It’s not every day that you come to a college campus and see dogs vying for your affection, but that was the case on Thursday at Robeson Community College, as students, faculty and staff celebrated Mental Health Day.
The dogs were brought to campus by Cape Fear Dog Training Club in Fayetteville, and are trained as ‘therapy dogs,” provided comfort and relief. The therapy dogs were an integral part of the event, drawing large crowds and stealing the show for much of the day.
“Everywhere the dogs were, there was a group surrounding them,” stated Susan Moore, the organizer of the event. “It was a crowd pleaser.”
Five dogs spent much of the day on campus, receiving and giving hugs and offering unconditional love to anyone that came up to them.
“The dogs were an excellent resource for anxiety,” Moore said. “They drew the students in, they were calm and quiet. The sensory petting spiked the happy endorphins that we need to provide feel good experiences, which contribute to lowering one’s anxiety.”
In addition to the therapy dogs, those attending also had a chance to experience soothing chair massages from massage therapy students, relaxing hand paraffin wax treatments from cosmetology, as well as participate in a dance fitness class, take mental health assessments, and connect with community partners and discover resources available.
“Mental Health Day was a grand success,” Moore said. “The participation from students, staff and faculty was amazing… we want to extend a special thank you to our RCC departments for their outstanding services and to our community partners for providing valuable resources to our students.”
Moore says the idea behind the day was to “break the stigma” and to help individuals feel more comfortable talking about their mental health and seek help when needed.
“I hope everyone that attended realized that “Mental Health Matters,” Moore said. “It’s not just one person’s responsibility but relies on each of us to help ourselves and others.”
Cheryl Hemric is the public information officer at Robeson Community College. Reach her by email at chemric@robeson.edu.
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