Kiesa Kay and Rosa, her service dog, have shared life's journey for more than 16 years. Rosa is older now, and this workshop will be a reflection on how the animals in our lives, our Pals with Paws, can enrich our time together. We'll discuss the difference between a service dog, an emotional support animal, and a pet, and how Pals with Paws can inspire and influence our use of creativity as a healing tool.


Rosa has been featured in an article for WNC WOMAN titled "Rosa the Wonder Dog," and Kiesa also wrote about another service dog for an article in JUST LABS. We'll talk about writing about our experiences and the feelings that happen in going public with a nonfiction article that identifies an "invisible disability" like PTSD. What's it like when people who know you learn that you have a disability when they meet your service dog? We'll discuss, too, what service dogs do specifically for people who have PTSD, and different ways of handling people who do not know federal disability law and refuse entrance to someone who has one.


#healingfromtrauma #ptsd #servicedogs #abusesurvivor