Pet Owner Healing Workshop

The project, “Pet Owner Healing Workshop: Helping People Who Have Lost a Pet Get Over the Grief,” aims to support pet owners experiencing grief due to pet loss through structured psychological interventions and creative emotional healing workshops. Leveraging secondary research on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Continuing Bonds Theory, and Art Therapy within the framework of Attachment Theory, the project explores effective strategies to alleviate grief and foster emotional recovery.

Primary research included conducting 17 in-depth interviews, which informed the development of User Personas and identified critical pain points such as lingering grief, communication barriers, and uncertainty about memorialisation.

The project consists of a carefully designed workshop process, including activities like emotional awareness exercises, guided meditation, expressive art healing (drawing, clay modelling), and commemorative ceremonies. Participants engage in sharing experiences, creating keepsakes, and group meditation, all tailored to promote emotional expression, mutual support, and acceptance.

The workshop structure includes:

• Opening and participant introduction through pet photo sharing
• Guided emotional assessments and expressive drawing
• Emotional sharing and peer support discussions
• Art-based healing activities and meditation
• Feedback collection to continually refine the process

Through empathetic facilitation, sensory experiences, and mutual support, the workshop successfully creates a therapeutic environment that helps pet owners process their grief, maintain continuing emotional bonds, and gradually regain emotional stability.