Megan Hendrix

I’m Megan Hendrix, a licensed Occupational Therapist and I work with an amazing team at Lee Health in southwest Florida. My current role involves practicing OT in the acute setting, and most days I get to partner with Fitzgerald as his handler. Together we offer animal-assisted therapy (AAT) to help patients at the hospital engage in the small brave actions that help them regain their strength, connect to their loved ones, and grow healthier together.

I also built Wild + Brave Coaching (originally Hendrix Coaching & Consulting) with my family team. I was one of the masterminds behind Wild + Brave Challenge Groups like Camp Mo, Negotiation Bootcamp, and the Live More Challenge.

My passion for applied positive psychology and living Wild + Brave together is a huge part of everything I now do as an Occupational Therapist using Animal-Assisted Interventions and positive psychology to help humans gain occupational balance, connect with authentic motivation, and live anti-fragile lives at every age.

Animal-Assisted Occupational Therapy

In Megan’s role at Lee Health, she has built the Animal-Assisted Occupational Therapy Program at Gulf Coast Medical Center. The program is an interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at using the power of AAT interventions to help patients heal and navigate health challenges.

Megan’s partner Fitzgerald is an official facility dog provided by Canine Companions. Together with her fellow handler, Megan has learned and built on the world-class training Fitz received from puppyhood to learn how to uniquely interact with patients and coworkers at Lee Health.

Known around the hospital as Dogtor Fitzgerald, Fitz is uniquely trained to help patients engage in therapy, pursue therapy goals, and access their Brave to keep getting better.  You’ll often find Fitz serving oncology patients, since he has a knack for knowing what they need, and loves being part of the oncology team.

Learn More about the Animal-Assisted Therapy Program at Lee Health

Learn More about Applied Positive Psychology on the Pawsitive Psych Digest