2' min read
2' min read
There was a time when the idea that a dog could 'help to heal' seemed bizarre. Yet, back in the 1960s, some doctors and psychiatrists had already realised that the presence of an animal in a practice could do more than any cure. It was 1964 when the American psychiatrist Boris Levinson first brought his dog Jingles into a session with an autistic child: it was a breakthrough. The little boy, who until then had locked himself in impenetrable silence, began to communicate thanks to that discreet presence. Since then, pet therapy has come a long way, becoming an integral part of therapeutic, educational and rehabilitation paths all over the world. Because an animal does not judge, it does not impose, it does not expect: it simply is there. And this 'being there' can become cure, comfort, rebirth.
Today we are talking about Animal Assisted Interventions (AIA), a practice that is recognised, regulated and applied in clinical, educational and social contexts. Among the pioneers in Italy is Frida's Friends, a Milanese association founded in 2012, active in healthcare facilities and RSAs, with trained teams and animals selected - dogs and cats - for their empathic and relational abilities. In the very delicate field of Eating Disorders (Dca), Frida's Friends has built a unique project dedicated to girls and young women - because with the post-Covid the age of first diagnosis has dramatically lowered - affected by this disorder. Thanks to 'Give me a paw', as the project is called, animals - and cats in particular - become silent allies in the reconstruction process: they help to regain confidence, rework the body image, return to feeling one's own body as a place to live in, not a place to fight. An ad hoc department has even been created, entirely dedicated to Iaa for eating disorders.
But this is just one of the innovative projects carried out by Frida's Friends. In 2019, in collaboration with the Fatebenefratelli hospital in Milan, it launched 'Vite e Bulloni', the first pet therapy project in Italy against bullying and cyberbullying. A courageous experiment, which entered schools and was supported by a dedicated counter within the hospital. Through contact with animals, the children learned to listen to each other, recognise emotions, and break the dynamics of isolation and violence. Unfortunately, the project was interrupted two years ago for lack of funds.
But the association has not stopped dreaming. For 2025, Frida's Friends aims to reclaim an abandoned area near its headquarters to transform it into a physical - and symbolic - space where it can welcome those who suffer: girls and boys who are bullied or have an eating disorder, where silence is often the only language.
Supporting Frida's Friends is not just an act of generosity. It is a way for the look of a dog, the patience of a cat and a caress to continue to change lives, one story at a time.
