It's a sad indictment on Australia that despite comprising just 6.6% of the nation's population, Aboriginal youth are 27 times more likely to be in juvenile detention than non-Indigenous young people. This over-representation reflects a history of trauma, cultural dispossession, and forced displacement and assimilation that have affected them, their parents, families and communities. Over successive decades, western models of intervention have failed to nudge that statistic in a more po...

A new Australian study is shining the spotlight on the healing power of horses, revealing that equine-assisted therapy could help address the growing mental health crisis among children. As childhood mental illness rates spiral, compounded by lengthy waiting times for counsellors and the limitations of many conventional treatments, some social workers are turning to horses for the answer. University of South Australia researchers have captured the lived experiences of 10 social workers and me...

A recent study led by Dr Tiffani Howell from La Trobe University confirms what many people in the assistance animal community are reporting anecdotally: increasing rejections from transport companies, hospitality outlets and even medical centres. An online survey of 77 handlers said these constant access denials made them feel annoyed, anxious, excluded, hurt, distressed, exhausted, discouraged and embarrassed. The rejections are concerning and point to a need for more education, cleare...

In years past, Dean Mighell spent his days treading the floors of Parliament House in Canberra, lobbying on behalf of thousands of workers for better pay and conditions, in his role as Head of the Electrical Trades Union.A 25-year career defined by conflict and immense pressure left behind deep psychological scars, as did a spell as an Army Commando in his early 20s.When Dean stepped down from his role in 2013, he yearned for harmony, peace, and a new direction.Thanks to a documentary on war ...

17-year-old Summer Farrelly (they/them) is the creator of a unique animal assisted learning program called Chickens 2 Love, developed for autistic and other neurodivergent people to help them develop social skills. The program came into being when Summer was just 10 years of age, living in Bundaberg, Queensland and being home schooled due to an education system that did not cater to children who were different.Fortunately, Summer's flock of 20 chickens proved exceptional teachers. Observ...

More than 500,000 people in Australia are legally blind or vision impaired, yet only 5% of those have access to a guide dog due to a shortfall in funding. For those fortunate enough to receive a guide dog, they face multiple challenges on a daily basis, including being rejected by taxi and Uber drivers, turned away from retail outlets, and often sidelined in the rental market.There have been gains however, as our two guests point out in this month's podcast, brought to you by Animal Therapies...

Australian Lions has been training hearing assistance dogs for 43 years, pairing more than 690 dogs with hearing-impaired people over that time.More recently, they have branched out to train medical alert dogs for people living with type 1 diabetes, a chronic condition that affects more than 120,000 Australians and over 8 million people worldwide.Laura Harris is a project co-ordinator and trainer with Australian Lions Hearing Dogs, and Eliza Bartlett is an Adelaide nurse and type 1 diabetic, ...

Vanessa (Ness) Hawkins is a self-confessed horse nut, who was riding ponies in England before she could walk. Emigrating to Australia as a young child and growing up in rural Victoria, where her British accent made her a target for bullies, Ness found solace in pony club, eventually competing at State Championship level and then overseas.A desire to care for others led her into nursing, a career she juggled for years while still riding, training and breeding horses.In 2016, Ness establi...

Like many new teaching graduates, Sarah Macdonald started her career full of promise and hope for the potential impact she could have on a child’s life. But she soon realised that a great curriculum and a supportive environment were not enough. Children who weren’t in the right headspace and who were battling mental health issues - anxiety, depression and stress - were not open to learning. After a break from teaching and a spell as a dog trainer, Sarah realised that the two were not incompat...

If not for the Dunalley bushfires in 2013, Tasmanian teacher Cheri Allanby may still be delivering lessons to her students in the same way that millions have done before her - standing in a classroom, whiteboard behind her, explaining simple concepts to children and hoping that the sea of young faces before her are taking it all in. Fast forward 10 years and that classroom has moved outdoors and includes a new teaching aid – horses.Her students are neurodiverse, experience learning diffi...

Karen Hollings is a highly experienced paramedic who has been employed by St John Ambulance in Western Australia since 2003. She loves her job and has been awarded several commendations over the course of her career, but it has also come at a high cost.Like so many other first responders, she is confronted with trauma on a daily basis. She sees people at their best, their worst, and when they are vulnerable.In 2014, a vicious assault by a drug and alcohol-affected patient left Karen with...

Wendy Coombe's world came crashing down in November 2014 after years of buried trauma and corporate conflict led to a nervous breakdown.Overnight, a successful career as a high-functioning executive collapsed, leaving her floundering without a 'safe place' (her professional life) and a shattered identity.Describing the next few years as "a Forrest Gump-like alternative universe," Wendy began the long, slow journey back to wellness. In six months she walked 2.5 million steps with he...

Not many people can put their hand on their heart and say their job makes their heart sing. Vicki Macdermid counts herself among the lucky few.The executive business coach and chartered accountant has established a model for leadership that accesses the power and wisdom of horses.Her workshops are a little different to the leadership courses that most CEOs sign up for. "When I see senior business people leaving judgement at the door and allowing an animal that has roamed the Earth f...

Why do animals play such a pivotal role in helping humans to heal? And how can we ensure this powerful bond is taken seriously by governments and the community? Child psychologist Dr Aubrey Fine has spent 50 years working in the field of animal-assisted therapy and will deliver the keynote address at the 2023 Animal Therapies Ltd annual conference in Brisbane. Ahead of his visit to Australia in February, Dr Fine shares some insights from a lifetime’s work in the sector.

Seventy per cent of veterinarians know at least one colleague who has taken their own life and almost the same number are experiencing mental health issues within their practice. Long hours, low pay, high stress, unrealistic client expectations, financial pressures and a lack of mentoring and support for young veterinary graduates have created a crisis for the industry, with many vets leaving the profession. Veterinary pharmaceutical company Elanco has partnered with Animal Therapi...

Northern Territory resident Rashida Khan wears many hats: animal nutritionist; horse, cattle and miniature mule breeder; equine assisted therapist; and corporate and personal coach; not to mention full-time carer for her 82-year-old father. There’s not much downtime juggling four businesses from her base at Red Rocks Stud in the Top End, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. We caught up with Rashida by Zoom, just outside of Katherine, 300 kilometres from home and one of the many regio...

With a sense of smell up to 100,000 times more powerful than a human’s, it’s perhaps no surprise that dogs can reliably detect hundreds of different scents, including COVID-19. But as Dr Anne-Lise Chaber explains, their potential as an effective screening tool goes way beyond the pandemic - into the realm of cancer, tuberculosis, influenza and other diseases.

Ever thought of pairing prisoners with retired greyhounds to domesticate the latter for adoption in the community? It's an odd combination but it pays dividends, for inmates and ex-racing dogs alike. Since 2014, the women's and men's prisons in South Australia have re-homed 400 greyhounds as part of the largest foster program of its kind in the world. The results are life changing, as you will hear in this podcast.

Dr Lorin Lindner is a clinical psychologist based in the Californian mountains above Los Angeles. She operates two very special sanctuaries that pair traumatised wildlife with returned US military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress. Her recovery program places rescued parrots, wolves and wolf dogs, raccoons and coyotes in a sanctuary, where they are cared for by veterans undergoing rehabilitation from their own traumatic experiences in war.

Lesley Porter was orphaned at the age of five when she lost her entire family in a car accident in England. She was the only survivor. Raised by her grandmother, who brought her to Australia, Lesley was shunted between relatives and friends for the next six years. Between them, they abused her sexually, physically and emotionally. At 11 years of age, horses saved her. A chance meeting with the owner of a riding school in Healesville, Victoria, proved the turning point in her life.