WORCESTER— In many ways, the crimp-eared golden retriever Elliott is just as imperfect as the children and adolescents he helps: He can be lackadaisical, he sometimes has problems following orders and the spots on his tongue prevent him from leading the pampered life in the dog show circuit that he was bred for.

Still, the staff and clients at the Burncoat Family Center in Worcester would take him, idiosyncrasies and all, over a statuesque drama queen Lassie any day.

“The kids really identify with him,” said Lori Simkowitz-Lavigne, program director of the center. “They see him as being rejected, as many of them have been.”

Elliott, a 1-year-old National Education for Assistance Dog Service dog, came to the Burncoat Family Center at the end of May — and the furry, affable canine has already had a positive effect on the program’s young clients. Ms. Simkowitz-Lavigne said she’s seen a decrease in the number of children having to be put in restraints.

The program provides short-term residential treatment for boys and girls aged 4 to 18. Many of them have mental health diagnoses; others have been abused or neglected and experience suicidal thoughts or depression.

“Pretty much the work we do here is to stabilize kids,” Ms. Simkowitz-Lavigne explained. “They’re in crisis in some area of their life.”

Elliott’s role, then, is to make them more comfortable in certain situations, including intensive therapy sessions.

“He doesn’t speak; he offers no judgment,” said Ms. Simkowitz-Lavigne. “He provides unconditional love and affection.”

Often, Elliott will be called into session to cuddle with kids as they’re telling personal, sometimes upsetting stories. He’s also brought into situations in which kids are throwing tantrums or threatening to hurt themselves and others. In that sense, he can help to de-escalate an intense situation.

He’s likewise used as an incentive for good behavior. Kids in the program get “Elliott bucks” for following orders, taking timeouts appropriately and showing marked progress.

One Elliott dollar buys five minutes of cuddling time with Elliott; larger increments provide grooming or bathing sessions. Twenty Elliott dollars buys a play date to the pet supply store, Petco.

“Elliott’s fun to play with — very fun,” said one 11-year-old in the program as he played catch with Elliott on a recent afternoon. The child, whose name was kept confidential at Ms. Simkowitz-Lavigne’s request, then tossed a purple tennis ball to Elliott, and the dog bounded after it down a narrow hallway. When the dog returned, ball in slobbery mouth, the boy and Ms. Simkowitz-Lavigne tossed him treats he caught skillfully in midair.

“He goes after it,” said the boy, a redhead with wire-rimmed glasses. “He really likes the squeaky toys.”

Ms. Simkowitz-Lavigne opted to incorporate Elliott into the program, she said, because she’d seen therapy dogs at work in similar situations and knew how beneficial they could be. She and members of the program’s staff went through extensive training with the animal.

A dog breeder in Vermont donated Elliott to NEADS in 2004, she said. As a puppy, he went through a prison program in Northampton. While there, he was paired with an inmate to learn everyday obedience.

These days, he’s learned how to shake, “speak,” give high-fives and turn a light switch on or off.

“With treats,” Ms. Simkowitz-Lavigne clarified. “He’s very food-motivated.”