The overlooked bond: Why mental health professionals should ask questions about pets

Pets increasingly play a central role in people’s lives. Mental health professionals who overlook this may be missing an opportunity to understand an important aspect of their clients’experience. (Shutterstock)

Pets have become an integral part of people’s lives, with some having stronger bonds with their pets than with their siblings and other family members. Some feel more empathy toward animals than toward humans.

According to a survey, for nearly 90 per cent of Canadians, pets are considered not only family members, but also an essential source of emotional support.