05/13/2026
🐾 Pet Loss Support with Kathleen Dunbar, MSW, Registered Social Worker- Clinical Specialist, Registered Veterinary Technician🐾
The loss of a beloved companion animal can bring profound grief, loneliness, guilt, and heartbreak. Pet loss is a deeply meaningful experience — and compassionate support can help individuals move through it with care and understanding.
Kathleen Dunbar offers specialized pet loss grief counselling for individuals experiencing:
• Anticipatory grief
• End-of-life decision support
• Euthanasia-related grief
• Traumatic pet loss
• Ongoing grief and adjustment after loss
With almost 30 years of experience working in mental health, Kathleen provides compassionate, trauma-informed support grounded in clinical experience. Services are offered with a deep understanding of the human-animal bond.
In addition, Kathleen has worked within the veterinary industry for nearly 20 years as a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT), bringing firsthand understanding of veterinary environments, medical decision-making, caregiver stress, end-of-life care, and the complex emotions that often accompany pet illness and loss.
Support also includes specialized training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which helps individuals process painful grief experiences, traumatic memories, guilt, and distress connected to the loss of a cherished animal companion.
Credentials:
• MSW, Registered Social Worker- Clinical Specialist
• Over 25 years of experience in mental health
• Supported hundreds of pet parents through grief and pet loss
• Nearly 20 years of experience in the veterinary field
• Member of social work regulatory bodies in the Atlantic provinces and Ontario and offer services in these provinces
• Specialized training in EMDR
• Background as a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT)
✔ Direct billing available for most insurance providers
✔ Virtual and in-person counselling sessions available
Grief for an animal companion is real, valid, and deserving of support. If you are looking for support, Kathleen can be reached at [email protected]💛
