A Pet Counselor

Posted by: Allison Helps Cats on: February 17, 2014

• In: Current (After 1999) | Grades 9-11 | Nonfiction | Teasers
• Leave a Comment

A pet counselor since 1982, Betty Carmack is the author of Grieving the Death of a Pet. I’ll review this short book here on Wednesday. Save the date: February 19!

Although now retired, Carmack used to maintain a clinical practice through her work at an acute psychiatric hospital in San Francisco. She still runs a private practice, in which she works with those who are grieving the death of an animal companion. As a pet counselor, she leads a monthly pet loss support group. A long-standing professional in the field, Carmack won many awards for her work including the recipient of the 2001 San Francisco SPCA Humanitarian Award. She uses her expertise to author articles, serve as a guest on radio and television programs, and speak to both students and professionals on the topic of pet loss.

On her site are listed ten guidelines for coping with the loss of a pet. These include recognizing that pet loss is a significant reason to grief. For that reason, one should take time to heal and seek out resources which will help. Everyone will react differently and should have their individual needs honored.

The full list can be found at: Guidelines for Coping with Pet Loss

A fuller article also appears on the Association for Death and Counseling site at: Coping with Animal Companion Loss

Related Posts

• Interview with Betty Carmack
• Guest Post: Helping Children Grieve a Pet’s Death
• Inspired by…. Stumbling Through Grief
• Review of Grieving the Death of a Pet

Tags: Allison's Book Bag, Betty Carmack, Grieving the Death of a Pet, reviews of books for young people