A huge thank you to CWRU Mandel School for inviting us to participate in the Alumna Author’s Alley day. Lovely to connect with old friends and meet new folks. I am indebted to MSASS for the years of support and generosity.
Northwest Bank 49 S Main St, Oberlin, OH beginning January 2nd. Enter our drawing to win a prize and help yourself to our brochures, bookmarks, articles etc. about our non-profit organization, Healing Companions, Inc. Learn all about how we save the lives of shelter dogs who in turn transform the lives of those severely limited by their mental illness, training these dogs as their psychiatric service dogs. A win-win situation that you can support through volunteering, generosity and by spreading the word.
We are honored to be invited by Northwest Bank as non-profit of the month.
Thanks for your support!
We had a truly amazing time with over twenty-five folks signing up to volunteer with us. We also want to thank Oberlin Northwest bank for donating free water bottles, frisbees, key chains, shirts and goodie bags. Ahava, Jane’s golden retriever and co-therapist attracted crowds to our table and provided an afternoon of pets, cuddles and love showered upon them. We are so grateful to the Bonner Center and everyone that stopped by to learn all about Healing Companions and wanting to join us and spread the word through their social networks.
September 19, 2018 ~ We caught up with Jane Miller, a Mandel School alumnus who will be part of Alumni Authors Alley on October 12. Miller is a licensed independent social worker, psychiatric service dog trainer, certified dog behavior consultant, celebrated author, and founder of Healing Companions, Inc. Healing Companions is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting people with disabilities such as depression, post-traumatic stress, bipolar disorder, anxiety, panic attacks and more, by partnering them with Psychiatric Service Dogs In-training (PSDIT).
Her book, Healing Companions: Ordinary Dogs and Their Extraordinary Power to Transform Lives is a groundbreaking book that provides a window into the new world of Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSDs) and how they can offer some of society’s most vulnerable people a second chance at life. The book is a great read that offers hope and shares stories of how these dogs have changed and enhanced the lives of their human companions.
In Healing Companions, Jane Miller introduces these amazing dogs and explains how they have helped vulnerable people improve their lives in profound and unexpected ways. PSDs have allowed them to gain self-esteem, self-confidence, assertiveness, and so much more. These dogs provide emotional support, as all dogs do, but they are specifically trained to perform certain tasks unique to each individual’s needs.
Q: When did you discover the ability of dogs to perform the work of PSDs? As a child of divorced parents, I learned early on the comfort of our black lab, Tasha. She was my best friend and confidant, especially through the trials and tribulations of adolescence. But really, Umaya, one of my golden retrievers, set my life trajectory. At age four, Umaya contracted cancer. I was working at a clinic and seeing clients all day. Umaya’s oncologist suggested that