Holland College librarian’s love for wellness served through Therapeutic Thursdays

September 28, 2023

Leslie Holt’s love for wellness and supporting students and staff alike is served through Therapeutic Thursdays at Holland College’s Regis and Joan Duffy Library. (Reegan MacAulay)

Leslie Holt loves anything to do with wellness. As the Regis and Joan Duffy Library resource manager, she wants to support the students and staff the best she can.

In the past, she’s done one-off wellness and relaxation sessions. However, beginning this academic year, she wanted more.

“I find my brain is wired to be interested in stuff all the time, like how can I help people, support the students. Since we found out recently with COVID, the weather, trauma, and different events, we’re trying to think of what support we can offer students.”

She said recent research shows students have higher levels of stress and mental health concerns. She wanted an addition to college that isn’t like counseling, but still provides services that help people.

“I planned (something) over the summer for this fall and decided that every second Thursday at lunch time, students and staff can come in, go into a quiet room, and get away from their studies and worries by (doing) activities.”

Therapeutic Thursdays was born with biweekly wellness sessions in a soundproof room. What can people expect when attending?

“We get students to come in, do a little initial relaxation in case their heart rate’s up or in case they’re worried about something. It’s a little relaxation with some breathing. We do a body scan to check in with bodies to see where they’re off.”

Holt has a container with paper strips, where a student picks one out and completes whatever it says.

“It has a bunch of cool ideas. There’s a smile activity where it releases endorphins by doing a smiling technique. There’s an energy routine, it’s pressure points to help you relax and (reduce) anxiety.

“We have balls you can rub on the bottom of your feet. It’s all things that are good for you but simple and easy and not too much stress for the students.”

Along with the container are mindfulness cards with sayings, a brain activity of drawing for a few minutes to take thoughts away, and an outdoor “mindfulness” activity where students will go out and work on their sensories.

“It’s all really mindfulness because it’s getting you in the present and taking you out of your head and worries into what is happening now. They’re all just fun, little, simple mind techniques.”

Two sessions have occurred on Sept. 14 and Sept. 28. Holt called both successful.

“I’m not usually nervous about things, but I felt a little bit nervous to perform just because I wasn’t sure what people would want. People took their time. They were grateful that we were offering it at the college and said thank you.

“They sounded like they would come back. People are shy sometimes to try (something like this), but hopefully, once more people hear about it, we’ll be good. It’s hard to get students to do things like this. It’s more word of mouth and people feeling comfortable and safe and not nervous.”

Holt hopes the sessions will help people create new relationships and discover new mind tools.

“With the time of year and having new people, they’re not as busy. It’s a great time to get them in when they don’t really know what to do around the college, so this gives them a place to go and meet people.

“It’s going to give students new tools to put in their ‘student toolkit’ so they can take them home and practice them. They’ll know how to ease their anxiety, calm themselves, and help them to relax.

“It’s telling them to incorporate the practices as a daily thing. I hope they’ll take (these sessions) and say, ‘Oh, I do have ways to help myself.’”

Viola Corro, a Medical Support Services student, and her friends participated in the Sept. 28 session. They were sitting in a soundproof library room when Holt walked over.

“We found out about it while reviewing (for a test the next day). We were told there was this session and we had to go for about 15 minutes, but if we wanted to stay, we could. So we chose to stay,” Corro said.

She and her friends found the session helpful in reducing stress for what she calls a “loaded” week coming up.

“(The session) was very timely. It’s good we had it today. It was unplanned, but a great experience. I enjoyed it. It was nice to experience this with my friends.”

The most important question: did Corro’s first experience convince her to come back to future sessions?

“Definitely.”

Holland College student Viola Corro (left) and her friends experienced their first Therapeutic Thursdays session at the Regis and Joan Duffy Library on Thursday, Sept. 28. They were grateful for the opportunity to relieve themselves prior to upcoming work. (Reegan MacAulay)

Therapeutic Thursdays continue every second Thursday during the academic year at 12:15 p.m. in the Regis and Joan Duffy Library.