Speech anxiety management workshop assisted by therapy dogs

Speech anxiety is common among university students, which hinders their ability to speak in public. Cognitive behavioural therapy and solution-focused therapy have shown positive results in speech anxiety. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether using therapy dogs enhanced results after a speech anxiety workshop that incorporated the aforementioned therapeutic approaches. Anxiety symptoms and public speaking confidence were assessed. Seven university students participated and results were compared against an equivalent comparison group, which attended the 5-session workshop without the support of therapy dogs. The results indicated a significant improvement in the assessed variables (P<.05), although the changes observed did not differ statistically from the comparison group. We conclude that including therapy dogs does not improve treatment results.