Therapy's Best Friend

Therapy’s Best Friend – A Companion Animal Program

If you seek help with stress management, coping skills, or mild emotional challenges, Therapy’s Best Friend may be the answer you and your dog both crave. Our safe, supportive, and interactive environment helps strengthen your bond and improves your mental well-being.

Can you imagine your dog helping your mental health?

We have collaborated with Unleashed Counseling to develop Therapy’s Best Friend, a unique and innovative program that blends short-term solution-focused therapy with animal assistance and dog training. The program aims to help you and your dog develop skills to promote mental wellness.

Given our individual therapy sessions and group training program, we know this program can help you manage your mental health with the help of your best furry friend.

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Who Is This For?

This program is for any dog parent who wants to work on stress management, coping skills, or anxiety in a process that involves their pet. We focus on short-term solutions where you and your dog work together on life’s challenges. It will be helpful if you want to strengthen your relationship with your dog and are ready to commit to a 6-week program. Consistency is key for you, your pet, and the other participants.

Please note: This program is not for those with unresolved trauma or untreated mental health disorders. We encourage you to schedule a traditional therapy session with one of our licensed clinicians for support in addressing those concerns.

This program is for dogs who have mastered basic skills such as sit and stay. During our time together, we will teach your pet specific skills relating to assisting you, the owner, with mental health.

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The Benefits:

In just six weeks, you will learn practical tools and skills to manage stress and anxiety. You will also learn to incorporate mindfulness that includes your pet, so you have a companion on your journey to live in the present and enjoy life. Your overall mental health will improve as you learn self-care in our safe and supportive environment.

Your dog will enjoy a stronger relationship with you and master better communication. Your pet will better understand your emotional state and know how to support you best. And most importantly, your dog will learn how to support you during emotional moments as your trusting and loving companion.

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What You Can Expect

This six (6) week program will have two sessions per week including:

Weekly Individual Therapy Session: You (and your dog) meet one-on-one to discuss moving forward through your current struggle. These sessions are goal-oriented and designed to provide you with actionable solutions.

Weekly Group Session: Your group (4-5 participants and their dogs) meets with the therapist AND a dog trainer. This work aims to maximize your bond and improve your mental health by connecting with your pet through specific activities. During these sessions, we focus on skills that help facilitate mindfulness, movement, and even self-care. We will focus on:

Loose leash walking: where you and your dog walk in harmony in nature so you can unwind, relax and work on mindfulness.
“Sniffari” walks will incorporate grounding techniques to reduce your anxiety while your dog engages in natural curiosity.
Calming pressure techniques: We can teach your dog to be a calming presence when you are experiencing an anxious moment. For instance, a cue such as “paws” tells your dog to come and put its paws on your knees for comfort.

To be accepted, our furry friends must know basic cues (such as sit, lay down, stay, and come).

This program is not for individuals who are currently in crisis or who want to do deep work to overcome trauma or acute mental health disorders.

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Locations

Therapy’s Best Friend will be available in our Pottstown office which is close to Limerick, Royersford, Collegeville, Spring City, Phoenixville, Skippack, King of Prussia, and surrounding Montgomery County areas.

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"No animal I know of can consistently be more of a friend and companion than a dog."
- Stanley Leinwall