Animal Assisted Therapy Across the Continuum
Tuesday, December 1, 2026
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm EST; 11:30 am – 12:30 pm CST;
10:30 am – 11:30 am MST; 9:30 am – 10:30 am PST
Register Here
Presenter Bio:
Jessa is a speech-language pathologist by training and has been licensed for 29 years. Early in her career, she transitioned into an administrative role and has spent the past 25 years overseeing occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology operations in the acute care setting at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite.
A lifelong animal lover, Jessa has enjoyed many four-legged partnerships over the years, participating in equestrian events, canine agility and obedience, water work, and research studies at Emory University’s Canine Cognitive Neuroscience Lab. She even participated in functional MRI studies with her Portuguese Water Dog, Tug! In 2024, Jessa became a facility dog handler through the Children’s Canines for Kids program. Along with her co-handlers, Liz Brown, OT, and Casey Schambach, PT, she welcomed Queso to their department.
Outside of work, Jessa enjoys spending time with family and friends and embracing all things outdoors. Her interests include running, food, live music, books, movies, and mahjong.
Objectives: At the end of this session, the learner will:
- Differentiate the different roles of a facility dog vs. a therapy dog;
- Describe the use and clinical benefit of facility dogs as a therapeutic modality in the pediatric rehabilitation process;
- Identify three (3) ways a facility dog could be used as a modality for achieving functional goals in occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech language pathology sessions; and
- Examine rehabilitation therapists’ and nurses’ perception of affective, cognitive, and behavioral engagement of pediatric patients participating in sessions targeting functional goals during occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech language pathology sessions before and after the inclusion of a facility dog using the Pediatric Intervention Measure of Engagement-Service Provider (PRIME-SP).
Audience:
This webinar is intended for all interested members of the rehabilitation team.
Level: Beginner
Certificate of Attendance:
Certificates of attendance are available for all attendees. No CEs are provided for this course.
Complimentary webinars are a benefit of membership in IPRC/RCPA.
Registration fee for non-members is $179 (per organization). Not a member yet?
Consider joining today.
