Therapy for Pet Loss & Grief in Sacramento, CA
Pet loss can be so isolating
When you’re grieving a pet, it can feel like nobody understands the depth of your sadness. People can’t relate to how important that relationship was in your life.
Pets can be our ideal companions: Always attuned to our needs. There for us whenever we need it. Nonjudgmental, innocent, and pure of heart. When we lose a pet, it can feel like losing a best friend.
When you enter your door, you might expect your pet to be there, only to remember that they’re gone. An activity as ordinary as sitting on your couch could bring up heavy feelings of grief as you remember that your pet is no longer waiting to sit on your lap.
Pets also represent eras of your life that you’ll never return to. Pets bring back memories of who we used to be. As we grieve our friends, we also grieve all of the versions of ourselves that we left along the way.
Meanwhile, people without pets, or those who don’t feel the same way toward theirs, might minimize the significance of your loss. That might cause you to feel ashamed of your own grief. This is known as the “second arrow” in Buddhism. The first arrow is the unavoidable pain, injury, illness or loss. The second arrow is our own reaction, interpretation, or self-blame. The second arrow can be optional.
Why I care about pet loss & grief
Over the course of my life, I have loved and lived with four dogs, two turtles, one hamster, one Goffin’s cockatoo, and seven cats. I also grieved them. My pets watched me grow up and cared for me in ways that humans often struggle to match.
I take pet loss seriously. I won’t rush you to move on or fix it. I will sit with you in your grief and your sadness.
Rebecca Huval, LCSW #141751
In-person therapy in Sacramento
Virtual therapy throughout California
What therapy for pet loss & grief looks like
My name is Rebecca Huval, and I’m a therapist, an artist, and a softie. I work with adults and teens through loss, because grief reveals what we hold most dear. Together, we tailor our sessions to your needs, drawing from Narrative Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), art-making, and EMDR, which I’m training in.
I offer individual therapy in-person in Sacramento, CA, and virtually throughout California. You’re welcome to schedule a free 20-min consultation call. I hope to help you find the right therapist, even if that isn't me.