Individual counseling can help with when your pet crosses over the rainbow bridge. Pet loss doesn’t always get the understanding and comfort from friends and family like they might when a loved one dies. Some people still don’t understand how central animals can be in people’s lives, and a few may not get why you’re grieving over “just a pet.” Individual counseling with Terri Clinton Dichiser at Take Charge, Inc., provides a safe, comfortable place to allow you to put your thoughts and feelings into words.

People love their pets and consider them members of their family. Caregivers often celebrate their pets’ birthdays, confide in their animals and carry pictures of them in their wallets. When a beloved pet dies, it’s not unusual to feel overwhelmed by the intensity of your sorrow.

Animals provide companionship, acceptance, emotional support, and unconditional love. If you understand and accept this bond between humans and animals, you’ve already taken the first step toward coping with pet loss: knowing that it is okay to grieve when your pet dies.

The grief process is as individual as the person, lasting days for one person, years for another. Often we guard against the pain with denial, which offers protection until individuals can realize their pet loss. At Take Charge, Inc., individual counseling can help you through the grief process.

Some caregivers may try bargaining with a higher power, themselves, or even their pet to restore life. They may feel anger, which may be directed at anyone involved with the pet, including family, friends, and veterinarians. Caregivers may also feel guilty about what they did or did not do; they may feel that it is inappropriate for them to be so upset. Terri can guide you through the anger, guilt, and other emotions through individual counseling.

After these feelings subside, caregivers may experience true sadness or grief. They may become withdrawn or depressed. Acceptance occurs when they accept the reality of their pet loss and remember their animal companion with decreasing sadness.

Here are a few suggestions to help you cope:
·         Acknowledge your grief and give yourself permission to express it.
·         Don’t hesitate to reach out to others who can lend a sympathetic ear. Do a little research online and you’ll find hundreds of resources and support groups that may be helpful to you.
·         Write about your feelings, either in a journal or a poem, essay, or short story.
·         Prepare a memorial for your pet.
·         Talk through your emotions with individual counseling.

For more information about individual counseling, call Take Charge, Inc. at (913) 239-8255. To schedule an appointment, click here.