[SummerTime12]

I know this topic has been covered in the past, but I haven’t seen it come up in a while and I had a question about it.

For some time now, I’ve been wishing I could bring one of my dogs with me to therapy, but I’ve never seen anyone in my T’s office with a dog and she’s also not a service dog. I’m too scared to ask because of the risk of my t saying no. The reason I wish I could bring her is because she always snaps me out of dissociation very quickly and I tend to dissociate heavily when working on trauma.

Yesterday, my asked what helps me with flashbacks and I mentioned my dog being helpful for that and especially for dissociation. He jokingly said, “I wish there was a way you could harness that and carry it with you.” And I was like, “I could haha” and gestured towards my purse. He was like, “is she in there right now??” And I was like, “umm no I definitely wouldn’t bring her without approval.” And then he goes, “hey some people like to take their dogs everywhere with them.”

I approached the whole conversation in a joking way to sort of test the waters I guess, but idk how or if I should seriously ask or bring the idea up further.

[Shotokan]

Can you ask your doctor if you could get a letter for an emotional support animal? Then you can bring one of them to his office. If a dog helps you when you become disassociated, I think it is worth it to ask.

By the way, what type of dogs do you have? I am just curious.

I went through an experience where I needed to keep my dog with me to be able to stabilize myself in public. Bringing her with me was very effective. Unfortunately I cannot bring her with me everywhere I go. I have worked up courage, built confidence, learned meditation tools and practiced coping techniques to help me in her absence. She is as dependent on me as I am on her and I would never leave her if I didn't need to.

[Blueberry21]

For whatever it’s worth, I’ve seen someone bring their dog to my therapist’s office, about a year ago.

Now he’s gotten a cat and is apparently training the cat to be a support animal.

I would expect your T to be cool with it. Worth an ask.

[NP_Complete]

What's the worst that will happen if you ask and he says no? You carry on not bringing your dog to therapy. I doubt he'll think less of you for asking. Just ask him.

[nottrustin]

I would something like "since we talked about dogs last time have you ever had clients bring them?"

Over the summer T came in the building fro. outside for my appointment. She mentioned that she had gone for a walk with the client before me. I had always wondered about walking with my therapists during an appointment.

So the next week I mentioned that she had talked about walking with a client and is that something we could do on an occasion? I my worked well.

[ScarletPimpernel]

After ex-T allowed me to bring my puppy into session, I have since asked my Ts if I could ring her in. T said no because of building policy, but otherwise, she would have said yes. I asked L one day if I could bring her, and she said yes! I now bring her on and off. It really helps. I like to bring her when I know it's going to be a rough session. She is a companion animal (i.e. not a pet), but she is not a therapy or service animal.

[Omers]

Yes, I brought my dog with me to T and one of my cats... although the cat was a service animal until the ADA said they had to be dogs or horses (yes, she went through training and passed her tests just like a dog). Current T is kinda an OCD neat freak and totally not a pet person. I know he would be uneasy with me bringing one of my animals to session but I am willing to bet he would find a way to accommodate it sometimes. None of my other T’s would have minded at all unless it was against building policy.

Unless I misinterpreted what you wrote, it did sound a bit like your tdoc was mocking the idea of bringing a pet to therapy. If you're unsure of that, or agree with my interpretation, you might consider telling them that you felt they mocked an idea that you were serious about. That may not get them to agree to you bringing your dog, but I think they need to know that their words were hurtful. If not to you, they sure might have been to someone else.

I have never brought a pet to a therapy or psychiatrist session. I don't currently have a pet, but have had a parrot for years in the past. I clearly remember, about two years ago, my psychiatrist saying that he has (or has had) patients bring their pet to sessions. I jokingly asked if I could bring my parrot, and he said "Yes" pretty seriously. I didn't bring my parrot because I didn't really need that, plus my parrot wouldn't have liked to go (and wasn't reliably potty trained). However, it was very sweet to know that my psychiatrist allowed that.

[SummerTime12]

@NP_Complete I guess the reason asking feels scary is not so much because the actual consequence of knowing I couldn’t bring my dog would be too difficult to bear, but more so because knowing I asked for something that my t either couldn’t or didn’t want to provide would be hard to handle. I know I’d beat myself up and start to spiral thinking that I’m annoying him, too needy, etc.
@BirdDancer I can see how it could be interpreted that way, but I didn’t take it offensively. I felt like we were both just joking around. How sweet that your psychiatrist was willing to let you bring your parrot if you wanted!

