I started in Animal Assisted Therapy with my canine co-therapist Tyson, a retired greyhound racer. We worked with persons with disabilities (mental, physical and cognitive) at TEAM Work Cooperative in Halifax. Tyson died in 2016. In 2018, I adopted Taurus, also a retired greyhound racer – now a Therapy Dog.
Inspired by Tyson, I founded, and was the first President of the Animal Assisted Therapy in Counselling Chapter of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). https://www.ccpa-accp.ca/chapters/animal-assisted-therapy-counselling/
In 2016, I trained and became a certified Pet Loss and Bereavement Counsellor with the Association of Pet Loss and Bereavement (APLB). https://www.aplb.org The APLB has excellent resources, including a program of on-line chats for persons suffering the loss of a beloved pet.
Below is an article on grieving a beloved animal for which I was interviewed in 2021 by SALTWIRE Press.
If you have come to my website seeking support with your grief for a beloved pet, you are in the right place. Many individuals find that they greatly benefit from support at this time. Some choose individual counselling by a trained Pet Loss and Bereavement Counsellor. I am a certified Pet Loss and Bereavement Counsellor, trained through the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (APLB) http://APLB For one year, I was an Assistant Host on the regular Tuesday night
Many people find that they need only a few sessions; sometimes one session is enough. The first (perhaps only) session will last at least one hour, often more. I want to make sure that we have time to do the necessary work. I provide you with a copy of “The Loss of a Pet: A Guide to Coping With the Grieving Process When a Pet Dies” 4th Edition by Wallace Sife. As support to your work with me, I recommend that you look at the APLB website. You may want to take part in on-line chat https://www.aplb.org/chat-2/where you will be greeted by trained and compassionate volunteer hosts.
Below is a recent article on SALTWIRE Press for you to read.
Updated October, 2020.
I started in Animal Assisted Therapy with my canine co-therapist, Tyson, a retired greyhound racer. We worked with persons with disabilities (mental, physical and cognitive) at TEAM Work Cooperative in Halifax https://teamworkcooperative.ca/self-employment-services Tyson lived a long and happy life; he died in 2016. In 2019, I adopted Taurus, also a retired greyhound racer. Taurus is in training to be Therapy Dog.
Working as a Therapist with another species, in my case dogs, is one of the most rewarding, inspiration, and moving experiences of my life. Tyson was a natural Therapy Dog, who instinctively went to humans who were in need of help. He quickly and easily provided comfort and and joy. Inspired by Tyson, I founded, and was the first President of the Animal Assisted Therapy in Counselling Chapter of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). I am now the Past President and Animal Voice Coordinator.
If you are interested in our Chapter’s activities, please take a look at the Chapter section in the CCPA website. https://www.ccpa-accp.ca/chapters/animal-assisted-therapy-counselling/ We are presently looking at developing a training program for Chapter members.