Paris, Therapy Dog
Chippewa Falls Middle School
Chippewa Falls Middle School
Paris is a yellow lab who is a therapy dog at the Chippewa Falls Middle School. She comes to school every day with Mrs. Rubenzer to support students and staff! She was training to be a guide dog with OccuPaws Guide Dog Association but had a “career change” due to her social nature. This makes Paris the perfect therapy dog at CFMS! Through my work learning how trauma affects children, I have realized how valuable positive relationships are, human and/or furry. For many students, a therapy dog can promote self-esteem, provide comfort, reduce anxiety and offer friendship. Paris loves to chase her ball, take naps, go the cabin, hunt for frogs, and come to work each day at CFMS!
As a parent having the School Based Mental Health available has been very helpful with my child. The process has gone smoothly from the initial contact to being able to choose a therapist that may work best with my child to the therapist working directly with my child. This is also helpful that they are able to come directly to my child at the school so that they are missing less school and I as a parent need to miss less work as well. Overall the whole experience has been a positive one for both myself and my child.
School-based mental health services allow a child to receive much needed services regularly without the inconvenience of scheduling around after school activities or parents having to take time off work.
“I liked how they gave me strategies and not just one but many so I could choose what I liked and didn’t like!”
“The group was very good, and it calmed me down a lot. When you feeling stressed this class is a time to just relax and think about everything and it soothes your mind.” “I liked that every time I needed to relax or talk about something I would not get judged that place was a free spot.” “Being in the relax group really helped me become calm, and know what to do in times when I’m overwhelmed. The Relax Group also helped me focus on everyday tasks, and the group gave some incredibly good advice :)”
As a therapist, having the School Based Mental Health available for students is very important in many aspects. School is an area where children spend a great amount of their time and the schools are able to work with the therapists to help in any areas that they may be struggling in. The schools have all been very open with working with me as a therapist and the children are able to still get services that are needed for either home or school issues without having to miss more time at school since the therapy is able to be done right at the school settings. Being able to provide this service for families is a great asset for everyone involved.
You made this process super easy and helped me every step of the way to ensure that my student is set up for success. In following up with me and making sure we were taken care of shows that you care about the students and their wellbeing. Thank you so much for making this as easy as it was, I truly appreciate everything!