What Pet Bereavement Has Taught Me About Guilt
Over the past three years of working as a pet bereavement therapist, I’ve listened to many stories. Different animals, different families, different circumstances. And yet, without fail, one powerful theme shows up every single time.Guilt.Alongside guilt often sit blame and an overwhelming sense of responsibility. In all my years working with grief, I have never […]
When an anniversary looms
September has arrived, and with all that comes with a new month, I am reminded that precisely one month from now, my beloved dog Bruce left this world two years ago.I miss him. As I start to write more, I can feel a heaviness around my chest begin to rise, and tears start to form in […]
Why I became a Pet Bereavement Counsellor
I have been a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist since 2014, seeing clients with different problems and challenges from trauma to relationship issues, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. I love my job, especially witnessing those profound moments with my clients.I also love animals, having had dogs for most of my life, as well as […]
When they say… “It’s just a pet”
I will never forget reading a comment on a Facebook post about six years ago about a person’s experience of losing their pet. Amongst many comments of sympathy, there were the odd responses about ‘it just being a dog’ and telling the person to ‘get over it’. I even saw a comment that said, ‘it’s […]
EMDR and Pet Bereavement
Understanding EMDR Therapy EMDR stands for ‘Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing’ and is a form of psychotherapy originally developed to treat trauma and PTSD. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR helps clients process distressing memories by engaging the brain in bilateral stimulation—usually through guided eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones. This process mimics the natural way our […]
The decision to get another dog
Bruce, my Kerry Blue Terrier, was my soul dog. He was born in 2011, and he lived until he was twelve and a half years old. Bruce was not an easy dog; he was a terrier and I, and everyone else knew it! Loving and affectionate to those he knew, not a fan of people […]
Anticipatory grief
It was a cold day in November, and we were staying at an Airbnb in North Wales. It was our third day, and we had been walking most of the day. As we rested for the evening, I noticed that Bruce, our nine-year-old Kerry Blue Terrier, was unusually tired. He had done a similar walk […]