What does animal-assisted therapy do for at-risk youth in Israel? It gives them life.

Children who have been removed from their families due to domestic violence and abuse or because their families were unable to keep them at home grow up at Bet Singer.

Bet Singer works to develop individual therapeutic programs for each child according to his/her needs, while integrating the child as much as possible in the community and strengthening the child’s ties with his/her family.

Animal-assisted therapy, a specialty at Bet Singer, helps the children cope with the trauma and the emotional challenge of being removed from home while keeping to their normative frameworks such as schools.

Studying and integrating with normative peers through the acquisition of positive behavioral norms and standards requires great emotional resources and strong financial backing. However, the positive impact this has on their successful rehabilitation is immeasurable.

Meet Yochai  My name is Yochai. When I was nine years old, I was removed from my family because of violence and abuse by my father. My father sat in jail for violence charges and my parents were going through difficult divorce. I was angry and scared. I did not believe in myself and in others. My life trajectory was pointing in one direction – and it wasn’t a good one. My life changed, thanks to animal-assisted therapy at Bet Singer. I was there for a whole nine years. I am 25 years old now. I served in the army and am now studying to become a social worker. I owe my life to Bet Singer and to the therapists who supported me throughout my journey to find my strength and believe in my abilities. My wish and hope is to be able to help children at risk as I was.

Come hear the stories of the people who have been positively impacted by this incredible program, which is funded by your contributions to the Annual Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. Yochai will be visiting our community in late October. Watch for more details soon.