Certified therapy dog “Nala” is an almost two-year-old Golden Doodle whose job at Florida Atlantic University is to provide students, faculty, and staff with emotional support counseling. She walked into the common area of the fifth floor of the Wimberly Library on FAU’s Boca Raton campus on Wednesday afternoon as she excitedly pulled away from her handler, Officer Marissa Buchanan, to greet attending students for pets and belly rubs.

To Nala’s right was a table full of paper dog houses and plush toys that resembled her, for students to paint, while the dog excitedly ran back and forth, trying to be near each student.

“She’s adorable, so energetic,” said Freshman Maria Escobar. “I think every time they have a dog on campus, everybody’s drawn to it; it kind of reminds you there’s life outside of studying.”

The event, hosted by Alexis Broussard, the community engagement coordinator for FAU libraries, and the Florida Atlantic University Police Department (FAUPD), was organized to provide students with an alternative psychological resource and a place to relax between classes.

“Students can be so stressed with their workload, and navigating work and school life balance, so it’s nice to have these events for students to come and relax during the day and take a study break,” said Broussard, as she welcomed students getting off the elevator to come paint.

“It’s a good side quest,” Junior Dalie Hailey joked. “It gives you an opportunity to slow down a little bit, and put your brain towards something else, I mean, who doesn’t love a dog?”

 “Definitely needed after the past two months,” Junior Navi Minnefareddy added.

Buchanan serves in the Community Engagement Unit at FAU and is Therapy K-9 Nala’s primary handler. She adopted Nala in October 2024, when the dog was just four months old.

Nala received her therapy dog license when she was one year old, after taking a 40-hour course which taught basic obedience, trust between her and Buchanan, and exposed her to different environments.

“Part of the training, we had to take her to Dick’s sporting goods, exposing her to crowds, elevators, and escalators to see how she’d react. If she were like a very reactive, scared dog, that’s typically somebody they wouldn’t put through the program,” said Buchanan.

Christine Campbell, a mental health clinician for the behavioral service unit at FAU, also commented on how therapy dogs such as Nala tie into the bigger picture of getting students the mental health services they need.

“Nala is definitely utilized in the realm of de-escalating and helping somebody come to a safe space; everyone runs to her, she definitely helps with alleviating stress as well.”

Campbell works closely with Buchanan and other officers at FAUPD, specializing in crisis prevention and in the university’s “student-centered approach” for acknowledging students with mental health needs.

The student-centered approach ultimately allows students to take the lead as they describe what they need, while Campbell and other crisis prevention officials cultivate the space for them to express themselves.

“It’s me partnering with students to say, ‘How can we help you?’ The student has the final decision. They communicate, and we navigate it together; the student-centered approach is so key in the work that’s done,” said Campbell.

The number of students referred to the behavioral service unit varies. Campbell stated, “It is based on cases, calls we get through our dispatch and university, those referrals come through a variety of different sources.” 

Nevertheless, the cases entail helping students navigate situations that are causing consistent stress, which could lead to a broader impact on mental health.

A mental health approach where students initiate is used by Buchanan and Nala as well, Buchanan stating, “People naturally draw to the dog, let’s say somebody’s looking and they’re not sure, I’ll use that to be like, “oh, do you want to come pet the dog?” and I’ll just kind of talk to them, get to know them. I kind of figure out what they’re going through.”

Both Buchanan and Campbell expressed that interacting with Nala at events such as Wimberly Paws and Paint helps bridge a certain gap between the Police Department and students. Campbell stated, “Students might just see the uniform, but Officer Buchanan and other officers are amazing people, so these events help the PD connect to the community.” 

Melissa Manzi is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. For more information on this story or others, email Manzi at [email protected].