BOULDER, Colo. (TN)— When sophomore English major Emily Torres signed up for CU Boulder’s new E.S.G. program, or emotional support geese program, she expected a peaceful, animal-assisted stress reliever. Instead, she found herself standing knee-deep in grass on the edge of Varsity Lake, clutching a waiver form, staring into the unblinking eyes of a Canada goose named Gerald.
“The counselor said to breathe deeply,” Torres said. “But before I could even finish my inhale, Gerald lowered his head and charged. I screamed, but they said that was part of the healing process.”
The program was rolled out earlier this semester, and pairs students with one of twelve campus geese for 15-minute sessions of exposure therapy to recalibrate their resistance to everyday pressures. Participants are encouraged to stand still while the goose charges, hisses, honks, and occasionally bites. The therapists say the exposure therapy helps students process academic and personal anxieties by replacing them with more immediate concerns.
Torres describes her session as “terrifying, but rewarding.” After several minutes of flapping wings and lunges, she says she achieved a strange sense of calm. “At first I thought, ‘this thing is going to kill me.’ But then Gerald just stared at me. And I thought, ‘Wait…maybe this is what growth feels like.’”
Not everyone is convinced. Junior engineering student Markus Jenkins said his goose “session” ended in the ER with six stitches. “I don’t feel more resilient,” he says. “I feel like geese are just mean.”
The program’s staff insist the risks are minimal. Students are issued helmets, reflective vests, and a laminated card with suggested affirmations such as, “The goose does not control my destiny.” Geese, meanwhile, are rotated on strict schedules to prevent burnout, spending their off-hours blocking sidewalks and stealing sandwiches.
Torres says she plans to return for another session during finals week. “When Gerald honked at me, I swear it sounded like, ‘You’re enough.’ It was loud, and terrifying, but somehow beautiful.”
