A six-year-old golden retriever named Joey is helping children and young people open up during social services conversations in Aalborg Municipality. He works with social worker Emma Konnerup at Familiegruppe MidtVest, which is part of the municipality's social services, according to DR.
Joey has been at the department for two years. He started by going on walks with young people, and six months ago he began attending the conversations as well. The conversations are typically about contact and how much time a child should spend with each parent.
Konnerup says the young people can be unsure or afraid of how their feelings will be received. "It can be that the young person is unsure, or that they are afraid of how it will be received when they tell how they feel," she says.
Joey doesn't have a social worker education, but Konnerup says he makes a big difference. "He is a master at lending his calm nervous system. His breathing is calm and it rubs off, and the young people can have incredibly great benefit from such a nice dog standing next to them and showing he wants them well," she says.
Konnerup hopes the experience can eventually be spread to other departments and municipalities. She says Joey has been well received by the young people. "I have a handful of young people who say: 'Emma, we'd like to come in and talk with you, but then you also have to have Joey with you. That just says something about them enjoying it, and thinking he is cute and lovely," she says.