Psychology Commons^™

Campus Tails: An On-Campus Therapy-Dog Pilot Program And Feasibility Study, Maureen D. Sanford

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

College counseling centers are treating more cases of depression and anxiety than ever. Yet, despite endorsing symptoms, many students are disinclined to engage in counseling. Research shows that interacting with a therapy dog has positive psychological effects, including decreasing symptoms of depression and anxiety. I developed an on campus therapy dog pilot program (Campus Tails) as an alternative to counseling for students suffering from symptoms of depression and/or anxiety as measured by subscales of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms 34 (CCAPS 34) Version 2009. I implemented Campus Tails at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine during the spring of …