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Dr. Mark Swaim Shares A Practical Guide To Helping A Child Recover From a Traumatic Event

Dr. Mark Swaim shares that a child needs your support, comfort, and reassurance following a traumatic experience. These help them manage their fears, guide their grief, help them recover, and make them feel safer. In the aftermath of a traumatic event, here are some tips on what to do, expect, and look out for in your child: 1. Create a safe space for them. All children benefit from the gift of touch, whether they are toddlers or teens. Extra hugs, cuddling, or just a reassuring pat on the back goes a long way in providing much-needed security, which is essential after a particularly disturbing or frightening experience. 2. Stay calm (or at least act like it). Dr. Mark Swaim explains that children depend on adults to reassure them, especially after a troubling event. Never talk about your anxieties with children and be aware of the tone of your voice and the way you act. Children can always tell when an adult is anxious. 3. Create routines and stick to them. After a particularly ch...
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Dr. Mark Swaim Answers: Can You Train Your Own Therapy Dog?

Dr. Mark Swaim says that children and adults alike can truly benefit from a therapy dog. After all, therapy dogs offer physical, social, mental, emotional, and cognitive benefits. Therapy dogs—and therapy animals in general—are known to help calm down children and adults alike, lowering blood pressure and reducing physical pain. Here’s what you need to know about training your therapy dog. Therapy Dogs Don’t Fall Under The Same Strict Standards Service dogs must pass many stringent standards to qualify. Because of this, most service dogs must be trained for several years by professionals—and sometimes, some dogs won’t even qualify in the end. Emotional support dogs don’t need to pass the same standards, requiring only a letter of recommendation from a medical professional. When it comes to therapy dogs, Dr. Mark Swaim happily shares that they require nothing at all. Therapy dogs are mostly owner-trained, and they usually spend their whole lives with their owners. The Dogs Sti...
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Dr. Mark Swaim on How to Teach Your Child Self-Regulation

Dr. Mark Swaim explains that self-regulation is a child’s ability to control and manage their emotions about the pressures of a situation. It includes being able to handle frustrations, to calm down before getting upset, and to adjust expectations accordingly, among others. It is a very important skill set for a child to learn and develop as a way to direct their behavior towards a goal, despite the world’s volatile nature. Why is self-regulation important? Self-regulation allows your child to function well in society and the world. It will enable them to be more independent, learn in school, make friends, and manage stress. A child’s inborn capacity to self-regulate is largely personality-based. However, their environment plays a significant role, too. Dr. Mark Swaim explains that every time parents go out of their way to soothe an upset child or give in to their temper tantrums, they lose a chance to self-regulate. In this case, they outsource the regulation skills to external...
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Dr. Mark Swaim on Man’s Best Friend: How dogs help kids heal from trauma

Dr. Mark Swaim says that more therapy programs that specialize in helping kids heal from trauma are integrating the use of therapy dogs as part of their treatment. Therapy dogs have extraordinary roles. They provide a calm and environment for kids who have undergone different kinds of trauma in their lives. These kids may have experienced abuse and have a hard time trusting adults. They connect better to these animals because they do not judge you or talk back. The benefits of owning a dog If you treat a dog well, they will love you back unconditionally, which is very important for kids who have experienced some form of abuse. The bond between a human and an animal provides many benefits, including the release of oxytocin, which helps increase trust in humans. Dr. Mark Swaim shares that interacting with dogs also helps reduce stress, as well as symptoms of depression and anxiety that may stem from a traumatic event. The child-dog connection The use of therapy dogs in helping...
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Dr. Mark Swaim Introduces the Common Therapy Animals

For Dr. Mark Swaim, using animal-assisted therapy to reach troubled children and young adults is an effective way of helping them. However, he acknowledges that while one furry companion may work for a patient, it may not always elicit the same reaction to a different youngster. He makes it a point to understand which animal the patient may have an affinity for so that the session would be worthwhile. In this article, he talks about the most common therapy animals he utilizes in his practice. Common Therapy Animals Here are the most common therapy animals that are used today: 1. Dogs Like the majority of physicians, Dr. Mark Swaim swear by canines. Dogs are the most common therapy animals in use today. They are perfect for the role, thanks to their natural friendliness and loyalty to humans. Therapy dogs are often seen walking around with their owners, helping them to adjust to what’s going on around them. 2. Cats For people who have a fear of dogs, cats are next in li...
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