Halte 24-7 recently hosted a very special event: a pet therapy session that took place in our Plateau Mont-Royal space! Thanks to the visit of professional Lyne Cervellin, our members were able to spend a pleasant moment in the company of a dog, a cat and a rabbit, all three trained specifically for animal therapy activities.

The proven benefits of animals on mental health

Research on pet therapy suggests that simply being around animals can have multiple benefits for physical and mental health. Nothing new under the sun: as early as the 19th century, nurse and scientist Florence Nightingale claimed that small animals helped patients fight depression. Since then, studies have been able to demonstrate the psychological and physiological effects of contact with animals: improved mood, reduced anxiety and stress, lowered blood pressure and heart rate, increased concentration and motivation (A. H. Fine, 2015).

A solution to loneliness

No wonder we are seeing more and more therapy animals in the workplace! Indeed, 62% of the Canadian population says they feel stress on a daily basis at work. Isolation is the first cause of stress mentioned by Canadian workers. If coworking contributes to fostering social interactions at work and reducing the feeling of loneliness that many workers feel, contact with animals has similar effects. A moment spent with a small animal during a work day can thus be very calming.

We are pleased to have been able to offer this activity to our members and will soon be offering other wellness activities.

To learn more about Lyse Cervellin, Certified Zootherapist and follow her projects :

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lysec...

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ly...

Sources:

Aubrey H. Fine. 2015. Animal-Assisted Therapy. Londres: Academic Press.

Statistics Canada.