There is a new counselor in the counseling center, and it has four legs and fur. Neo is Southwest’s very own therapy dog, and is actually one of the youngest dogs to be nationally certified.

Therapy dogs, in school setting, provide emotional support for students and staff. They can also help students with comfort if they are feeling anxious or sad.

“A lot of times when students are feeling upset, or depressed, they will want to come in and spend time with Neo,” Dr. Lehn said.

Students are able to interact with Neo in many different ways. Some students will request to see Neo, other times they will see him in the hallway and want to pet him. For finals he went with the counselors to help hand out snacks, which allowed students to interact with him there as well.

Neo’s job is to help comfort students and staff and some people like the idea of holding or even confiding in a dog.

“If a student feels comfortable being near the dog, then a lot of times they will either have Neo sit in a chair next to them or they will choose to hold him, Lehn said. “If a student has a tough time communicating something, often students will find it easier to talk to him and then open up to me.”

Neo is the third therapy dog to be at Southwest. They have to go through training that is specific to working in public schools. A lot of the times they work under guidance of a human.