Photos courtesy of Kinsey Nicole Photography.

Having conversations about mental health can be difficult, especially for children. Four-legged friends can be a great tool to break the boundary with kids to have those tough discussions. Mason Phillips, clinical counseling director at Ministries of Jesus, has found that Clark, his dog, is exceptionally good at comforting kids in need.

“Clark is just this big white dog with a really warm personality,” Phillips said. “He just walks into a room and knows who needs a friend and tries to find them.”

Phillips graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) in 2015 with a B.A. in Psychology: Pre- Counseling and M.S. In Marriage and Family Therapy. He has served in rural southeast Oklahoma, provided therapy for participants in Oklahoma County’s Treatment Court programs and was one of the first therapists at Arcadia Trails Integris, a residential center for individuals beginning long-term recovery from substance abuse.

Clark is very gentle by nature, so Phillips knew he would be the perfect therapy dog. After training him, Phillips began taking Clark to work with him. Clark also visits Academy Classical Christian Studies with Courtney, Phillips’ wife.

“One of the things Clark is really good at is finding kids who are silently hurting and just sitting with them,” Phillips said. “Courtney knows what the kids are going through, and she knows those are the kids Clark is going to go find.”

Using Clark’s image and personality as a basis, Phillips wrote short, children’s stories about family, faith and compassion. The book, The Adventures of Clark the Helper Dog, reminds kids that they are never alone in their journey.

“I want families to be able to have conversations,” Phillips said. “It’s about how to be a friend, or as Clark says in the book, how to be a ‘Pal.’”

Both versions of Clark promote openness in talking about mental health struggles and emotions. As Christians, we are called to be like Christ, and that includes expressing emotions.

“Jesus experienced somewhere between 30 and 35 unique emotions throughout his recorded life,” Phillips said. “If emotions are good enough for Jesus, they’re good enough for us.”

The Adventures of Clark the Helper Dog can be purchased online at strandbooks.com.