For professionals

Supporting veterinary teams, crematoria and pet aftercare staff

This page is for people who work with pet loss professionally — vets, nurses, practice managers, crematorium and aftercare teams, and organisations that support them. It covers training, consultation, speaking and resources you can put in front of clients.

If you have lost a pet yourself, this isn't the page for you. Nothing here is written for grieving owners. Start with Understanding Grief instead — it has the free guides and the support that is meant for you.

What is usually missing

A client's pet dies. The vet offers genuine sympathy. A card, perhaps, and a paw print. Then the client leaves, carrying something that for many people is one of the most destabilising experiences of their lives.

There is almost no clinical framework in veterinary or aftercare training for what happens psychologically at the point of loss, and very little to hand people in the moment. The work here fills that gap, using the same clinical psychology found in specialist NHS bereavement services, adapted specifically to pet loss.

It also takes seriously the cost to your staff. Cumulative loss, moral distress after repeated euthanasia decisions and compassion fatigue are occupational realities, not personal weaknesses.

For professionals

The Team Wellbeing Guide

Written for veterinary and aftercare teams: cumulative loss, moral distress after euthanasia, and practical structures that protect staff wellbeing — debriefs that work, realistic boundaries, and what to do after a particularly hard case. Enter your work email and I'll send it over.

How I work with organisations

Service 01

CPD staff training

From £800 per half-day session

A half-day CPD session for veterinary teams on the psychology of pet bereavement — what clients are actually experiencing, why responses vary so widely, and how your team can support them without absorbing it all themselves. Grounded in the Structural Role Model of Pet Loss.

The psychology of pet loss — emotional steadiness, daily structure, sense of role, presence
Why grief responses differ so much between clients
Communication in the consultation room and at end-of-life appointments
Compassion fatigue and cumulative loss in clinical staff
What to offer clients, and when — a practical resource framework
Q&A and case discussion

Suitable for small animal, equine and mixed practices, clinical and administrative staff. At your practice or remote.

Service 02

Bereavement sensitivity consultation

From £750 per practice engagement

A structured review of how your practice or crematorium currently handles bereavement — the language used at end of life, what is offered after a death, and the systems that carry staff through difficult cases. You get practical recommendations and a resource pack your team can use straight away.

Audit of client communication at end of life and after a death
Review of existing resources, signposting and follow-up contact
Written recommendations report within five working days
Branded client resource pack (guides, signposting, written materials)
Optional follow-up review three months after implementation

Typically completed in a half-day. Remote or in person.

Service 03

Speaking and conference talks

From £500 per event

For veterinary conferences, crematorium and pet aftercare networks, bereavement organisations, mental health networks and industry events. Talks cover the psychology of pet bereavement, the Structural Role Model, and the clinical evidence base behind supporting it well.

30-minute keynote for conference programmes
60-minute in-depth talk for CPD and professional development days
Half-day workshop for smaller groups, with case discussion
Panel participation, industry events and podcasts

Tailored to veterinary, aftercare, mental health or general professional audiences. Remote delivery available.

Outreach and resources

Ways to put something useful in a client's hands, and to look after the people who do this work.

Client resource packs

Clinically grounded guides to hand to clients at the point of a difficult diagnosis or a death — something meaningful that extends your care past the consultation room. Available branded for your practice or crematorium.

Crematoria and pet aftercare

Staff in aftercare speak to owners at their rawest, often by phone, often repeatedly. Training and scripting support covers what to say, what not to say, and how to protect the people doing that work day after day.

Referral and signposting

A clear route for the clients whose grief is beyond what a practice can hold — one-to-one work, the GENTLE course, and the book — so your team always has somewhere to point people.

Make a professional enquiry

For training, consultation, speaking or branded client resources, tell me a little about your organisation and what you are looking for.

Get in touch