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Denise Thorn, LCSW, CCS, and Tuck Thorn, Therapy Assistant
Bethel – Would you like to experience the benefits of healthcare alongside a four-legged friend? Have you ever wanted to incorporate animals into your mental health and therapy journey? Now is your chance!
HealthReach is excited to announce that Denise Thorn, LCSW, CCS, and her trained dog, Tuck, will begin offering Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) at our Bethel Family Health Center. Tuck recently achieved full certification for therapy duty and is excited to begin service for our patients.
Tuck has been trained through Mission Working Dogs, a non-profit organization that trains dogs for service, therapy, and facility work. Their mission is to improve the lives of community members living with disabilities, providing them with properly trained service dogs to help them live more independently, and providing therapy dogs to support the mental wellbeing of Mainers in nursing homes, hospitals, and schools. HealthReach appreciates such an excellent, community-focused mission in the pursuit of health and wellbeing for our neighbors and communities!
Thorn says, “I have always felt that animals bring such comfort and support to humans in our personal lives – why not incorporate them into therapy? When Tuck joined my family, I started the process of working with HealthReach to develop a policy that would allow us to offer Animal-Assisted Therapy. I am grateful to HealthReach for supporting this service, which will be so beneficial to our patients!“
Talk to your clinician today if you feel that this therapy approach is right for you. We’d love to hear from you!
Bethel Family Health Center, founded in 1977, is a part of HealthReach Community Health Centers – a Federally Qualified Health Center consisting of twelve community health centers located across Central and Western Maine. Dedicated clinicians deliver high-quality healthcare – inclusive of behavioral health and dental services – to residents from 9 of Maine’s 16 counties. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers. In addition, an Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured residents. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with the cost of your healthcare and medications, including Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
A private non-profit with a 48-year history, HealthReach is funded by patient fees, grants, and by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $4,815,606 with 82.2% financed by non-governmental sources. The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.