Volunteering & Animal-Assisted Therapy
At CentraCare, our Animal-Assisted Therapy program brings comfort, joy, and healing to patients through the power of human-animal connections.
Specially trained therapy animals and their handlers provide emotional support, reduce stress, and enhance well-being for patients, families, and staff.
Whether you’re interested in volunteering with your certified therapy animal or learning more about the benefits of this program, we invite you to explore how these compassionate companions make a difference in healthcare settings.
What to Expect
Volunteer handler and certified animal will work with patients in a specific treatment modality based on a written individualized treatment plan/goal or to promote improvement in human physical, social, emotional and/or cognitive functioning.
Animal-assisted therapy teams (animal and handler) must meet requirements and complete specific certifications in order to volunteer at CentraCare facilities. Please contact your regional volunteer program (see contact information below) to learn more about the requirements for the location you would like to serve.
Contact a Volunteer Program representative before pursuing any certification. CentraCare policy outlines requirements animal-assisted therapy teams must complete in order to volunteer. Animal-assisted therapy teams invest their own time and resources to be able to volunteer and the Volunteer Program offers guidance to minimize wasted resources/time.
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