Pet Loss Counselling in Ottawa
Losing an animal you loved is a real bereavement, even when the world treats it as a small one.
✓ Same-week ✓ Direct billing ✓ Sliding scale ✓ Licensed therapists
Book a free consultationLosing an animal you loved is a real bereavement, even when the world treats it as a small one.
✓ Same-week ✓ Direct billing ✓ Sliding scale ✓ Licensed therapists
Book a free consultationEvery clinician is registered with a regulatory college — the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO), the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW), or the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO).
We want therapy to be financially accessible for everyone. Reduced rates are available case-by-case based on need and availability.
We submit directly to most major insurers, so you don't pay out of pocket upfront.
Our office is in Ottawa. All client records are stored in Canada and handled under PIPEDA and PHIPA.
Therapy is a space to slow down and look at what's underneath. These are some of the patterns people bring into the room.
WHAT PEOPLE BRING
Grief that gets called disproportionate goes underground rather than away. It's a real loss, and it doesn't need justifying to be worth support.
Choosing the moment is an act of care that can feel unbearable afterward. The questions about timing can circle for a long time.
The walk, the feeding time, the spot on the couch. Days built around an animal don't quietly reshape themselves once they're gone.
The relationship you had with your animal was real, daily, and often uncomplicated in a way human relationships rarely are. For many people it is one of the most consistent sources of comfort in their life. Losing that is a genuine bereavement and it's treated that way here.
Pet loss also carries its own particular weight. Many owners are the ones who decide when. Euthanasia, however kind, means carrying a decision as well as a loss, and the questions about timing — too soon, too late, whether they knew — can be relentless.
The work is much the same as any grief work: room to feel it without justifying it, attention to guilt where it's taken hold, and space for what this animal meant. Grief for a pet often sits close to other losses, and sometimes it's the one that finally opens them.
Email, phone, or fill out our booking form. There's no script and no pressure. You can share as much or as little as you want.
A real person, not a bot, will reply as soon as we can with a few options for a free 15-minute consultation.
We listen. You ask questions. No paperwork, no obligation. If we're not the right match, we'll point you toward someone who might be.
Direct billing where possible. Evening and weekend availability. Virtual or in-person in Ottawa.
Sessions are 50 minutes in length. Rates vary by therapist and are confirmed during your free consultation. We accept e-transfer and credit cards, and direct-bill most insurers.
Sliding-scale spots are available based on need. Ask during your free consultation.
Same 50-minute format, structured for two participants and shared concerns.
Registered Psychotherapist and Registered Social Worker services are covered by most extended health plans in Canada. We recommend confirming your specific coverage before your first paid session. Sun Life, Manulife, Canada Life, Green Shield, and most major insurers include coverage.
We direct-bill where your insurer allows it. Otherwise, you pay at the time of session and submit the receipt for reimbursement.
Every session generates a receipt listing the provider's license number, suitable for insurance reimbursement.
In-person sessions are held at our Ottawa office. Virtual sessions use a secure, PIPEDA-compliant video platform. You can switch between the two.
We ask for 24 hours notice on cancellations. Late cancellations and no-shows are charged the full session fee.
After the free 15-minute consultation, your first paid session is intake-focused. Bring questions, anything you have already tried, and any goals you have in mind.
QUESTIONS
Yes. The relationship with an animal is daily, consistent, and often uncomplicated in a way human relationships rarely are. For many people it is one of the steadiest sources of comfort in their life, and losing it is a genuine bereavement.
Choosing the moment is an act of care that can feel unbearable afterward, and questions about timing — too soon, too late, whether they knew — can circle for a long time. Guilt is one of the most common reasons people seek support after a pet dies, and it can be worked with directly.
Days are often built around an animal — the walk, the feeding time, the sound at the door — so the loss is woven into ordinary routine rather than confined to one event. There is also usually less social permission to grieve openly, which can leave the feeling with nowhere to go.
There is no set timeline, and it varies with the relationship and the circumstances. Waves often arrive well after others expect them, sometimes triggered by a walking route or a time of day. Grief that persists is not a sign you are doing something wrong.
For many children this is a first experience of death. Plain, honest language usually helps more than euphemisms, which can be confusing. Letting them see that adults are sad too gives them permission to grieve rather than manage it privately.
There is no right answer or right interval. Some people find another animal helps; others find it too soon and feel guilty for expecting it to. Talking it through can help separate what you actually want from what others are suggesting.
It is grief support after the death of a companion animal, treated as the bereavement it is. The work makes room to feel the loss without justifying it, attends to guilt where it has taken hold, and gives space for what this animal meant to you.
Sessions start at $175, depending on the therapist. Sliding-scale spots are available with select therapists, and we direct bill where your insurer allows. Fees are confirmed at your free 15-minute consult.
Coverage is based on the therapist's credential rather than the reason for the session, so pet loss counselling is treated like any other psychotherapy session by insurers. It is not covered by OHIP, but many extended health and workplace plans cover RP or RSW services.
Yes. Sessions are available by secure video anywhere in Ontario, and in person at our Centrepointe office in Ottawa. Video can be easier in early grief, since it means not having to drive anywhere afterward.
Therapy is a longer-term relationship. If you're in acute distress, please reach the services below first. They are free, confidential, and available right now.