@ScarletPimpernel I’m glad L said yes but sorry your Ts building did not allow it! I’m a little concerned about that because it is a shared office space.
@nottrustin side note but my t and I have talked about how we wish we could go for a walk! Unfortunately insurance won’t cover therapy done while walking (too risky?) so we can’t ever do it.
@Shotokan I have a pomeranian mix and another that we think is a chihuahua/corgi mix. The Pom mix is the one I’d want to bring. She’s much more well-behaved. She’s also the one who licks me when I’m dissociating lol. I’m a little hesitant to ask for a letter just because I’ve heard of people who truly require service dogs getting upset about people who abuse the emotional support animal system, many with valid concerns. I’d hate to be “that person.”
@Omers that really sucks you can’t use your cat anymore even though she’s gone through the same trainings! Definitely doesn’t seem fair.

My therapist and i enjoy taking my dog for walks. We also have her cat, which she gave to me several years ago, so sometimes i bring the cat.

[susannahsays]

What's the difference between a pet and a companion animal? I thought those two terms were synonymous. That's the terminology used in science to refer to pets.

[susannahsays]

Also, being an ESA doesn't mean the therapist would have to allow the dog in the building. Only people with service animals can expect to be able to bring them everywhere.

[stopdog]

No - I would not want my pets at therapy. I adore my pets but I needed to have all my wits about me when dealing with the therapist and the pet would have been distracting. The woman had her dog there one time and she was distracted (so much so that she did not charge for the next appointment) - it was a horrible experience. I refused to go anytime her dog was going to be there. The woman promised it would never happen again (she was total crap at keeping promises) but it came up a couple of other times but at least she let me know ahead of time. I always just cancelled until the dog was not going to be there.

[~Christina]

My T and Pdoc are part of a community center that has offices all over Tennessee and now into Kentucky.

I personally have never wanted to bring my dog , he is my ESA but he would have picked up on overall stress or depression in the waiting room alone, I would not put him through it.

Over the 9 years I have seen so many animals in that waiting room, some perfectly calm but unfortunately many hyper and loud , barking or growling. Some dogs must have lived outside on a chain because they would be filthy with fleas ticks and mud. It was terrible.

4-5 years ago a dog actually bite someone.

Immediately signs were posted only true service animals were allowed.

Of course a T in private practice can do whatever they wish.

[susannahsays]

I have seen a couple dogs brought by clients, and the psychiatrist has also brought her dog before. One of the other therapists brings his dog sometimes. The one I see refuses to bring hers for my inspection.

I would like to bring one of mine, but he can be quite naughty and bark at unfamiliar people, though not typically in a setting like an office.

[ScarletPimpernel]

Originally Posted by susannahsays

What's the difference between a pet and a companion animal? I thought those two terms were synonymous. That's the terminology used in science to refer to pets.

Maybe it's an older term? Or a term in Southern California? My apartments call my animals "companions" not pets, my current doctor the same, and even back in 2002 my doctor used the term "companion". It's basically, if not actually, the same as an ESA. They're animals that meet a medical need, but are not trained like service animals are.

[Omers]

I don’t know if you see a Pdoc or not but... I had a foster dog that naturally alerted me to seizures. I talked to Pdoc about it and she wrote me a prescription for him. It did not make him a service dog but it did give him access to more places. I did start sending him to training to be a service dog but then we found out the seizures were a weird reaction to a medication so we just changed the medication.
Also, there are PTSD service dogs as opposed to them just being considered emotional support because it is mental health. As someone who has needed service animals the biggest problem with people passing pets off as service animals is the lack of training of the dog and the owners lack of understand of the rules for service animals. I have been attacked twice by dogs wearing service dog vests. Thankfully my service dog blocked the more aggressive of the two.
I also understand the not wanting to make T tell you no or even risk T having to tell you no... even if you are OK with no as an answer. My T tries very hard not to have to tell me no because I struggle so much with feeling like I am too much or a burden. I am thankful that when talking to me about boundaries my T tells me lists of what hi CAN do. Even if you can’t ask about bringing your dog yet maybe you can talk to your T about how hard it is for you to ask for what you need from them. I am sure if you are like me there is more than just the dog that you would like to ask for.