My Therapy Dogs
My Therapy Dogs
What’s better than a having a dog in your therapy session? Having TWO dogs in your therapy session!
Meet Finn and Sage, my loveable (unofficial) therapy dogs. Finn joined the family (and my psychotherapy practice) in July. He’s a playful, fun-loving, social pup, so when a neighbor told us at the beginning of September that she wasn’t able to adopt the very sweet dog she was fostering, we brought Sage into the family to be his “sister.”
Finn and Sage bonded with each other immediately. Now they’re pretty much inseparable. It took a little while for them to figure out that they weren’t allowed to wrestle in my office, but now they’ve settled nicely into their roles as co-therapists. They’ve each established their hangout spots in the office, and, after the dog park, it’s their favorite place to be.
Finn is the handsome guy who sets a good example of how to relax and not sweat the small stuff. Sometimes he’s so relaxed that he doesn’t even get out of his dog bed when a client comes! Other times, though, he’ll join Sage in greeting you at the door.
Sage takes a more “paws on” approach. While Finn rarely gets up on the couch, Sage will hop right up and start kissing you. (She will, however, take no for an answer if you don’t want doggie kisses.) After her initial enthusiastic greeting, she settles down and snuggles up, which can be quite comforting. Eventually, she makes her way over to her favorite chair. Even then, though, her job is not done. She will often provide a well-timed sigh that fits perfectly with what a client is talking about. One of my clients recently told her, after one of those sighs,
“Thank you! I feel seen!”
Another of my clients once said, “Now that I’ve had therapy with a dog in the room, I can’t imagine doing therapy in a sterile office without one!” Yet another client, when both dogs came
to her for petting at the beginning of her session, said “I didn’t know how much I needed this!”
If you, too, would like to discover the therapeutic benefits that Finn and Sage provide, call or text 410-888-0590 or email JenniferBeall.LCPC@gmail.com.
