Expert: Lavinia Albescu - 1/18/2012

Question
Hello,
    I am studying to become a mental health nurse and had a question on grief therapy for pets(if that what it is called when you counsel people on the loss of a pet). I was wondering if an item that would help them to remember their pets (like a necklace, stuffed animal, etc.) would help the process of healing for the patient because it would be a way for the patient to remember their lost loved one.

Answer
Dear Daisy,


I believe people don't need an item to remember the loss or the pet, they usually want help to get over the loss quicker, and since the bond in these cases was so strong I hardly think they could forget. You might be referring to the grief therapy process that has a phase when the patient performs certain rituals that helps to get closure, and the rituals often involve objects of the lost one (ex: gathering all the clothing of the lost one and giving them away, only keeping one item, and so on). In this case it is considered helpful to perform such rituals.

I hope this helps, write anytime you have questions,