Student Wellness with the CPA hosted Therapy Animals for Wellness Wednesday on March 20.  

This past week, for Wellness Wednesday, Student Wellness (housed in the CPA) hosted therapy animals for students to come to spend time with from 2 to 4 p.m. Wellness Wednesdays are bi-monthly events hosted by Student Wellness throughout the semester, and each event includes a topic or activity to better student well-being. 

Halie Darby, assistant director of student wellness, shared “Therapy animals can provide a significant source of stress relief for students, and we have received an abundance of positive feedback any time we are able to host therapy animals on campus for students to interact with. For this reason, plan to include therapy animals in our Wellness Wednesday events and various other programs each semester.”

Photo of Mikah Brannon and Luna at Wellness Wednesday. (ShelC’ Black/East Tennessean)

Student Wellness offers a variety of programs focused on promoting well-balanced lifestyles. These programs include Wellness2Go workshops, Wellness Wednesdays and events such as Be Kind to Your Body Week. These programs are based on nine dimensions of Wellness, which include emotional, spiritual, cultural, intellectual, financial, environmental, occupational, physical and social. 

Darby shared, “Although the end of the semester is quickly approaching, we do have plenty of wellness activities planned for students to participate in between now and May!” 

Aside from their upcoming Wellness Wednesdays, Keep it Safe and Sexy on April 3 and Self Care 101 on April 17, they will have many events recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month throughout April. They also have events planned for De-Stress Week including their Car Smash and Dive-in Movie. 

“The recipe for wellbeing is unique for every individual, but there are many departments on campus, including Student Wellness, that are able to help navigate resources to find the right combination for each individual’s needs,” Darby explained. 

If you are unsure where to begin, you can start with one on one Wellness Consultations. You can sign up for a consultation on the Campus Recreation Portal at campusrec.etsu.edu. If you want to help foster well-being on campus, Student Wellness’ last Mental Health First Aid Training is scheduled for April 27. Registration closes April 21. Any questions regarding Student Wellness or their programs can be directed to wellness@etsu.edu.