The loss of a pet can be as hard or sometimes harder than losing a loved one. It can be devastating and having help coping with this loss is important.

On today’s show, Jodi will share practical steps of dealing and coping with the loss of a beloved pet and how to find peace in whatever stage of grief you are in. Loss of a pet due to death or when it goes missing, can cause intense feelings of guilt. Jodi will discuss ways of navigating this loss and how to start to heal.

After working briefly in the mental health field, Jodi decided to move into the care of pets. For the past 20 plus years, she has owned and operated a family run pet care business in, both Westchester and Fairfield Counties. Through the years, she has learned how to take care of special needs, elderly, and sick pets of all kinds. She has also experienced the devastation and sadness both personally as well as professionally, when our pets leave this world. This experience led her to become a pet bereavement counselor.

She graduated from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield CT in 1993, with honors, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. She then went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Fairfield University.

In 2016, she became certified as a Pet Bereavement Counselor by Dr. Wallace Sife, the founder of the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (APLB). In September of 2018, she started working towards her certification as an Animal Chaplain, under the direction of Joe Dwyer.