Directory of Services

Grief hurts! Whether a beloved pet or human had died, grief is devasting. After working for many years in the human loss grief field, Brenda Brown decided to start offering grief support to pet parents grieving the loss of their furbaby.

In 2015, Grief About Pets (GAPs) was started. Grieving pet parents can get help by calling 330-415-8879 or emailing brenda@griefaboutpets.com. One-on-one sessions are offered at $50 per hour on the phone or online. Group sessions are held twice a month on the second and fourth Wed. of every month at 6:30 p.m. on Google Meets. Group sessions are free thanks to our sponsor Regency of NE Ohio.

Thanks to APLB and GAPs, no one grieving the loss of their precious furbaby is alone!

I am a Pet Grief Life Coach. If you have had a loving pet pass away and are having a hard time coping with this loss, I am more than willing to help you the tools as to how to deal with your grief. I offer both group and individual sessions.

I can offer virtual sessions via Zoom etc.

I know how you are feeling as I have been through the loss of a pet and am very empathetic and sympathetic.

I have references of pet owners who I have worked with and are very pleased with the progress we have made together.

As a tribute to all of the pets that I have loved and continue to love, my pet loss support services are provided at no charge.

I know how heartbreaking it is to lose or anticipate losing a cherished pet who has been a family member, best friend, and more. Whether the death was expected or sudden, we are rarely ready for it. You may feel devastated and knocked down by the weight of your grief. You may even feel embarrassed or like there is something wrong with you for feeling so much pain. As a certified pet loss counselor and from my own personal experiences with losing beloved animals, I know there is nothing wrong with you. Grief is a normal reaction to losing a loved one and the depth of your grief is a result of the depth of your love.

I offer:

Acknowledgment of the bond you had with your beloved animal and the heart breaking pain of loss.

Empathy, understanding, and tools for coping with whatever thoughts and feelings you are ready to share, regardless of how confusing or difficult they may be.

Support for taking care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Grief can make us hurt in every way. It is especially important now to treat yourself with loving kindness and compassion.

Non-judgmental and caring listening for anything else you want to talk about. My goal is to provide a safe and understanding space where you can share whatever comes up for you as you grieve and remember.

Support is offered by phone nationwide – day, evenings, and weekends. Please visit my website: www.healingpetgrief.com

Together with the support of your Veterinarian, Pet Bereavement Services will help you travel through each phase of grief, be there to listen, and help you arrive at a place of acceptance and resolution. In cases of deep psychological grief Pet Bereavement Services maintains a list of professionals to whom referrals can be made for additional assistance. These specialists include Psychotherapists who are familiar with the complexities of Pet Loss Bereavement.

Education: Colleen Rolland, in addition to an Honours Bachelor’s Degree, and a Master’s Degree, has been certified as a Pet Loss Grief Recovery Specialist through the American Association of Health Care Professionals in 2014, and trained as a Pet Bereavement Counsellor with the renowned Dr. Wallace Sife in 2014, a private practice Psychologist and founder of the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (APLB). 

Colleen is the current President of the APLB (2020 – 2024) and is a Training Specialist/Instructor for the Pet Loss Grief Specialist training offered through the APLB.  She co-wrote the new curriculum in 2021 with Dr. Michelle Crossley, PhD, and Ms. Marina Resa; Dr. Crossley is the APLB Vice-President, Training Specialist/Instructor, Board Member and Associate Newsletter Editor, and Ms. Marina Resa is Newsletter Editor,  Training Specialist/Instructor, and Board Member.

My background includes professional as well as personal experience with grief related pet loss, and I share this to say that you are not alone in your journey.

I’m a clinical social worker with over 10 years’ experience in the field, with an emphasis in behavioral health, compassion fatigue, animal assisted psychotherapy, and humane education. I took a break from the field. However, after a heartbreaking loss of a much-loved pet, whom I rescued, I was completely devastated. During my time of grief, I had trouble finding the much-needed support I needed to work through my grief. As a result, I decided to return to the field and dedicate my professional career to helping others gain the needed support, validation, and normalization during their time of grief and loss of their pet.

