Montezuma grad and her dog, Maple, helping others

       Paige Theis of Cedar Rapids and formerly of Montezuma, is shown with her 4.5 year old Sheepadoodle, Maple. A counselor at Mercy Family Counseling in Cedar Rapids, Theis and Maple provide therapy services on a volunteer basis at Memory Care Facilities, Retirement Communities, Hospice Centers, and Mercy Medical Center. Plans are that Theis will be able to use Maple to provide therapy services on a professional level. Submitted photo.

J.O. Parker
 
      Bringing comfort and joy to others through therapy is something that a Montezuma graduate has taken to heart.
     Paige (Robison) Theis, a 2019 Montezuma graduate and employee at Mercy Family Counseling in Cedar Rapids, is working with her dog, Maple, a 4.5 year old Sheepadoodle, to provide therapy services to those in need on a volunteer basis.
     “Maple and I have gone to different Memory Care Facilities, Retirement Communities, Hospice Centers, and Mercy Medical Center,” noted Theis. “Each of these places provides a different pace of visits, which is particularly helpful as we gain more confidence in being a therapy dog team.”
      Theis said it wasn’t until her senior year of her undergraduate experience at Mount Mercy that the idea of helping those with mental health issues would be a perfect fit for her.
      “Some of my professors who were also mental health professionals taught me a lot about clinical mental health, and really pushed me to look into that as a career path and apply for the Marriage & Family Therapy graduate program at Mount Mercy,” said Theis.
After graduating with her undergraduate degree in Psychology in 2022, Theis enrolled in the Marriage & Therapy graduate program, graduating in 2024.
       “Once I started that program I began to realize that I wanted to do this kind of work because I’ve always been curious about people’s stories—what shapes them, how they cope, and how they grow,” said Theis. “I’m interested in how relationships, environments, and life events shape people, and I wanted a career where I could support others in making sense of those experiences, while providing a space that is safe for people to be themselves.”
       That is where Maple came into the picture.
      Theis and her husband, Jared, adopted Maple from a previous co-worker when she was 1.5 years old. She is a mix between an old English sheepdog and a standard poodle.
“When we first adopted Maple she was under socialized and was very wary of strangers,” noted Theis. “It took us a lot of time and desensitization to new people before she became comfortable. I never imagined at that point that she would be able to do the work that she has done, and she continues to become more comfortable, and confident with the work that she is doing.”
      Most recently, Theis and Maple got their certification through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD).
     “We worked with a certified tester and observer through ATD to complete a handling assessment, and a series of observations in a medical setting to see how Maple was able to handle those environments,” said Theis. “These observations also looked at how Maple and I worked together as a therapy dog team.”
      Outside of doing volunteer work, Theis has not utilized Maple as a therapy dog in her work environment yet, as the duo is new to the process.
    “I hope someday soon I can incorporate Maple into the work space and provide comfort and joy to my clients in a therapeutic setting,” said Theis. 
     Theis said one of the positive experiences that she has noticed is when people interact with Maple (including herself), there is a sense of grounding and regulating happening.
       “Maple has an ability to enhance connections with others, she brings a warmth that only comes from a human-animal connection,” she said. “I have had so many people share that they are grateful for just the quick moments of connection they have with Maple, and knowing that sometimes that's a moment many people need and deserve makes it all worth it.”
       The couple has been married for 3.5 years and reside in Cedar Rapids.