the Government of Saskatchewan from 2007-2016, her work concentrated on research, community outreach and training. Underlying Dr. Dell’s work is a belief in bringing different ways of knowing together into one space, with an emphasis on lived experience and Indigenous knowledge. For example, her research work with the Sturgeon Lake First Nation on equine assisted learning hosted a community ceremonial horse dance in each year of a four year project. Her commitment to facilitating the exchange of understanding was recognized in 2010 when she was awarded the YWCA Saskatoon Women of Distinction Award with a colleague from the First Nations University of Canada in the category of Research, Science and Technology. Most recent, in 2014 Dr. Dell was awarded the St. John Ambulance Canada Priority Vote of Thanks, conferred by the Chancellor at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
Co-hosted with the Royal Ottawa’s Institute of Mental Health Research.