Samantha Beck/ Winonan

Many problems plague freshman or first-year students at any university, including homesickness, stress, confusion and loneliness. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 30 percent of college students suffer from severe depression annually.

Some students suffer in silence, learning to adapt while others attend support groups and connect with others.

Winona State University has one of these support groups on campus, and the star of the show is a three-year-old furry friend.

“Wednesday with Winston” is a group led by Winona State counselor Lynda Brzezinski and her therapy dog, Winston. At 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, students gather in a circle in Room 222 in the Integrated Wellness Center.

Amber Thurnstrom, a student at Winona State, participated in “Wednesday with Winston.”

“I really miss my dog, so petting Winston helps me with that,” Thurnstrom said after attending the support group.

College is a predominantly pet free environment because on-campus housing and most off-campus options do not allow pets.

During the sessions, Winston moves from one student to the next pressing his wet nose into ankles and hands of participants. Sometimes Winston sits on a student’s shoe, and other times he lays on his back, feet sprawled into the air as students pet his belly. When Winston comes to the student who is talking, their face lights up, and the students cannot help but smile.

Winston acts as a stress reliever while students talk about the nerve-wracking adjustment from living at home to being a college student.

“This is a nice environment,” Sara Wollin, a senior at Winona State, said. “You can talk about anything.”

“It is important that other students know about this,” Thurnstrom said regarding the support group. “There is nothing to be ashamed of.”

It was both Wollin’s and Thurnstrom’s first time with Winston, and they said they have every intention to come back to pet Winston on Wednesdays if their schedules allow it.

“Wednesdays with Winston” deals with stress management, homesickness, anxiety, adjustment struggles and any other issues students choose to discuss.