17th Annual Women’s Leadership Conference Springfield, Massachusetts                                 Lead with Compassion

Cynthia Hinckley will speak on The Healing Power of the Human-Canine Bond as since through visits with her five therapy dogs over a period of twenty years.  A great deal of change has occurred in the field of animal assisted therapy over the past two decades.  Formal studies have been conducted in the areas of healthcare and education that point to the positive effects that result when dogs are used to assist in therapeutic and remedial settings.  The overwhelming evidence in favor of animal assisted therapy in promoting positive outcomes is not to be denied.  This has resulted in a vast number of facilities and programs opening their doors to therapy dog visitors.

In 2004, Cynthia founded Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to placing well trained, certified therapy dogs in meaningful programs that provide comfort and caring through the human-canine bond.  Bright Spot Therapy Dog Teams serve in a wide variety of healthcare and educational settings, including: hospitals, nursing homes, hospice, schools, libraries and other facilities where therapy dogs are needed.