Pet Bereavement Counselling ADVANCED Diploma

Our Pet Bereavement Counselling Advanced Diploma will provide the student with more advanced and in-depth knowledge of the subject, the course covers, in detail, all the essential aspects of a Pet Carers bereavement journey that students would need to fully understand, in order to start to provide Pet Bereavement Counselling services either as an 'add on' to their current role in the pet industry or as a new career in this field. 

Our course also covers the essential aspect of counselling skills which would be required for such a role.

Our course is written by Dawn Murray and is based on her 2 decades of first hand experience as a Pet Undertaker and a Pet Bereavement Counsellor. The Advanced Diploma not only covers bereavement but you will also learn the many practical support aspects that we know pet carers need help with as they go through their own bereavement journey and which are seldom taught collectively in any other similar courses.

Unlike other courses of this nature each student will have an assigned tutor for the duration of their course who can provide guidance and direction - and more importantly someone to talk to and discuss the students learning journey.

On completion of the course you will have the in-depth knowledge and personal confidence to support clients through pet bereavement. 

The course consists of 10 modules which the student can study in their own time, at the end of each module the student will be asked to undertake a written assessment consisting of a number of questions and essays, this is to show they have gained enough knowledge to proceed to the next module.

What will you learn?

Module 1 - The Human Animal Bond - this module covers the Human Animal Bond and why it is important as a Pet Bereavement Counsellor to understand this unique connection we have with our companion animals -

• History of Humans and Companion Animals 
• Working Dogs
• Bonds between animals and humans
• How a bond is formed
• How that bond may impact a bereavement

Module 2 - End of Life - this module covers what the pet carer needs to know at the end of their pets life, including the Euthanasia process - 

• Suffering v's Pain
• Palliative Care
• Sudden or Unexpected death
• When the time comes...
• Euthanasia
• Home Euthanasia Process
• Veterinary Surgery Euthanasia
• Expect the Unexpected
• What now?....

Module 3 - Aftercare - this module will cover the more practical aspects to consider post the death of a pet -

• Aftercare
• Making the arrangements
• Law
• Pet Crematoriums
• Understanding Cremation & Burial Options
• Understanding alternative aftercare options
• What to do with a pets belongings

Module 4 - Memorials - this module considers what a pet carer may do to memorialise their pet -

• Memorialising a pet
• Funeral Service
• Other types of memorials
• The first year
• When is it the right time to get another pet
• Spiritual guidance
• Animal Communicators
• Rainbow Bridge

Module 5 - Bereavement & Grief - this module examines the types of grief and the stages of grieving which impact on pet bereavement -

• Types of Grief
• Stages of Grieving
• Signs and Symptoms of Grief

Module 6 - Surviving Pets, Children & Elderly - this module examines how surviving pets cope with grief and also examines how pet loss impacts children and the elderly -

• Do pets grieve?
• Children and pet loss
• The elderly and pet loss

Module 7 - Ambiguous Loss - this module looks at the specific issues related to ambiguous loss and how the impact pet carers

• Ambiguous Loss
• The role of the Pet Bereavement Counsellor
• Stages of Ambiguous loss
• Coping Strategies

Module 8 - The Counsellor - this module examines in-depth the counselling skills needed to provide Pet Bereavement Counselling and focuses on how a Counselling session will work with your clients.

• Counselling
• How we help pet carers
• Building rapport
• Effective communication
• Delivery of Pet Bereavement counselling
• Counselling Session
• Counsellor Fatigue

Module 9 - Alternative Therapies - this module introduces alternative therapies which can help during the pet carers bereavement journey

• Introducing Alternative Therapies
• Person-Centred Therapy
• Complementary Therapies

Module 10 - Practical Counselling- this module takes the student through, step by step, a case study where we examine everything we have learned and put it to a practical use

Students will receive a Certificate from both Living with Pet Bereavement and the CPD Certification Service on successful completion of the Diploma course. Our Advanced Diploma is not a counselling qualification, we address the term 'counsellor' as part of the course.