Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy

At Insightful Journey, animal-assisted psychotherapy brings animals into the therapeutic process in a thoughtful, purposeful way. Sometimes it's easier to open up while grooming, observing, or simply sitting quietly beside an animal. Animals don't judge, interrupt, or expect the "right" words — their presence can help create a space where clients feel more comfortable being themselves.

Cowboy and Bandit are two rescue rats, comfortable around people and a familiar part of sessions. We're also exploring future additions to the program, including a bearded dragon and gecko, as we continue to grow this offering.

This approach draws on the concept of biophilia: our natural, innate desire to connect with other living things and the world around us. That connection can be especially grounding during times when a person feels overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure of themselves.

Depending on your goals, animal-assisted sessions may support work such as:

• Emotional regulation and grounding
• Building trust and exploring boundaries
• Gradual-approach work with anxiety, where clinically appropriate
• Social skills, patience, and frustration tolerance — particularly for children and teens
• Confidence-building through hands-on, structured interaction

These are potential areas of benefit, not guarantees. Your therapist will discuss with you whether and how this fits your specific treatment plan.

For children and teens in particular, animals can make therapy feel less intimidating and more like an experience they want to take part in, rather than simply a conversation.

This approach can also be especially valuable for individuals with autism or sensory needs, offering opportunities for movement, touch, observation, and connection in a supportive environment — as well as an additional way to communicate and engage for those who find it difficult to express feelings through words alone.

Animal-assisted psychotherapy isn't the right fit for everyone. It may not be suitable if you have a significant fear or phobia of animals, certain allergies, a medical condition that increases risk around animal contact, or if animal-related trauma is part of your history. We follow careful hygiene and handling protocols to keep sessions safe and comfortable, and we screen for these considerations with you before ever introducing an animal into your care — honestly answering these questions helps us make sure this approach works for you, not against you.

Animal-assisted psychotherapy is entirely optional, at intake and at any point afterward. You can decline before it begins, ask that the animal be paused or removed mid-session, or return to conventional sessions at any time — without explanation, and without it affecting your care or your relationship with your therapist.

Animal-assisted sessions are billed as a 50-minute session at $200, reflecting the additional preparation and clean-up time involved. Before your first animal-assisted session, Brooklyn will walk you through a short screening and consent conversation to make sure it's the right fit for you.

If Cowboy or Bandit are unavailable for any reason — whether due to their own health, rest, or scheduling — your session will proceed as a regular psychotherapy session at the standard rate and length. Animal-assisted work is always an addition to your care, never a requirement for it.

Animals have always held a special place in Brooklyn's life. Long before she became a therapist, she was drawn to the quiet, honest way animals connect with people — no judgment, no pressure, just presence. That early fascination followed her into her clinical work, where she's spent years building hands-on experience alongside a range of animals in therapeutic settings.

For Brooklyn, bringing Cowboy and Bandit into session isn't just a technique — it's something she's genuinely passionate about. She's seen how a client who feels stuck in words can open up while simply sitting with an animal, and how that shift can carry into the rest of their work together.

Brooklyn's approach is patient and client-led. No prior experience with animals is expected — she meets each person where they're at, at whatever pace feels right for them, with the same care extended to the animals in her practice as to the people she works with.

If you're interested in animal-assisted psychotherapy, reach out to Brooklyn directly at Brooklyn@insightfuljourney.ca to begin the screening process. She'll walk you through what to expect and make sure it's the right fit before your first session with Cowboy and Bandit.