Miniature goats pouncing gently on your back may sound odd, but this goat yoga is the latest trend in mind and body workouts.

Now it’s being used to help students who may have behavior problems.

Child Guidance Resource Centers’ clients in the Truancy and Delinquency Prevention Partnership recently participated in The Philadelphia Goat Project, a community-based program offering animal-assisted therapy, goat yoga and community wellness.

The Project operates at the Awbury Arboretum Agricultural Village at 6336 Ardleigh Street in Philadelphia.

The Truancy and Delinquency Prevention Partnership is designed to work with students who exhibit behavior problems and are chronically late, not attending or unprepared for school.

Services may include family counseling and support, individual therapy, and behavior management programs provided in the student’s home, school and community.

During the spring break, the clients attended the session to engage in the community and experience nature. This field trip left a lasting impression on all attendees.

Children with autism feel a deep and special bond with animals. In many respects, they are able to relate better to animals than to humans.

They achieve a significantly greater use of language and social interaction in therapy sessions when incorporating animals, compared to standard therapy without them.

Goat yoga lowers blood pressure and improves lipid profiles that lead to stress relief. There are also many mental health benefits. The animals lift your spirits, lessen feelings of sadness and help with communication.

Animal therapy actually dates back to 18th century mental institutions, where inmates were allowed to interact with domestic animals. As time progressed, it was realized that animals have a positive effect on people who suffer from anxiety and depression.

Petting animals alone can promote a relaxation response by lowering anxiety and helping people feel comforted. This therapy can reduce the number of medications needed for some and diminishes overall physical pain.

Therapy animals are different than service animals, which perform tasks for people with disabilities and have a legal right to accompany their owners into almost any area. In the US, service animals are legally protected at the federal level, by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Therapy animals are not trained to assist specific individuals and do not qualify as service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

For more information about the project, visit https://www.phillygoatproject.org/.

To learn more about Child Guidance services, visit https://cgrc.org/.

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