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Posted by: sadgrove Dec 28 2010, 09:03 AM

Hi

This post is about becoming a pet bereavement counselor.

Full disclosure: I run such a course. But there are several others (of equal merit) that you can find on the net.

I'm writing this because the course emerged out of my grief at the passing of my last two animals, Cosmo and Aran.

And one way I found of channelling the grief, to which this forum bears witness, is to go and help others.

Sometimes good things can come from bad events; and if you can use your experience to counsel others, maybe it could ease their pain.

And helping someone else can be transformative. It can (in some cases) help you to focus outside yourself.

It won't suit everyone; and to be a counselor you have to put your own emotions away and concentrate on supporting the other person. That's hard at a time when you're in pain.

But maybe, at some point in the future, you might feel stronger, and you might give someone else the gift of empathetic listening.

I hope this post will help someone, somewhere to reduce the pain they feel.

Kit

Posted by: hesista May 7 2012, 09:29 AM

Could you tell me about your course, is it online? I hope so

Posted by: Kevin Lee May 23 2013, 01:07 AM

I hope for a further discussion about your courses. Can you give us samples of benefits taking up this course. However, with http://personalmoneynetwork.com/moneyblog/2012/10/11/cows-eat-candy/ becoming increasingly scarce, farmers are turning more and more to an unexpected food source for their livestock — candy.

Posted by: sadgrove May 23 2013, 08:29 AM

Kevin, Sorry, I don't understand the point of your comment. Maybe it's just some weird spam?

Without wishing to be discourteous, anyone who knows what pet bereavement feels like will understand why they might want to help others.

Kit

Posted by: LPC Aug 24 2013, 08:31 AM

Dear Kit,

I am glad that you are doing what you do. It is a good cause. There is a need for good, experienced people to help others whose pets have passed over.

But I looked at your site and it appears that there is charge of £99 (or $153), including postage and packing. This a lot of money. Further, I see from your ethical statement that "We will sell only those courses that we believe offer the student a realistic chance of earning a living from home."

The truly dedicated counsellor should offer support free of charge, not for fees as a living. Our site offers free support to any person upset at the recent passing of a beloved pet. So do many other excellent sites, many of which are listed on lightning-strike. The Blue Cross is another shining example: a team of dedicated, trained volunteers, asking for nothing but the chance to help others in need of support. Making an income out of the emotional pain of others seems questionable ethically.

I wish you well, but why not offer the course online? There would then be no costs involved. You could then offer the course for free. That would really be doing some good.