CYC alumna masters the art of animal wellness

For Kelsie McCabe, Lakeland College’s first animal assisted wellness graduate, finishing the program is just the beginning of her journey to understanding the human-animal bond.

A life-long animal lover, McCabe was interested in exploring more about the ways animals can contribute to wellness after she graduated from Lakeland’s child and youth care (CYC) program in 2012. When Lakeland announced an animal assisted wellness certificate program in collaboration with the Dreamcatcher Animal Assisted Wellness Academy in 2018, she was quick to enroll.

“I really think that animals help people in amazing ways,” McCabe explains. “I think that the bond between an animal and a person is just incredible. This program was so good because there are so many things you can do with animal assisted wellness, from boosting a client’s self-esteem to helping them learn how to regulate emotions. It also helps with engagement, especially with clients who struggle to open up and talk or have anxiety. It doesn’t minimize those issues but it helps with that anxiety, helps the client engage and makes them more comfortable.”

Building on a previous credential, the program teaches students about the human-animal bond, animal assisted interventions, and the ethics of animal integration into settings, as well as animal welfare, health and wellness.

Because it is a part-time program, McCabe completed it over two years while working full-time as a family school liaison. She finished the practicum portion of the program at the Dreamcatcher Academy last summer, which proved to be a life-changing experience.

“It was amazing to learn about things I hadn’t even thought about before, like the laws and legalities around animal wellness, as well as the ethics that are involved,” McCabe says. “To experience what clients would experience and to be able to see exactly how you would fit animal assisted wellness into your practice was amazing. It was all so natural and I learned about how important it is to be mindful of what the animal is experiencing and communicating, the same way I’m mindful of the client’s feelings too.”

The entire experience has inspired McCabe to pursue further studies in the field of animal behavior and wellness.

“Before, I thought I could get an animal and bring it into work and that would be fine but it’s actually not very ethical for anybody,” McCabe explains. “If anybody wants to incorporate animals into their practice, this course is the way to go and definitely the first step you want to take.”

(Photo: Kelsie McCabe with a horse she met while on practicum at the Dreamcatcher Academy.)