Children and their families can take advantage of the presence of our therapy animals in a beautiful setting that encourages healing. The Youth Villages Inner Harbour Campus’ nationally accredited equine therapy program teaches children and youth about responsibility, empathy, trust, and relational self-confidence.
Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a goal-directed, documented intervention that is used to address the clinical symptoms of the child through the inclusion of a therapy animal. AAT can increase the involvement of the child in his or her therapy, offer a safe way to explore touch and boundaries, and increase self-esteem through the acquisition of new skills.
In addition to our horses, the children interact with our residential dogs and classroom animals, from a bearded dragon to fish and small mammals. One campsite has two miniature goats that are the responsibility of the residents.
The residents frequently comment how much the animals love them without judgment and frequently feel more comfortable disclosing their troubles to a therapy animal.