Therapy Dogs on Campus: A Counseling Outreach Activity for College Students Preparing for Final Exams

A university counseling center engaged a therapy dog program for an outreach activity to reduce stress as students prepare for final exams at a large culturally diverse university. This article describes the rationale, planning, and implementation of the activity; presents an evaluation summary; and provides recommendations and implications for counselors interested in using a similar activity. A large and diverse student population attended the activity and gave primarily positive feedback for this low-cost group activity.