HELLO, MARLOW
THE Good Shepherd Catholic School in Rasmussen has a new four legged friend.
Marlow is the school’s Therapy Dog, trained to provide support and comfort to all students and in particular those who may suffer from additional difficulties engaging at school such as those with learning difficulties and social and emotional disorders.
The school’s Guidance Counsellor, Christine York, and principal Glenda Scrase submitted a proposal for the Therapy Dog Pilot Program to Townsville Catholic Education ( TCE) in March this year.
With TCE’s support, Christine and her 7- year- old golden retriever, Marlow, completed therapy dog training in Brisbane and obtained accreditation through Therapy Dogs Australia.
Christine and Marlow are both at Good Shepherd Catholic School on Mondays and Tuesdays, helping students in one- on- one counselling sessions, small group sessions, and class visits.
Good Shepherd Catholic School has a number of children Marlow will work with, and it is anticipated that the dog will have a positive impact on their school lives.
Ms York said like most schools, Good Shepherd had a fully supported learning program for students with difficulties en- gaging in school for various reasons including social emotional disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, intellectual and learning disabilities or who had suffered from trauma in their lives.
“Marlow will be there to help these students feel more comfortable to connect with me, as their guidance counsellor and hopefully have an impact on overall student engagement, learning and social and emotional wellbeing,” she said.