Animal-Assisted Therapy and Back-to-School How Can We Help Young People Better Manage Their Stress?

Why is my child stressed about going back to school? How can back-to-school stress be reduced? Can animal-assisted therapy help an anxious child at school?

The back-to-school period brings many new experiences: a new classroom, a new teacher, new routines, new challenges… For some children and teenagers, this period is exciting and stimulating. For others, it can be a source of worry, stress, or apprehension.

But what makes a situation stressful? And most importantly, how can we help young people better understand what they are feeling and develop strategies to manage their stress ?

In this blog article, we explore the mechanisms of stress in young people, researcher Sonia Lupien’s NUTS model, and how animal-assisted therapy can support children and teenagers during the back-to-school period and other times of transition.

Why can going back to school be stressful?

Children can be particularly sensitive to stress associated with changes in their lives. Their brains are still developing, and their ability to anticipate and imagine events they have not yet experienced is also still developing. They also have less experience knowing how to cope with uncertainty and the emotions that can accompany a new situation.

The back-to-school period can therefore represent an important period of adjustment. A new classroom, new faces, new expectations, new routines: several elements can arise simultaneously and require the young person to adapt quickly.

Is it normal for a child to be stressed before going back to school?

The stress experienced during this transition is very real. Studies conducted with children entering school show an increase in cortisol, a hormone associated with the stress response, during the first few weeks after starting school (Leblond et al., 2022). However, this response varies from one child to another, with some adapting more quickly than others ((Leblond et al., 2026).

This reminds us that feeling stress during a transition is normal. Stress is a natural response of the body that allows us to adapt and mobilize the energy needed to deal with a situation. What deserves our attention instead is the intensity of the stress, how long it persists, and the impact it may have on the young person’s functioning and well-being.

This reflection is even more relevant because stress and anxiety play an important role in the lives of many young people. Statistics Canada data indicated that in 2019, 17% of young people aged 5 to 17 reported their mental health as fair or poor, while 5% had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder (Statistics Canada, 2022).
It is therefore relevant to consider how we can support young people during periods of transition and, above all, help them develop stress management strategies that they can reuse in different situations throughout their lives.

 

Understanding stress with the NUTS model

What is the NUTS model of stress?

One interesting way to better understand stress comes from the work of researcher Sonia Lupien, notably presented in her book « Par amour du stress ».

According to Sonia Lupien, stress is not a disease. It is a normal response of the body that allows us, among other things, to adapt to different situations and mobilize the energy needed to face them.

She proposes four characteristics that help explain why a situation can become stressful: Novelty, Unpredictability, Threat to the ego, and Sense of control. These four elements form the well-known NUTS model.

A situation does not need to contain all four factors to trigger a stress response. However, the more of these factors that are present, the more likely the situation is to be experienced as stressful. And the back-to-school period can sometimes contain many of them!

C - Low sense of control
« Will I be able to do it? »
« Who will be in my class this year? »
« Will I be able to ask for help if I need it? »
A young person may feel that several important aspects of their day are beyond their control.

How can we help them in practical ways?
Give them back control where possible. Allowing them to make certain choices, preparing their supplies with them, establishing a routine, and giving them concrete information about what to expect can help increase their sense of control.

I - Unpredictability
Not knowing what will happen can be particularly unsettling.
« Who will my teacher be? »
« How will my first day go? »
« Will I make friends? »

This uncertainty can be particularly uncomfortable. However, it is important to remind young people that we cannot predict or control everything. A certain degree of unpredictability is a natural part of life. The goal is therefore not to eliminate all uncertainty, but rather to help the young person develop strategies to cope with what they cannot predict and to have confidence in their ability to adapt when things do not go exactly as planned.

How can we help them?
We can reduce unpredictability by preparing the young person for what to expect: visiting the school, looking at the schedule, preparing supplies, or simply discussing different possible scenarios. We can also help them think about what they could do if things do not go as planned.

For example:
« If your teacher changes the schedule, what could you do? »
« If you don’t know where to go, who could you ask for help? »

This approach allows the young person to gradually move from:

« I need to know what is going to happen. »
to:
« I don’t know exactly what is going to happen, but I can prepare myself and I will be able to find a way to adapt. »

 

N - Novelty
A new classroom, a new school, a new grade level, or new expectations all represent new experiences to which the brain must adapt.

