CONTACT:
Shiri R. Joshua, M.A., OACCPP
About Shiri Joshua
Tel. (416) 571-1175
Mental_health@canada.com
Pet Loss Bereavement not to be taken lightly: Resources for coping now
available!
For the most part, grief
over the loss of a pet is still not considered to be
"legitimate" or "serious enough" in our present society, and is
often looked upon as "inappropriate," "bizarre," or simply
"wrong." Frequently, statements such as "it’s just a pet," or
"just get another one" can be heard, a response that tends to
hinder the grieving process, increase sense of isolation and of
being misunderstood, and increase embarrassment over one’s
feelings of grief.
Shiri Joshua, M.A. (Couns.
Psych), is a child, adolescent and adult psychotherapist in
private practice, a journalist, and the director and founder of
Mental Health Resources Canada, an online community of
mental health professionals. For years, she has been fascinated
by the issue of the Human-Animal Bond, and the incredible
contribution animals provide to human life, and the associated
physiological, emotional, and social benefits of owning a pet.
Her great interest in this
area of study brought her to begin training in the field of
Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), a unique psychotherapeutic
technique of utilizing trained animals such as dogs, cats,
rabbits, or dolphins, as therapeutic while attending to
different children’s conditions such as ADHD, Autism, Anxiety,
and other behavioural disorders. In October 2003, Shiri attended
a professional seminar specific for this fascinating topic in
Pasadena, California, and later conducted a personal interview
with Dr. Aubrey Fine, one of the leading psychologists in the
field of AAT. Her report will be featured in Business
Women Canada magazine in the new year.
After attending a number of
seminars and researching the area of Pet Loss Bereavement, Shiri,
a long time pet owner herself, found that among the millions of
pet owners in Canada, almost all will experience the loss of
their companion animal at some point in their lives, with many
remaining alone in their grief, often unable to find acceptance
and legitimacy to their feelings. Some populations also present
a risk for developing further complications such as clinical
depression, complicated bereavement, and at times even suicidal
wishes.
With Shiri’s personal and
professional background, she was able to combine her compassion
for people and animals by utilizing her clinical skills to offer
support groups and individual counselling in the areas of
Coping with Pet Loss Bereavement in various locations such
as Newmarket, Brampton, and Toronto.
Shiri’s work was featured in The Toronto
Sun, Hospital News, On
The Line: Live with Christine Williams (CTS TV), and
an upcoming feature articles in Business Women Canada,
and Dogs, Dogs, Dogs magazines
(Feb-March).
The next cycle of groups
will begin in January, March, and May of 2004, with an ongoing
support and resources for participants throughout the process.
She is hoping to allow her clients the opportunity to find
support, acceptance, and expression to their loss, while
offering resources, coping strategies, and education about the
process of bereavement in general, and in regards to pet loss in
particular.
For more information on MHRC and the Pet Loss
Bereavement project, please contact Shiri R. Joshua directly at
the numbers provided above.
Mental Health Resources Canada
www.MHRC.ca
You can create an online memorial to your departed pet for free at at
www.ILovedMyPet.com.
For More Information Contact:
ILovedMyPet.com
Email: support@ilovedmypet.com
Internet: http://www.ilovedmypet.com/