Therapy Partners Inc

Therapy Partners, Inc.® started, in Huntsville, Alabama, with just two therapy teams visiting two area facilities. We now have 28 active therapy teams composed of a handler and a certified therapy dog or cat, visiting 14 facilities and 8 schools. There is always a waiting list for our services. Handlers with Therapy Partners, Inc. have a combined experience of 269 years of providing therapeutic visits.

Therapy Partners, Inc.® staffs and manages four unique, service-oriented programs, Rapid Response Teams for disaster relief, as well as Kind Hearts Behavior Center:

Partners Achieving Wellness (PAW)

Since 1994, PAW therapy teams have visited patients in local hospitals, rehabilitation centers, long term and other patient care facilities. Handlers and their therapy partners are part of the treatment team whose goal is to work with patients to achieve optimum health - emotional, social, physical or cognitive.

Currently, our therapy teams make regularly scheduled visits to:

• Big Springs Specialty Care Center
• Brookdale Place Assisted Living
• Cogburn Health and Rehabilitation
• Harbor Chase
• Elmcroft Senior Living
• Healthsouth REhabilitation Hospital
• Hearthstone Assisted Living
• HOPE Place
• Hospice Family Care, The Caring House
• Huntsville Hospital Behavioral Health
• Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children
• Huntsville-Madison County Senior Center
• Madison Village
• Redstone Village
• Windsor House

Partners Achieving Literacy (PAL)

Our Partners Achieving Literacy (PAL), program began in 2000 as a collaboration with HEALS, Inc. (Health Establishments at Local Schools) and Camp Success at Title I schools.  PAL therapy teams work with second grade students who are experiencing academic failure due to poor reading skills. Handlers are trained specifically to work with these at-risk students. In 2005 we began working directly with second grade reading coaches. This service is provided at no cost to the schools. 

Our therapy teams work with children at the following Elementary Schools:

• Chapman
• Highlands 
• Lakewood
• Montview
• Ridgecrest
• Rolling Hills
• University Place
• West Mastin Lake 

Partners Achieving Literacy (PAL) therapy teams work with second grade students who are experiencing academic failure due to poor reading skills.  An at-risk-child is given the opportunity to read aloud (three times per month) to a loving, non-judgmental therapy cat or dog. Confidence and success as a reader grow, as does self-esteem.  When the child finishes reading a book (provided by Therapy Partners, Inc.), it is theirs to keep. For many children this is the first book they have ever owned.

Partners in the Community (PIC)

Partners in the Community introduces Therapy Partners through speaking engagements, and appearances before civic organizations, employee groups, churches and schools. We tailor our presentations to the needs of the group with are speaking with. We have specialty programs for children on taking care of dogs and cats, on how to greet dogs safely and career choices available using animals. Adult programs include “What Kind of Dog can you Afford to Entertain,” about how to chose the right dog for you and your family; “Your Dog Isn’t Stubborn! Just Misunderstood!” - how your dog has trained you to get what he wants; and presentations geared to specific medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s. Presenters are accompanied by our on Therapy Partner teams of dogs, cats or rabbits.

Find out more by visiting our website: http://www.therapypartners.org/