MHA of Lake County, Indiana, to Receive National Award for "Power Paws" Program

National Mental Health Association
Wednesday, 28 May 2003

The National Mental Health Association will present its Innovation in Programming Award June 4 at its annual conference in Washington, D.C., to the Mental Health Association of Lake County, Indiana, for "Power Paws," an evidence-based therapeutic program developed to promote mental health through human-animal contact.

"Power Paws offers children and adults with serious mental illnesses and emotional disorders the opportunity to build self-esteem and further their individual goals towards recovery," said Michael Faenza, NMHA president and CEO. "The MHA of Lake County's therapeutic use of animals is a unique approach to mental health treatment that has produced outstanding results."

Power Paws offers participants the opportunity to develop positive social goals and behaviors and to increase feelings of self-worth at home, school and in the community. Through a partnership with Delta Societyâ, the leading international resource for the human-animal bond, the MHA of Lake County uses volunteer handlers and animal teams to provide animal-assisted activities and animal-assisted therapy to children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and to adults with serious mental illnesses.

Power Paws collaborates with schools, hospitals, mental health centers, residential treatment centers and family shelters. Outcomes of the Power Paws program include increased self-sufficiency, increased socialization skills and decreased depression, anxiety and anger.

The Innovation in Programming Award is given to Mental Health Associations who implement state-of-the-art ideas and research in the mental health field and incorporate the involvement and empowerment of people with mental illness in their programming. The award will be presented on Wednesday, June 4 at NMHA's annual conference, "America's Mental Health Crisis: Finding Solutions Together," in Washington, D.C. at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.

The National Mental Health Association is America's oldest and largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness. With more than 340 affiliates nationwide, NMHA works to improve the mental health of all Americans through advocacy, education, research and service.

For more information, or to contact National Mental Health Association, see their website at: www.nmha.org