Outreach Coordinator, Rachel Cvengros, Learning Specialist and Tutor Coordinator, Haley Harned and other EKU library staff joined hands to create a safe space for students to talk about their mental health in the fall 2025 semester at Eastern Kentucky University.
“Let’s Talk” sessions have been held in library room 204G to facilitate a space on campus where students can have impromptu mental health consultations and check-ins.
“It’s an initiative to get therapists outside of the counseling center and into where students are everyday,” said Cvengros.
The event’s purpose is to provide a space for students to speak to mental health professionals in an informal setting.
“This event is to get out there and provide mental health resources, problems and solutions before the snowball effect happens and you get those secondary problems, you get bigger mental health challenges and then you’re in a crisis,” said Cvengros.
“We do know that not everybody that does suffer from mental illness is likely to come (to the counseling center), less than 10% of university students will go to a college counseling center, even if they are experiencing mental health challenges,” said Cvengros.
Haley Harned plays a role in these sessions by collaborating with Cvengros. Evie is Harned’s therapy dog.
Their work together during these sessions has acted as a bridge for students to start reaching out to mental health counselors and services.
“I think that her [Evie] being a presence makes everything feel, in regards to mental health, maybe a little less heavy, maybe a little less of a barrier,” said Harned. “She’s just like a bridge, she just makes it easy to talk about mental health.”
Evie’s presence has allowed students to not only open up the door to talking about their mental health, but also experiment with the therapeutic tricks that therapy dogs can offer.
“Evie and I have been working on deep pressure with two students, which is essentially where she lays on top of their lap and provides that sensory input. For a lot of folks, that can be very calming and very regulating,” said Harned.
Deep pressure therapy is something that Evie has done primarily with younger children. These two students have been an opportunity for Evie to experiment and learn new techniques with college-age students.
“We’ve had several students who are returners and then they’ll return the next week with their friend and then the next week that friend will come back with a new friend, but the original person isn’t there, but then the next week that original person is back,” said Harned.
“It’s working with students’ flow of life. They know that if they can’t make it one week that we’ll be there the next week,” said Harned.
The sessions are held every week on Wednesdays which provides a sense of consistency.
“It’s just encouraging people to slow down for an hour a week together,” said Cvengros.
“There have been several Let’s Talks where people have shown up and they’re kind of doing their own thing. They’re doodling or they’re talking with their friends and then kind of randomly, they’ll be like, ‘Hey, how do I help procrastination?’ And then Rachel is able to give some behavioral modification tips and just overall time management skills and how procrastination ties into anxiety,” said Harned.
“You don’t have to come every week, just come when you want. And if you don’t come, at least it’s on your mind to slow down and take a break,” said Cvengross.
The “Let’s Talk” sessions have become one of the most successful outreach initiatives that the counseling center has put together and they will continue to be held this semester every Wednesday from 4-5 p.m. in library room 208.
You can reach out to counselor Rachel Cvengros by email at Rachel.Cvengros@eku.edu or you can find her in Whitlock 571.
Haley Harned can be reached by email at Haley.Harned@eku.edu or you can find her in library room 207.
Haley Harned handing Evie a treat while freshmen Quinn Townsend watches holding a coloring sheet of Evie. Evie is a therapy dog “helper” at the Let’s Talk sessions on Wednesday’s.
Haley Harned, learning specialist and tutor coordinator, and Quinn Townsend, freshman broadcasting and electronic major playing with therapy dog Evie at a Let’s Talk session. Let’s Talk sessions occur every Wednesday in Library 208 from 4-5 p.m.