Where We Serve
Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital a partner of Encompass Health – Tyler, Texas
This rehabilitation hospital has utilized Animal Assisted Therapy every Monday – Friday since 1994. The specially trained dogs, cats, and bird are incorporated into patient treatment by Speech, Occupational, and Physical Therapists daily. Patients can work on balance, coordination, memory, arm functioning, walking, and a host of other goals while working with these special Therapets. This program has served as a template for many other AAT programs across the country.
Christus Mother Frances Hospital – Tyler, Texas
Since 1994 the Therapet therapy dogs have been visiting Trinity Mother Frances Hospital. On the first three Wednesday evenings of each month, Therapets visit from 6:45 to 8:30 pm. Therapets offer a healing paw to the children and families in the Children Center and lift hopes in the Intensive Care Units. In addition, each week they rotate their visits between the Ornelas and Dawson towers to visit patients, families and staff throughout the hospital. Trinity Mother Frances Hospital was one of the first acute care hospitals in the nation to allow therapy animals to visit at the bedside.
University of Texas Health – East Texas: Tyler, North Campus, & Jacksonville
In 2002, Therapet began providing Animal Assisted Therapy services to East Texas Medical Center on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month at the Tyler hospital. The Therapets visit all floors including ICU, CCU and the rehabilitation center. The patients, families, and staff look forward to these visitations and many people are waiting in the lobby to greet them when they arrive.
In Jacksonville, the Therapets visit patients on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday evenings each month.
UT Health North Campus – Tyler, Texas
In 1999, the Therapets began providing services to UT Health on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month. The Therapets visit many of the floors visiting patients, families, and staff. In addition, UT Health includes Therapets in many of their special needs camps each year including the asthma camp held at Camp Tyler in the Summer.
R.E.A.D. Program – Beckville, Texas
The mission of the Beckville ISD Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.®) Program, is to improve the literacy skills of children in a unique approach employing a classic concept: reading with a dog. These special Therapet animals volunteer with their owners offering children an irresistible opportunity to improve their reading in a setting which has proven not only effective but fun. And fun is a powerful, motivational force for reading that we grown-ups often overlook!
Wayne D. Boshears Center for Exceptional Programs – Tyler, Texas
Wayne D. Boshears school was established more than 25 years ago as a self-contained special education facility as part of the Tyler ISD. Currently the enrollment includes one hundred students who have a degree of disability that prohibits them from being successful on a regular campus. Therapets are incorporated into the classroom to work on established communication and physical goals with the children who range in age from 3 to 21 years.
Children’s Advocacy Center – Tyler, Texas
The Children’s Advocacy Center of Smith County is dedicated to child victims of physical and sexual abuse and strives to reduce trauma through a unified effort that facilitates thorough investigations, effective prosecutions and the healing of children and their families. The Therapet animals are be used throughout the process to provide comfort to the children and to help them tell their stories.
East Texas Crisis Center – Tyler, Texas
Therapet partners with ETCC for two programs (Positive Parenting and R.E.A.D.®) and visits approximately six times each month. Positive Parenting fosters healthy relationships between mothers and their children through various activities including Animal Assisted Therapy. Through the R.E.A.D.® Program, children at the ETCC practice reading to specially trained reading assistance dogs.
Chapel Hill ISD – Chapel Hill, Texas
Therapet teams visit Chapel Hill ISD campuses every other Tuesday during the school year. During class time, a speech pathologist uses the Therapets for individual therapy work with special education students. The teachers use the therapy dogs to promote language, communication skills and confidence. Students are encouraged to verbalize how they want to interact with the dogs, and can choose to walk, brush, pet or read. The teachers report that students have made great strides in communication while working with the Therapets.
Skyview Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Rusk, Texas
Therapet Teams travel to Rusk periodically to work with offenders with psychiatric diagnoses as a part of the Occupational Therapy program at this maximum security prison. Offenders earn the privilege of visiting with Therapets by behaving appropriately and often prepare for visits three months in advance. Part of the therapy for some of the men and women at Skyview is to sew the Therapet bandanas.
Rusk State Hospital – Rusk, Texas
For over eight years, Therapet teams have been visiting psychiatric patients at Rusk State Hospital several times a year. The program is sponsored by the healthcare professionals in order to improve the emotional and physical well being of the residents as well as providing a pleasant interaction with the outside world.