How can we help them? 
Gradual familiarization can make a new situation feel a little more familiar. You can visit the location in advance, talk about the new routine, or gradually resume certain school habits before the start of the school year.

However, the young person does not need to feel completely comfortable before experiencing something new. The goal is rather to give them enough reference points to approach it with greater confidence. If it remains difficult despite these efforts, it is recommended to validate the emotion and recognize every small step forward. A calm and available adult can help greatly. If the difficulties persist or are significant, it is appropriate to consult a professional.

 

É - Threat to the ego
For a child or teenager, school can also represent a threat to the way they see themselves.

« What if I make a mistake? »
« What if the others laugh at me? »
« What if I’m not good enough? »
« What if I don’t get good grades? »

The fear of failure, judgment, or not measuring up can therefore contribute to stress.

How can we help them?
Value effort, progress, and perseverance rather than focusing only on results. Reminding the young person that a mistake does not define their worth or abilities can also help reduce this perceived threat.

The goal is not to convince the young person that they can succeed at everything, but to help them develop this perspective: « I can try, I can learn, and I can find ways to overcome difficulties. » Over time, these experiences can help strengthen their sense of competence and confidence in their abilities.

In a school setting, animal-assisted therapy can also provide opportunities to experience concrete successes, take on challenges at one’s own pace, and receive positive feedback in a context where mistakes can be viewed as opportunities to learn rather than as failures.

*** Inspired by the work of Sonia Lupien, particularly her book Par amour du stress (Éditions au Carré, 2010). The NUTS model and associated concepts are attributed to Sonia Lupien and do not constitute a method developed by Véronique Chantal, Éducazoo inc. or the Centre Éducatif le Chien Futé.

Recognizing signs of stress and anxiety in young people

What are the signs of stress in a child or teenager?

Anxiety and stress do not manifest in the same way in every young person. Reactions can vary depending on age, developmental level, temperament, and the personality of the child or teenager. In younger children, stress can sometimes be difficult to identify because they do not yet have the words to explain what they are feeling. It is therefore important to pay attention to changes in their behaviour or habits.

In some children and teenagers, we may observe (Government of Quebec, 2023):
• headaches;
• stomach aches or nausea;
• vomiting;
• sleep problems;
• crying or irritability;
• procrastination;
• a sudden change in behaviour;
• a constant need for reassurance or excessive worry;
• reactions that seem disproportionate;
• isolation or avoidance of certain situations;
• difficulties related to school or social responsibilities;

These signs do not automatically mean that a young person has an anxiety disorder. However, they may be signals inviting us to slow down, observe, and listen. However, when symptoms are significant, persistent, or interfere with the young person’s daily functioning, it is important to seek support from the appropriate professionals.

 

What if we applied the « NUTS » model to going back to school?

Once we recognize the signs of stress in a young person, one simple way to help them understand and manage their stress is to encourage them to think about four questions:

C - What can I control?
I - What do I not know yet?
N - What is new to me?
É - What am I afraid of when it comes to myself or how others see me?

This approach helps transform a general feeling of « I’m stressed » into more concrete elements that can sometimes be addressed. The goal is not necessarily to eliminate all stress. Rather, it is to help the young person understand what their stress is trying to tell them and develop strategies to cope with it.

What is animal-assisted therapy and how can it support young people during stressful times?

Animal-assisted therapy is an intervention approach that uses the relationship and interactions with an animal as part of a structured process supervised by a trained practitioner. The animal becomes an intervention partner that can promote engagement, motivation, communication, and the creation of an environment conducive to learning. Depending on the young person’s needs, activities may target different goals, including emotional, social, cognitive, or physical goals.

What are the benefits of animal-assisted therapy for children?

Animal-assisted therapy therefore does not simply consist of « being with an animal ». The interactions are carefully planned and used as part of specific intervention goals adapted to each person’s needs and abilities.

For example, a young person experiencing stress as the school year approaches might be invited to observe signs of relaxation or tension in an animal and then experiment with different strategies to return to a calmer state. An activity might involve gently guiding an animal through a small course while using slow, controlled breathing. The young person must then slow down their movements, pay attention to their breathing, and adjust their pace to that of the animal.

