Becca Haigh

Owner of Wildling Adventures, Therapeutic Intervention and Animal Therapy

The progress that the children make is quite unbelievable. There is not a day at work where my heart does not sing.

Why I chose Leeds Trinity University and my best memories

I had friends who had attended Leeds Trinity who raved about the support and how the friendly the campus was. Universities can have all the resources in the world, but without support from tutors it is pointless. From the people who work in catering to the teaching staff everyone gives you that feeling of belonging. No body gave me the feeling of belonging more than the group of friends I made at Leeds Trinity, I could have not got through studying a degree (during a pandemic) without those amazing ladies.

The lectures were very interactive, and it was great to be able to have a voice and debate issues within the subjects I was studying.

What I enjoyed about my course

I enjoyed everything about the course, I love learning. Going back education at 34 years old, I honestly thought I would be like a fish out of water. It turns out that was not the case at all.

Leaving with new skills

Aside from the obvious skills you learn within a degree, a big part for me was reflection and professional reflective practice. I had always struggled with this in the past, feeling quite hurt and having been self-critical. Within my degree we were taught the importance of reflective practice and how and why it is done. This skill has helped me personally and my business to grow in a healthy way. This has enabled me to ensure that I am meeting the needs of my clients through supporting them in the correct way and at the same time not burning myself out.

Coming up with the idea of animal assisted therapy

My children are my inspiration for my business as I am a special educational needs (SEN) mum. My youngest son is diagnosed ASD and my eldest ADHD. We have always enjoyed the company of animals as a family having had chickens, dogs, horses, ducks. After a long day at school when my boys would return home over stimulated, burned out, we would take them outside to feed and just be with the animals. After a short period of time, we noticed that they would calm down and start to talk about their day. Animal assisted therapy is a form of therapeutic intervention, and I wanted other people to experience this. Studying both psychology and child psychology over the years I began to research, and I have not stopped researching since.

They say never work with children or animals and I work with both, I can honestly say hand on heart it is the most rewarding career. The progress that the children make is quite unbelievable. There is not a day at work where my heart does not sing.

The funniest thing that has ever happened at work

There are so many things that have happened, mishaps let's call them. From been urinated on by the animals, dropping the tarantula on my husband (the other half of Wildling Adventures). Who HATES Spiders!. My children have also asked if we can get a giraffe, lion and kangaroo. There is never a dull moment and I love it.

My advice to prospective students

This degree really is an amazing course, with modules from everything from child psychology, assessments and interventions and youth justice. It can really give you the opportunity to choose a specific path or combine them all within your career. I would have never launched by business if it wasn’t for my degree. Not only did it give me the knowledge I needed, but also the confidence to believe in myself.