I have worked in both a direct practice and psychiatric care. I am a graduate of New York University with a Master of Social Work. I am a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Association of Professional Humane Educators (APHE) and International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). I am also a graduate of CUNY Hunter University’s Animal Behavior and Conservation program. I hold a post master’s certification in Animal Assisted Psychotherapy and a registered mental health Equine practitioner through Eagala. I am also an active volunteer with local rescue organizations, and a foster home.

It would be my pleasure to assist you to navigate through frustrations and uncertainties by addressing the challenge, providing necessary education, and helping you to implement beneficial and healthy coping tools so that you can become empowered, confident, and ultimately trust that your best days are right in front of you.

It would be an honor to walk alongside you during your journey, as we explore together which steps to take next.

Of the many types of relationships that I specialize in as a licensed marriage and family therapist, the one dearest to my heart is the relationship between dog and man. There exists a special bond that many people in their lives are lucky enough to experience. Along with this special attachment comes immense responsibilities. Out of these responsibilities comes pure joy but also wrenching heartache. Pets rely on us for their care; we rely on them for their loyalty, unconditional love, companionship and amazing ability to understand our emotions. When one or both can no longer hold up their end, intense sorrow, guilt and loss is experienced like none other. I will help support you through these hard times. Good people should not have to suffer from being Dog’s/Cat’s Best Friend.

I currently see clients on-line from anywhere in California.

LMFT CA license #86051

People Magazine, the New York Times, London Podcasts, The Washington Post, Catster/Dogster Magazines,  and others have recognized Animal Talks (a nonprofit, tax exempt animal charity) as a leader in the relatively new field of Pet Loss and Grief Counseling. We have been blessed with the trust and belief placed in us by the many heartbroken people who come to us from across the country and abroad, for help in walking the lonely, painful journey of grief after losing their beloved animal companion to death.

Please reach out to me if you need help. You can see our robust and helpful Social Media postings on all Social Media platforms at @animaltalksinc And on our site, read what people have been kind enough to say about us. I also think animaltalksinc.com can be a comforting place to listen to audio, see videos, read some inspiring poetry-and generally get to know us.

You’re not alone, although it deeply feels that way.

Blessing Always,

Kaleel

As a compassionate heart specialist, I offer individual Healing Heart Workshop I and Advanced Healing Heart Workshop II. In the first workshop, discover and practice a proactive tool, Honor Feelings, Reframe Story to open your heart to the healing power of the flow of compassion. In the second workshop, go beyond simply getting to the other side of grief and find the gifts of the healing process. Both interactive workshops are each 2 hours long, and available through Zoom or in-person in Palos Park, Il. Follow-up sessions are also available. www.drlindaharper.com

My mission as a psychotherapist (Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist) is to create normalcy around the intensity of pet grief. This includes: anticipatory death, loss through divorce, runaway pets, unexpected attachment to animals raised for meat consumption, trauma, euthanasia, and anything and everything in-between pertaining to your loss. 

Dr. Nancy Curotto has been in private practice for over 20 years and assisting individuals and families coping with anticipated loss, death, and mourning.  Her treatment style is interactive and specially tailored to each client. Dr. Curotto brings to the clinical setting, specifically pet loss or anticipated loss, a focused treatment, years of mindfulness study/practice, and is EMDR certified  ( i.e., Eye Movement Reprocessing Desensitization). She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and a certification in pet loss and bereavement in 2009 from APLB.org.  For more information about her practice please visit www.curottopsyd.com or www.petlosspsychotherapy.com 

Short-term counseling to address the loss or impending loss of a beloved pet. In-house appointments available in Waterloo Region. Online appointments available for any region

I have over twenty years of experience as a psychotherapist with emphasis on trauma work and complicated bereavement. I, too, have experienced the profound heartbreak of losing a beloved pet, and, as such, wish to help those who are hurting.