Blane

Louis was a 12-year-old boy from Brooklyn, NY, who was in foster care. His family life had been abusive and in turn he made one suicide attempt at the age of 10. Moved from foster home to foster home, Louis eventually ended up in a residential setting.

Christine became involved with Louis while he was in residential placement on Long Island. Louis was a very depressed boy who constructed thick walls to emotionally protect himself from being hurt again. He rarely made eye contact or spoke.

Upon meeting Blane, Christine's cat, Louis maintained his distance. Slowly over the course of this first session, Louis smiled at and patted Blane. Initiating conversation with Christine, he asked some questions about Blane. This positive encounter encouraged Louis to trust Christine and with Blane there to break the tension, Louis shared his feelings and experiences with Christine. This information was vital to treating Louis and safely reuniting him with his family.

Ariel

Susana was a four-year-old girl in treatment for sexual abuse. Medical reports confirmed that Susana had been abused but she refused to talk about the incident. In one of her first treatment sessions with Susana, Christine brought Ariel, a kitten, to the office. Ariel was only a couple of months old and loved to be held. Susana was very leary of Christine but she did agree to hold Ariel. The little kitten curled up and fell asleep in Susana's tiny arms. This helped to create a feeling of peacefulness within the office.

Over the next few weeks, Susana eventually started becoming more and more protective of the kitten. This enabled Christine to make a natural segue into Susana's experience and Susana spoke more about herself, which started her on the road to healing.

Zar

Billy was a six-year-old referred to Christine for exhibiting excessive aggression both at home and at school. Acting as a bully, Billy used threats and force to get his way. In treatment with Zar, a 140-pound Great Dane, no amount of strong-arming by Billy could make Zar obey him.

Billy learned that he had to speak clearly and calmly in order to play with Zar. When Billy used all of his strength trying to pull a leash out of Zar's mouth, Zar only held on tighter. However when Billy verbalized appropriately, Zar obeyed him. This served as a wonderful starting point for discussions about peer interactions.

Sea Spray

Rosie's teacher and parents were concerned that the nine-year-old wasn't performing up to her potential in school. They believed she could improve her grades if she paid more attention in class.

After working with Oxer and Zar, Rosie got the opportunity to work with Sea Spray, Christine's equine partner. When retrieving Sea Spray from the paddock, grooming him and riding, Rosie had to listen to Christine's instructions, follow safety precautions and be clear in her directions to Sea Spray in order to have a safe and enjoyable experience. Riding and grooming sessions led to discussions about generalizing this behavior to her other daily tasks.