As classes ended for the Winter Term, the Mental Health Peer Support team at The Counselling Centre invited some furry friends to campus to help students unwind. Therapy dogs Roo, Chester and Hopkins visited students for pets and cuddles, in collaboration with Saint John Ambulance.
“This time of year tends to be stressful for students. We try to bring therapy dogs in to help people feel a little calmer going into finals,” said Zoë MacDonald, a third-year Arts student and Mental Health Peer Supporter, in a recent story with CBC.
Her co-organizer and fellow Peer Supporter, Cedric Ralph, agreed, sharing that the therapy dogs give students an opportunity to unwind in a social setting. Cedric is a fifth-year psychology student and athlete on the Huskies men’s hockey team.
Peer Supporters are trained upper-year students who have lived experience with mental health and understand the challenges of being a student. They offer confidential, one-on-one support and weekly drop-in hours throughout the term for all students. The Peer Support program is run in conjunction with the other universities in Halifax through the Stay Connected Mental Health Project.
Saint Mary’s students can access mental health and counselling resources from The Counselling Centre and find stress management tools through Mental Health Advocates on Brightspace.