Alpaca Therapy
For 15 years we have been training therapists and alpacas at the Alpaka Center Schloss Wiederoda – for encounters that touch the heart.
About the Therapy
At the Alpaka Center Schloss Wiederoda we have been offering courses for therapists for 15 years, as well as for anyone who wants to engage more deeply with the training of alpacas. Over three days, participants learn theory and practice: how to handle the animal safely, which alpaca is suited to animal-assisted activities, and the steps involved in training it as a therapy animal.
Thanks to its calm, friendly nature, the alpaca radiates serenity and has a balancing effect on people around it. It makes no difference between a healthy person and a person with a disability – it adapts to the mood and the situation.
We gained experience through, among other things, regular visits from groups of young people from the special-needs school of the Torgau-Oschatz district, which was housed at Schloss Wiederoda until 2008. Even children described to us as showing very challenging behavior acted completely within the norm while working with the alpacas. In the case of an autistic boy considered very aggressive, the effect was so positive after just a few visits that his parents called the school to ask where he had been.
We have also worked with traumatized children from the Tabaluga Foundation in Leipzig, as well as with facilities for people with disabilities and senior care facilities, as part of animal-assisted therapy.
What the Therapy Helps With
For example, following physical, emotional or sexual violence, traumatic experiences or loss.
Autism, Down syndrome, speech and behavioral disorders, as well as severe behavioral issues and hysteria.
For people at risk of suicide, encountering these calm, non-judgmental animals can have a relieving effect.
Addictive disorders (alcohol, pills, strong drugs) as well as patients with eating disorders.
The duration of therapy is agreed together with you or your doctor or personal therapist – from a single visit to long-term therapy.
Handling specially selected and trained animals is relatively easy, and the risk of accidents is almost negligible. The therapeutic value of alpacas is comparable to that of dolphins – and thanks to thousands of years of breeding as domestic animals, possibly even more suitable.
Gallery
Photos: copyright Hartwig Kraft von Wedel
ERASMUS Research Project
We are partners in an ERASMUS+ project on animal-assisted education in primary schools: Animal Assisted Education in Primary Schools (Project no. 2022-2-LT01-KA210-SCH-000101324, running in 2023).
Partners are VšĮ Eko mintis (Lithuania), our farm Sachsen Alpakas (Germany), and Šiaulių Vinco Kudirkos Progymnasium (Lithuania). Outcomes include a methodological guide for primary school teachers and a qualification program.
Training Course
3-day practical course at Schloss Wiederoda
You can find dates and prices on our seminar page.
To the CourseContact
Give us a call, we'll advise you with no obligation – including on courses for schools, facilities and therapists.
