If I ask you to think about what veterans and children have in common, you may initially draw a blank. Looking deeper under the surface, we discover that both veterans and many children are at a high risk for anxiety, sleep disorders, hyper-arousal and other branches of mental illness often stemming from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), whether diagnosed or presenting symptoms sans a diagnosis.
On today's episode, Brenda Lauer, veteran, counselor and founder of the Truman Foundation, shares amazing stories about how her service dog Truman has changed her life by decreasing her anxiety, and the benefits that service dogs have provided to the mental health of countless veterans.
When it comes to our students, one of the primary reasons we have seen for having a service dog such as Truman, is to assist with seizure alerts, however, we see an expanding role for service dogs to provide support for children who experience panic attacks and social anxiety as well.
Discover the incredible ways that service dogs have made a difference as well as additional ways that dogs have helped students including "read with a dog" programs to assisting with emotional regulation.
Brenda also shares with us an exciting addition to the Truman Foundation and a few tips for what to do and not to do when a service dog is present.
Enjoy the show!
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Brenda Lauer is the founder of the Truman Foundation where she advocates and educates individuals and communities about the benefits of service dogs and the do's and don't of what to do as part of a service dog team. Brenda has a Master's degree in counseling. Her passion for service animals stems from her personal experience with PTSD stemming from her service in the military as well as from a car accident. Her service dog, Truman, changed her life and helped her to understand herself better. It is Brenda's belief that an educated community will make it easier for service dog teams to go out and be included in community. Her current project is a children's book about Truman and his eight-year-old best friend. The book will be available to educate children about service dogs as well as jump start a mental health awareness series for children with Truman as the main character.
For more information, or to connect with Brenda, visit https://truman-foundation.org
Follow Truman on IG HERE @the_truman_foundation
Let's change lives together.
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