Margaret Hughes Therapy - Pet Loss Grief Counselor - Nationwide

I am a lifelong animal lover. I have personally experienced the highs and lows of parenting animals. The animals we bring into our lives are our family members. I can say that living with a pet who has a chronic illness or has died brings some of the strongest stress and grief that we humans experience. The pain is real, and the loss is valid.

We experience everyday joys like eye contact, seeing them learn a new skill, and lots of snuggle time. There are challenges like when they don’t behave well or when they wake up in the middle of the night.

But when our furry, feathery, scaly, finned, (or otherwise) family member gets an ailment, we can experience a deeper level of emotions. If our pet has a chronic illness that is life-limiting, we go from being a loving companion to primary caregiver. Professionally speaking, when illness hits, vague feelings of grief and loss often begin.

There’s a special kind of exhaustion that comes with caring for a sick animal. There’s a special type of grief when we are the ones who decide it’s time to call the euthanasia doctor. And there’s a special kind of grief when our animal family members die.

The grief can be overwhelming, and it can feel isolating – people sometimes worry about admitting their grief for animals; they may feel shame or fear judgment from others. These worries are normal, and so is your grief!

I support people who are in any of the stages described above – whether you are caring for an animal who is sick or in recovery, if your pet is on hospice, or if you have experienced the loss of your pet. I provide compassionate and professional grief and pet-loss therapy.

If you’re not sure what your thoughts are, just reach out and we will talk through whether therapy is right for you at this time.