Therapy dogs help inmates handle stress
SLIPPERY ROCK — A university professor and a prison psychology manager are taking a four-legged approach to managing inmate anxiety.
Yvonne Eaton-Stull, assistant professor of social work at Slippery Rock University, teamed up with Cynthia Wright, the licensed psychology manager at the State Correctional Institute in Mercer, to create a canine anxiety- and stress-reduction program among inmates at the prison.
The women, along with two SRU students and an alumna, take two trained therapy dogs to a special area of the prison where 10 male inmates meet in a group setting once per week to discuss their anxiety and stress.
The students, Middlesex Township resident Cassandra Spirnock and Maura Vulakovich, facilitate the group meetings each week.
So far the group has met eight times in the 10-session program. The project will continue through May with two other 10-man groups, making a total of 30 inmates participating in the program.
The group will ultimately use the program as research into the effect of canines on inmate stress and anxiety.
Spirnock recalled the very first session, when the nervous inmates filled out their evaluation forms and wondered how the sessions would go.
“We finished the evaluations and brought in the two dogs,” she said. “It was almost like they turned into different people.”
She said the dogs' presence caused the tension in the room to disappear and the inmates became comfortable and talkative, sharing stories about dogs they had as children.
“It was like a catalyst for their social interaction,” Spirnock said.
She said she talks about how the dogs react to stress and anxiety, and the inmates begin to talk about their own tension and how they deal with it.
The inmates also appreciate the nonjudgmental nature of the dogs, which include two shih tzus that belong to Eaton-Stull, a collie belonging to SRU alumna Sue Anderson and a Cavalier King Charles spaniel owned by handler Ardis Walsh. All are licensed therapy dogs.
Spirnock said the dogs don't judge the inmates for being incarcerated, the events that led to their incarceration or anything else.
“The dogs in general provide a sense of comfort,” she said.
Eaton-Stull agreed, saying she hopes the weekly meetings will help the inmates behave appropriately inside the prison and in society if they are released.“They have to be able to manage their stress and anxiety or they could end up back in prison,” she said.Many of the men handled their anxiety through unhealthy means in the past, including the use of alcohol or drugs.“Learning to cope with anxiety and manage it is going to be so critical for these men,” Eaton-Stull said. “If we can teach them better strategies, they are going to be much more successful when they are released.”She said at first, the tough prisoners gravitated toward the collie because it was larger, and somewhat ignored the small shih tzus.“Now the shih tzus sit on the inmates' laps,” Eaton-Stull said. “There are lots of smiles.”Wright said petting dogs releases oxytocin, a hormone that fosters bonding, reduces blood pressure and promotes social interaction in both the inmates and the dogs.“I think it really helps break down their defenses,” Wright said. “If they're petting a dog, it's not scary talking (about anxiety) with another person.”She said the dogs recognize the men and will even walk over to them if they become upset while talking in the group.“It's like they know,” Wright said of the dogs' ability to sense tension in their human friends.She hopes to extend the animal-assisted intervention at the prison after the SRU program ends.“You see these big, tough guys making kissy faces at the dogs,” Wright said.The intake and exit evaluations and other information gleaned from the project will be used as research by Eaton-Stull and the students.“It will be used to show correction facilities the benefit that animal-assisted intervention can have in a prison,” Spirnock said.
