Animal-Assisted Services
Personalized one-on-one sessions where a professional therapy dog works alongside your clinician—designed to support emotional healing and personal growth.
What It Is
Animal-assisted therapy is a unique and engaging form of therapy where animals become part of your healing journey, working alongside your clinician to support your therapeutic goals. Whether you are clear on those goals or still exploring the changes you would like to make, it offers a comforting, supportive path.
We begin at a point that feels right for you, using the presence and interventions animals have to offer to support emotional connection, reduce stress, and enhance your ability to process and reflect. Every session is tailored to your needs, creating space to explore emotions, work through challenges, learn new coping strategies, and even take home techniques you can use with your own animals.
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Is It Right for You?
If you are exploring ways to care for your emotional well-being and work through personal challenges, animal-assisted therapy may be an especially good fit if you are:
How Sessions Work
Dog-supported sessions are collaborative, purposeful, and guided by your comfort. We talk about what feels helpful before a dog joins your work.
Animal-assisted therapy is therapy first. Your clinician guides the session, connects each activity to your goals, and helps you process what comes up.
Lola may help create calm, connection, or a gentler way into a hard topic. Graham, who is still in training, joins only select sessions under supervision.
You decide how much or how little you interact. You might pet, play, practice a skill, or simply share the room with a warm, nonjudgmental presence.
There is no one-size-fits-all activity or script. We choose interventions around your comfort, needs, and therapeutic goals—and dog-free sessions are always available.
Your Four-Legged Co-Therapists
Our dogs are more than friendly faces around the office. Lola can join sessions as a trained partner in the therapeutic process; Graham joins select supervised sessions while he continues his training.
Golden Retriever · Certified Professional Therapy Dog
Lola is a Professional Therapy Dog of Colorado with nine years in the field—and she has been training since she was only a few months old. Working alongside founder Hannah Snider, she provides comfort, support, and warmth while supporting clinical interventions. She also loves making clients laugh along the way; it earns her all the treats.
Read Bio
Bernese Mountain Dog · Therapy Dog in Training
Graham is an affectionate, loving Bernese Mountain Dog bursting with energy as he trains to join our therapy team. For now, he joins select sessions under supervision as part of his training. Whether you need a fluffy buddy to celebrate a victory with or a little encouragement on a hard day, Graham brings his positive attitude and wagging tail.
Read BioWhy It Works
Sessions are customized to your individual needs, with animal interaction tailored to address your specific challenges and support your therapy goals.
Your sessions remain strictly confidential, and the presence of a dog can add comfort and ease when you are sharing difficult thoughts and feelings.
Work alongside a trained therapist and, when appropriate, a professional therapy dog—professional insight paired with the calming presence of an animal.
Set personal goals and work toward them with support. A dog can offer motivation and nonverbal encouragement along the way.
Your interactions with an animal can offer insight into behavior patterns, emotional responses, and interpersonal skills, opening the door to greater self-awareness.
Learn new ways to manage stress, anxiety, and emotional challenges. Animals can help you practice patience, empathy, resilience, and emotional regulation.
Questions
We work with children, teens, and adults in individual, couples, group, and family counseling. During your free consultation, we’ll talk through your needs and help you find the therapist—and, when appropriate, therapy-dog support—best suited to your goals.
We can meet in person at our Denver office in the Highlands or online anywhere in Colorado. For telehealth, we send a secure SimplePractice video link to your phone or email. Animal-assisted interventions that require a dog in the room take place in person; your clinician can discuss other animal-supported techniques for online sessions.
We have a variety of available therapists and will pair you with the clinician best suited to support your goals. Lola, our certified professional therapy dog, may join appropriate sessions. Graham is a therapy dog in training and joins only select sessions under supervision as part of his training.
We offer 50-minute sessions with an optional 30-minute add-on for an additional fee. We generally recommend starting with weekly sessions; depending on your needs, twice-weekly sessions may be possible. As you progress, you and your clinician may move to biweekly or monthly maintenance sessions.
We do not bill insurance directly. We can provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurance company for possible out-of-network reimbursement. We also accept HSA payments and Crime Victims Compensation from Gilpin and Jefferson Counties.
Get Started
Our clinicians—and their four-legged co-therapists—are available and ready to help. We’re accepting new clients in person at our Denver Highlands office and online across Colorado. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to see whether animal-assisted therapy is the right fit for you.
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