Professional Training · Directory · Memorial Tool

Train as a pet bereavement counsellor. Build a practice that matters.

The Academy for Pet Loss offers professional certification in the TRACE Method — the only counselling framework built specifically for companion animal loss. Train online. Get listed. Build your practice.

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For pet owners

Looking for support after losing a pet?

Our directory lists over 1,600 professional pet bereavement counsellors across the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. Search by location or find someone available online.

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For counsellors

Want to specialise in pet bereavement?

Earn the TRACE Methodology Practitioner certificate, get a verified directory listing, and access tools that set your practice apart. Fully online. No clinical background required.

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The Academy Method

The TRACE Method

A five-step framework for pet bereavement counselling, grounded in Worden's Four Tasks of Mourning and Continuing Bonds Theory. Designed for compassionate practitioners — not clinical psychologists.

T
Tell the Story

Invite the pet owner to share who their pet was — their personality, how they came into their life, what made them irreplaceable.

R
Recognise the Bond

Explicitly validate the depth of the human-animal relationship. This is not 'just a dog.' The counsellor says so, clearly and without qualification.

A
Acknowledge the Pain

Gently explore the grief. What are they feeling? What do they miss most? What is hardest day to day? This is the core therapeutic work.

C
Celebrate the Life

Gather memories, photos, stories, routines — the defining moments of a relationship. This is where the memorial page begins to take shape.

E
Embrace What Remains

Moving forward without leaving behind. The pet lives on in memory, in the memorial, in how the owner was changed by the relationship.

The Directory

Find specialist support wherever you are

Our directory lists professional pet bereavement counsellors across the US, UK, Australia, and Canada — searchable by location, pet type, and session format.

Search the directory