Can you help me find a therapist I remember reading about in NYC?

March 24, 2014 8:38 AM

I was using an online "therapist finder" (Probably Psychology Today but I can't be certain) about 6 weeks ago to find myself a therapist. I had come across one in particular that I thought I saved a link to, but now can't find. I know it was a woman, and she mentioned dogs in her description/bio - both that she was a dog owner and lover, but also that her dog could sometimes be present for therapy, and/or you could bring your dog. I know that's not unheard of, but her description really resonated with me in terms of what I need right now in a therapist and I am hoping someone might recognize my description. Thank you!
posted by brbmaroon to Human Relations (7 answers total)

Don't know whose profile you saw, but therapy dogs are a real thing, and I'm sure there are more than a few in New York that utilize them. The dogs receive specific training, and need to have the right temperament for the job, perhaps somewhat akin to guide dogs, or companion dogs. Try searching on the therapist sites and I suspect you will come up with more than one. Good luck!
posted by elf27 at 8:56 AM on March 24, 2014

I know one woman in nyc who has her dog present for sessions and another woman who has her cats present. Neither are likely to be the one you had in mind. (I'm sure I could find others, too.) What other requirements do you have?
posted by Obscure Reference at 9:32 AM on March 24, 2014

Response by poster: Thank you for the answers so far. If I can't find the ad I am looking for, I will try some other therapists instead. I just remember really liking what said in her ad, it just really spoke to me in a way that communicated two things: 1) that she understood how special peoples' relationships with animals can be and 2) that she was compassionate in a way that seemed like a good fit.

For me it had less to do with the fact that dogs were present; it just seemed like she was especially warm and compassionate. I'm having trouble taking the first step and for some reason I was less intimidated by her because of the animal connection and the perceived warmth. Thanks again.
posted by brbmaroon at 10:45 AM on March 24, 2014

A little bit of googling turned up these three therapists. As far as I can tell, the Psychology Today site doesn't allow a keyword search, unfortunately.
posted by megancita at 11:44 AM on March 24, 2014

Best answer: Was it Peggy Kane? I found her using the following search term in Google:
dog new york site:therapists.psychologytoday.com

(As an aside, PT.com could stand to make their redesigned search tool more friendly. I can't see any way to search for text within a profile, and they really ought to provide more prominent and clearly written instructions on using the search filters. The one sentence of instruction tucked at the very bottom doesn't cut it-- if they're going to stop using check boxes like people are used to seeing on web pages for the last 20 years, that should be made clear.)
posted by Dixon Ticonderoga at 11:47 AM on March 24, 2014 [1 favorite]

Also, this one.
posted by megancita at 11:47 AM on March 24, 2014

Response by poster: Thank you Dixon Ticonderoga - that's her! Several other good options posted here as well, thanks everyone. I really appreciate it, today especially.
posted by brbmaroon at 12:24 PM on March 24, 2014