Living Losses
Therapy for pet parents grieving what once was or what could have been
Offering in-person counselling in West Vancouver and online across British Columbia.
Grief doesn't only follow a death. Sometimes what has been lost is simply what used to be.
For pet parents, living loss can take many forms. It may come with an animal's ageing and changing abilities, having to rehome or surrender an animal, or losing some or all contact with them following a separation or divorce. Life continues, even though something important within it has changed.
Experiences like these can be difficult to recognize as grief, both for ourselves and for the people around us, even when their impact is significant.
How Therapy Can Help
Living losses don't always have a clear ending. Your animal may still be alive, while the relationship, routines, or future you imagined with them have changed in ways you didn't choose.
Therapy can give you somewhere to make sense of what has been lost, while also making room for the parts of your life and relationship that remain.
Our work together may include:
Grieving changes in your relationship or the life you imagined with your animal
Working through guilt or questions about decisions that cannot be undone
Living with circumstances you may not be able to change or resolve
Making sense of conflicting feelings about what has changed
If you're living with a loss like this, I invite you to book a free consultation.