MARGINALISED CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

The dog as partner

Trinitas is an association dedicated to working with psychiatric service and therapy dogs to form a trinity between a person, a dog and society.

“We train both the dog and the person when we train a party. This makes our approach different from that of other associations training service dogs,” explains Trine Bargmann from Trinitas.

The project ‘The Dog as Partner and Lifeline’ trains five parties. A party comprises a mentally vulnerable young person (with a chronic psychiatric diagnose) between the ages of 18 and 25 and this person’s dog.

Files, evaluations and reports are produced and can later be used to as testament to the important work performed by the Trinitas volunteers.

Also documentation evidencing the results that come out of the work is gathered.

“We train and evaluates in a parallel process. The project lasts two years from start to final report. Being able to train five psychiatric service dogs for five mentally vulnerable young people is a gift we treasure hugely as a voluntary association. Most importantly, however, the process is life-changing for the young people who are given this opportunity,” explains Trine Bargmann.

 

As a long-term effect of this project, the association expects knowledge of the association’s work to become more widespread which again will pave the way for help to a higher number of mentally vulnerable people.

“Being part of a party lends the young people an increased sense of independence, makes them feel more secure and gives them an opportunity to be part of society with a psychiatric service dog as their aid,” says Trine Bargmann.