Durham Chronicle 17-18 Issue 12

10 The Chronicle April 24 - 30, 2018 chronicle.durhamcollege.ca Campus
The benefits of pet therapy
Rachelle Baird
The Chronicle
Many people are aware of service
animals and what they do. There
are guide dogs and dogs who can
even detect when a medical episode
is about to happen, such as a
seizure.
But they may not know animals
are also used for therapy.
These animals can ease anxiety,
stress and depression.
Robin Voisey, a veterinary
technician and professor of Durham
College’s Animal Care program,
said therapy animals provide
emotional support and will
visit schools, hospices, hospitals
and even occupational therapy
places. She said any dog can be a
therapy dog.
She said services dogs are
with their owners full-time, and
are highly trained working dogs.
Some wear vests indicating not to
touch them because they have a
job to do, and they are always on
the job.
There have been a few service
dogs seen around campus, Voisey
said. At the Whitby campus where
she teaches she has seen one dog.
Voisey said dogs are sometimes
brought in to help children read. If
a child is nervous to read or struggles
with reading, simply placing a
dog beside them helps them read
better because they feel the unconditional
love. Some people are unaware
of other animals which are
used in therapy. Cats, small companion
animals, and even horses
are used as well.
Voisey, a horse owner herself,
said there are benefits of using
horses in therapy.
Voisey is involved with a program
called Equine Assistant
Learning (EAL). It is a program
which uses horses as therapy.
“I’ve seen just mind-blowing
changes,” she said. “Where someone
feels comfortable enough to
allow the layers of onions to peel
from them, and with horses. The
horse sends out unconditional love
and things happen to the person
that are completely out of their
control.”
Voisey said one time she met
A young girl with her therapy cat.
I've just seen mind blowing
changes.
a woman who was nervous of
horses, who had never been near
a horse before, and was actually
quite frightened.
“The horse just took its time
with the woman, and the woman
burst into tears because she had
never had anyone take their time
with her like the way this horse
did,” she said.
She said rats can be considered
service animals, meaning they
can be with their owners all the
time, much like the dogs. She
said rats are loving and clean animals.
They will sit in their owners’
sleeves and help them throughout
their day. St. John Ambulance is
a non-profit organization with
a therapy dog program. It visits
long-term care facilities, hospitals,
schools, and provides companionship
for those who need it.
Marsha Seens is the community
services coordinator for
St. John Ambulance. “We don’t
have a standard breed,” she said.
“Goldens and Labs are very common.
We also have a lot Golden
Doodles and a lot of mixed
breeds.”
Seens said animals must be
calm at the start of the program,
over the age of one, and cannot be
over the age of ten. They also have
to be well socialized, behaved, and
walk well on a leash.
To qualify for the program, the
dog must start off with an orientation,
then an “interview” and
screening process, and finally an
evaluation. She said it can take up
Photograph by Rachelle Baird
to a couple of months for the dogs
to be qualified and not all will
qualify for the program.
Seens has seen changes in
people who have been involved
in the program. She said students
who have been worried about
exams have gone into them with
confidence after being with these
dogs. She said children with disabilities
or challenges who have
high energy levels will calm down
when the dog visits them in the
classroom.
When St. John visits long-term
care facilities she said there are
changes in the person’s demeanor,
and the animals make them feel
so much better, especially if they
cannot get out due to health issues.
She said just having these animals
come in is beneficial.
DC resources can help students with anxiety
The Zen
room help
students
with stress
Cory Philipsen
The Chronicle
The first time going to university
or even college can be a difficult
time for anyone, especially if it is
their first time leaving home. But
there are many supports for them
on campus.
If you are dealing with troubles
with schoolwork, you can book an
appointment with peer coaches, including
Roshni Vijay, a peer coach
at the college.
According to Vijay, the signs of
anxiety can differ from person to
person.
However, they may fidget with
their hands, cut themselves off from
the environment around them, or
fumble and appear pale. Even
though the signs are similar, she
says anxiety tends to be somewhat
like adrenaline.
Vijay says the reason for this
could be linked back to the idea
of the fight or flight instinct. But
anxiety is more related to fear or
reacting to danger.
However, she says there are ways
to help someone who deals with
anxiety.
There are many kinds of services
like this both on campus and outside
of Durham College and UOIT
to help students.
One such service is the Peer
Coaching, which can help students
understand and figure out when to
do the assignments as well as how
to do them.
There is also SALS and the Access
and Support Centre. There
are also people in the Health and
Wellness Centre who can assist
with mental health issues.
These services are free, all students
need to do is ask.
Dani Bobak is a student in the
Foundations in Art and Design
Program who has dealt with anxiety
for a while during school.
“It would have been helpful if
I knew that they had things on
school to help,” she says.
There is also the Zen room, located
in room C111. It is an area
that is mainly used to help with
both spiritual well-being and other
aspects of wellness.
Students can meditate here and
talk to some of the coaches about
problems. The room isn’t meant to
be for any specific person or group
of people.
It’s mainly a place where students
can take time away from
work, to keep them from feeling
overwhelmed.
There are things such as colouring,
soft music, books and even a
couple of board games.
Places like this are meant to help
people and to work on easing them
into new environments.
If not for places like this, and services
like that, people wouldn’t be
able to speak out about their problems
and difficulties, according to
Vijay.
She says that the Zen room is a
place where students can relieve
their problems by talking about
them.
“If I don’t give you the space to
talk or be yourself, then there’s no
reason for the services,” she says.
Vijay says speaking with others
about the problem can help people
work through it.