HER BACKSTORY: Marriam Abou-El-Haj is a registered psychologist and is part of Dalhousie鈥檚 Student Health and Wellness Centre team. She often works in tandem with St. John Ambulance-certified therapy dog and very good boy, Oscar. Dr. Abou-El-Haj started one of the first university therapy dog programs in Nova Scotia while at Mount St. Vincent University before making the move the Dal.
鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing to see the leaps and bounds in students鈥� progress and insight. I feel fortunate to be part of their journey.鈥�
HIGHLIGHTS: Now, every Thursday she runs Puppy Power Hour in the Student Union Building. Students (and faculty and staff) can come, interact with Oscar and get their puppy fix. Dr. Abou-El-Haj says she enjoys getting out from behind the closed doors of the office to interact with students in a different setting. She says Puppy Power Hour is a great way to destigmatize counselling services. 鈥淭wenty years ago, if I had a booth at an event that said 鈥榗ounselling services,鈥� people would walk past and look away. Now they flock to it.鈥�
Apart from the time she takes Oscar out to meet his adoring fans, Dr. Abou-El-Haj also sees about five individual clients a day as part of an interdisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists and counsellors, all working to support students through the major life transition that is attending university and, often, living away from home for the first time. 鈥淯niversity is such an amazing time, there鈥檚 so much growth. But there鈥檚 a lot of pressure as well,鈥� says Dr. Abou-El-Haj.
Despite being on a busy campus, connecting with others can be a challenge when work piles up. Dr. Abou-El-Haj notes that our attachment to technology can further that sense of isolation. The past two years of pandemic have also created additional strains on people鈥檚mental health. For many, the idea of seeing a counsellor can be intimidating, but when Dr. Abou-El-Haj and Oscar are on duty, they make it easier and more organic for students to connect and to learn about the services available to them if they鈥檙e struggling.
WHY I DO IT: For those on campus, taking time out of their hectic day to interact with a dog can be an instant destressor. As Dr. Abou-El-Haj puts it, 鈥淪ometimes students ask, 鈥楽o, what does Oscar do?鈥� and I say, 鈥楬ow do you feel?鈥� Then they say, 鈥業 feel good!鈥� and I say, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 what he does.鈥欌��
And the research backs it up. It鈥檚 well established that pets can reduce blood pressure, alleviate stress, depression and anxiety, and encourage mindfulness. Dr. Abou-El-Haj says Oscar is a pro at getting people to stop and give him pets鈥攕ometimes up to 20 people will be gathered around him, 
some of whom come week after week.
鈥淚 love to see people鈥檚 smiling faces or see them relax and giggle when Oscar comes anywhere near them. There鈥檚 just an instant decompression that happens when students, faculty or staff get to be around him. You can鈥檛 buy that!鈥�
This story appeared in the DAL Magazine Spring 2022 issue. Flip through the rest of the Spring 2022 issue using the links below.