The activity therefore becomes a concrete opportunity to practise stress regulation, concentration, and self-control, skills that can then be transferred to other situations, such as entering the classroom, giving an oral presentation, or taking an exam.

 

More specifically, how can animal-assisted therapy help with…:

Going back to school
Animal-assisted activities can provide opportunities to work on emotion management, adapting to change, self-confidence, and calming strategies. The animal can also encourage the young person’s engagement and create a context in which they feel comfortable enough to explore certain emotions or difficulties.

Transitions and changes
A change of classroom, school, grade level, or routine can bring together several elements of the NUTS model at the same time: novelty, unpredictability, and a reduced sense of control. Activities with an animal can then serve as a context for practising adaptation, flexibility, communication, and emotion management. The young person can learn to observe what is happening within themselves when a situation changes, recognize their reactions, and experiment with different ways of adapting.

Exams
Exams can also bring together several NUTS factors: the unpredictability of the questions, the novelty of an assessment, a reduced sense of control, and fear of failure. Stress is not necessarily the enemy of success. A certain level of activation can be useful for mobilizing the attention and energy needed for a task. The challenge is rather to prevent stress from becoming too intense or persistent.

In animal-assisted therapy, activities can be used to work on breathing, concentration, recognizing physical signs associated with stress, and different regulation strategies.

The end of a term and report cards
Academic results can directly affect self-esteem and a sense of competence.
An animal-assisted intervention can provide opportunities to work on perseverance, tolerance for mistakes, and self-confidence, by focusing on the process rather than solely on performance.

The goal may be to help the young person move from: « I have to succeed to be good. »
to: « I can make mistakes, learn, and keep moving forward. »

Animal-assisted therapy can also be integrated into certain activities related to academic learning when these activities align with the intervention goals.

 

How can back-to-school stress be reduced?

In addition to an intervention adapted to the young person’s needs, a few small habits can make a difference:

Gradually return to a routine
Gradually adjust sleep schedules, meals, and daily routines before the start of the school year.

Prepare what can be prepared
Prepare the backpack, clothing, and school supplies in advance to reduce unexpected situations in the morning.

Encourage discussion
Invite the child to talk about what is worrying them without immediately trying to make the emotion disappear. Sometimes, simply feeling heard is already an important first step.

Identify strategies that work for them
Breathing, movement, sensory activities, music, quiet time… Every young person may have different needs.

Normalize emotions and recognize signs of stress
Feeling nervous before a new stage is normal. We can acknowledge the emotion without dramatizing it:
« You’re worried because this is new for you. We can think together about what might help you. »

 

A partner for learning to manage stress

Going back to school does not need to be perfect. It is a period of adjustment, and adjustment takes time. Understanding the different components of stress can help children and teenagers put their experiences into words and identify what might give them a greater sense of control or security. Animal-assisted therapy, in turn, can provide a concrete, reassuring, and motivating context for developing some of these skills. Through the animal, the young person can experiment, observe, try again, and gradually discover the strategies that work best for them.

Because learning to manage stress does not mean never feeling stressed again. Rather, it means learning to recognize the signals, understand what affects us, and discover the strategies that can help us navigate challenges, one small step at a time.

 

Sources and references

Government of Quebec. (2023). Stress and anxiety in your child or teenager. Government of Quebec.
Leblond, M., Parent, S., Castellanos-Ryan, N., Lupien, S. J., Fraser, W. D., & Séguin, J. R. (2022). Transition from preschool to school: Children’s pattern of change in morning cortisol concentrations. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 140, 105724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105724
Leblond, M., Parent, S., Castellanos-Ryan, N., Lupien, S. J., Herba, C. M., Fraser, W. D., & Séguin, J. R. (2026).Morning cortisol levels and quality of social interactions across the transition to school predict the development of children’s anxious and depressive symptoms in first grade. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 185, 107721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107721
Lupien, S. (2010). Par amour du stress. Montreal, Quebec: Les Éditions au Carré.
Statistics Canada. (2022). Youth mental health in the spotlight again, as the COVID-19 pandemic drags on. Government of Canada.