# Exploring How a Therapy Dog Intervention in a Tier 3 Classroom Influences Mental Health Components of Well-Being: A Case Study

## TL;DR

This case study explores how therapy dogs can improve mental health and well-being in a Tier 3 classroom setting.

## Contribution

The study introduces a systematic integration model for therapy dogs in Tier 3 classrooms to enhance student well-being.

## Key findings

- Therapy dog interventions positively impact social, emotional, and behavioral well-being in Tier 3 classrooms.
- A systematic integration model with therapy dogs can improve emotional support and academic achievement.
- Qualitative data from observations and interviews support the effectiveness of therapy dogs as a complementary intervention.

## Abstract

The purpose of this case study is to examine how a therapy dog intervention can be integrated into a Tier 3 intervention classroom and how therapy dog interventions influence mental health components of well-being, social, emotional, and behavioral functioning, in a Tier 3 intervention classroom. This research used qualitative methods to triangulate data from classroom observations of the Tier 3 classroom with and without the therapy dog present including video data, field notes, student feedback, and a semi-structured interview with the classroom teacher/handler. Thematic analysis of transcripts from student feedback, semi-structured interview, and field notes was used for qualitative analysis. Multi-modal analysis was used to examine the phenomenon of the therapy dog intervention in the Tier 3 classroom and the multi-modal transcripts were aligned with the theme and sub-themes of the mental health components of well-being. The results indicated that a systematic integration model designed with a therapy dog intervention alongside a traditional Tier 3 approach can influence both emotional support and academic achievement. Therapy dog interventions positively impact the social, emotional, and behavioral well-being of students in Tier 3 settings when effectively integrated as a complementary intervention to enhance existing Tier 3 interventions.