The goal of this pilot project is to test for initial efficacy of the Recovery \& Care Canine-Assisted Therapy program that has been developed and implemented in Lawrence Hall, a Chicago-based residential treatment center for maltreated youth. In this study, the investigators test the feasibility, acceptability, and short-term efficacy of expanding the program to a group of youth currently in outpatient treatment for social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Results from this project will provide preliminary evidence of whether a structured, goal-oriented intervention program focused on dog training activities has direct impact on increasing youth emotional self-regulation, impulse control, and self-efficacy, which are important targets for intervention among youth with mental health problems. If successful, this project could lead to a larger, randomized control clinical trials study that tests the longitudinal impact of the program that could further lead to national dissemination of the Recovery \& Care curriculum as an alternative therapeutic approach.
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Emotional Stroop
Timeframe: Up to 1-month post-intervention
Change in Emotional Stroop
Timeframe: Change from baseline to up to 1-month post-intervention
Flanker Task
Timeframe: Up to 1-month post-intervention
Change in Flanker Task
Timeframe: Change from baseline to up to 1-month post-intervention
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale
Timeframe: Up to 1-month post-intervention
Change in Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale
Timeframe: Change from baseline to up to 1-month post-intervention
Change in Negative Affect
Timeframe: Change from the beginning to the end of each of the 6 weekly intervention sessions