Thanks to generous financial support from Partners Health Management, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools students and staff are taking comfort in the company of Skye, a therapy dog and the newest member of the district’s mental health team.
Partners Health Management provided a grant to the district that covered Skye’s training, training for her handler, food, grooming, vet services, and everything else she needs to do her job, meaning this valuable service won’t cost the district a penny. Paul Holden, a regional director for Partners, says that the organization has $20,0000 in state funding that can be spent on a wide variety of mental health services, and therapy dogs are among the most impactful ways they can bolster mental health in schools.
“There are all kinds of reasons that we use a mental health block grant, but we decided that this is a worthy expense,” Holden said. “It really is helpful.”
As a therapy dog, Skye is a source of emotional support for the people she works with. Sometimes she lies on their laps to help calm them through deep pressure therapy. Sometimes she just sits in a room with someone and lets them talk to her. In any case, she’s a positive, non-threatening presence that can help someone in a high-stress situation feel more at ease. As a labradoodle, she’s even hypoallergenic, making her services even more accessible.
Keisha Horton, a mental health clinician for the district and Skye’s handler, says that a therapy dog is the perfect way to deescalate tense situations. Whether it’s a discipline issue, an emotional breakdown, or just a particularly tough day of school, Skye greets everyone with a wagging tail and no judgment. She’s the perfect shoulder to cry on.
“Our students are going through a lot right now, our staff is going through a lot right now, and mental health crises are at an all-time high,” Horton said. “I’m just trying to find different ways to reach our population, and this is simple. A dog doesn’t talk. You don’t have to give your story, you don’t have to impress, you don’t have to worry about your image. You can just feel the love.”
Skye’s program requires that she be based at an alternative school, so she and Horton are set up at Main Street Academy. Eriq Argrett of Dogs by Andy K-9 Services, who trained Skye, says it’s a perfect fit for a dog of Skye’s background. She used to live with a family who returned her for being unruly, but now that she’s gotten thorough training, she’s helping a whole community feel better. Just like the students at Main Street, she’s been given the opportunity to thrive in a new environment.
“There’s something very poetic about selecting Skye for this system,” Argrett said. “Just like many of the students here, Skye is getting a second chance.”
While Skye is still very new to WS/FCS, she’s been popular everywhere she goes. Horton is inundated with questions about when Skye will visit one school or another. Even metal health practitioners in other districts are asking her how to get a grant for their own dogs. Needless to say, the team will pursue more grant funding next year in hopes that Skye will be able to stick around for a long time.
Director of Psychological Services Heather Schwickrath has been moved by the joy that Skye has brought to the district, especially at a time when good news has been hard to come by. Therapy dogs aren’t a service that school districts typically think about providing, but now that she’s seen up close what it’s like to work with one, the benefits are more powerful than she ever imagined.
“I just want to say thank you to everybody who’s been a part of this,” Schwickrath said. “We didn’t know what we were missing.”