LIFE GOES ON: Grace’s Gift To Patients

WORKING WITH GRACE

By Kathleen Cairns, Psy.D.

Dear Doctor Kathleen,

I have heard that you work in your office with your Maltese dog Grace and that she was a therapy dog in a hospital in Los Angeles.
How do you think that helps your patients?

Animal Lover  

Dear A.L.,

Grace and I spend our days listening to hopes, dreams, sadness, fears, and troubles. We are keepers of secrets. I may see an attorney with a marital problem, a mother of 3 with a drinking problem, a CEO with a stressful medical condition, a college student with an eating disorder, a nurse with a clinical depression, a media producer with relationship issues, a truck driver with a troubled son, or a teacher with anxiety. If it weren’t for my work, I would never have the privilege of knowing these people, let alone share in their personal stories. My path crosses into places I would not find in my own personal life. I meet men and women and adolescents from all walks of life, and I am honored to watch them grow and change as they explore new ways to live.

Years ago, I was working with a woman who had competition issues with her sister. One day, she said to me, “Oh, why would you possibly want to listen to me when your dog is so adorable!” Gracie was lying underneath my chair at the time, completely out of my sight. She felt that my attention was divided. We were able to use this experience to help her understand that she saw competition where there was none.

I’ve worked with my dog Grace since she was 6 months old. Patients often comment that they wish they could be as relaxed and content as Grace is. She has become a role model because she lives in the moment of NOW. She tells the truth always. She sleeps when she’s tired and plays when she’s happy. And because she senses their emotions, she knows exactly how to behave. She sits with people when they’re sad and leaves them alone when they’re anxious. She barks if a couple’s argument becomes too loud, and sleeps under my chair when it’s not her turn for attention. Life is good when you’re Grace.Her name portrays elegance, dignity, politeness, tolerance, acceptance, forgiveness, and gratitude. And these are the qualities that I try to bring to my work every day.
My work makes me happy. Grace makes me happy. Working with Grace is a gift.

Kathleen Cairns, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist in West Hartford, Connecticut. You can email her at kathleen.cairns@mac.com and she will try to answer as many of your questions as possible.