Animal-assisted therapy in Vaughan & Barrie
Bring your dog to therapy. In the calm of a conservation area, with your best friend at your side, you can settle your nervous system, get out of your head, and do the deeper work more gently, at your pace.
Takes 2 minutes. No credit card. No referral needed. Led by a Registered Psychotherapist.
Psychotherapists
supervision
& Barrie
20 minutes
Clinically reviewed by Carol McDowell, Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO #10937), who leads our ecotherapy and dog-assisted therapy sessions. Last reviewed June 2026.
Therapy that moves at the pace of a walk
We all know the feeling of a dog at our side: the steadiness, the way they pull us into the present moment, the comfort of simply being together. Animal-assisted therapy puts that bond to work. Instead of sitting across a desk, you walk a quiet trail with your own dog and a Registered Psychotherapist, and the conversation unfolds naturally alongside.
Time outdoors and connection with a calm, friendly dog can support mood, ease stress, and help a stirred-up nervous system settle. It is a complement to evidence-based talk therapy, not a replacement. When your body feels calmer and safer, the harder emotional work, the kind that talk therapy does, often becomes easier to reach.
This is not a replacement for talk therapy or medical care. It is a warmer, more grounded way to do meaningful therapeutic work, especially if sitting in an office has ever felt too exposing or too still.
Animal-assisted therapy is real psychotherapy, held outdoors with your own dog beside you. You get the calming, grounding effect of nature and your companion, plus the skills and insight of working with a Registered Psychotherapist.
Meet Carol, your animal-assisted therapist
Carol McDowell is a Registered Psychotherapist who leads these outdoor, dog-assisted sessions in Vaughan and Barrie. Watch a short intro, read her full profile, or book a free consult to see if it is the right fit.
Carol McDowell
Not sure if animal-assisted therapy is right for you? Browse all 24+ therapists or let us match you in a free consultation. You can change course anytime, and your file moves with you.
Co-regulating with your dog
Animals are masters at being present, and that calm is contagious. This is one small example of how a moment outdoors with your dog can bring you back to yourself. Pick a moment that sounds familiar.
“We are barely down the trail and my chest is tight. My thoughts are racing about everything I have to do.”
This is my nervous system on alert, not real danger.
Naming what is happening tells your body it is safe to soften. It creates a little space to choose what comes next.
Crouch down to your dog. Feel their warmth, slow your breath to match their calm, and name five things you can see, hear and smell on the trail.
“My breathing slowed and the trail came back into focus. My dog brought me back to now.”
This is one small taste of the work. With Carol, you would build grounding skills like this outdoors, with your own dog beside you. Talk it through with a therapist, free for 20 minutes.
Gentle support for the things that feel heavy
Animal-assisted therapy can stand on its own or work alongside regular talk therapy. People come to it for many reasons, often when sitting still in an office feels like too much.
Prefer the outdoors without a dog of your own? Carol also offers nature therapy, the same grounding work in the same beautiful settings.
What people often notice
Everyone's experience is different, and nothing here is promised or certain. But these are the shifts people tend to describe after time in nature with their dog and their therapist.
What a session actually looks like
If walking-and-talking therapy with your dog is new to you, here is exactly how it works, so nothing about it is a mystery.
Your dog just needs to be friendly and manageable on a leash. Sessions adapt to the weather. Animal-assisted therapy is a meaningful complement to care, not a replacement for medical treatment or crisis support.
A 20-minute conversation, no commitment
By phone or video, you talk with Carol about what is going on, what you are hoping for, and a little about your dog. You decide together whether outdoor sessions feel right for you.
Meeting in nature, gently
You meet Carol and your dog at a quiet conservation area. The first session is unhurried: a walk, a conversation, and a feel for how this way of working settles you.
Talk therapy, grounded in nature
Over time you combine real therapeutic work with movement, fresh air and your dog's steadying presence, building grounding skills you can carry into everyday life.
Flexible, whatever the season
When weather or life gets in the way, Carol can move sessions indoors at our Barrie office or online, so your care never has to pause.
Experiential, trauma-informed, and without the lecture
Animal-assisted therapy at InnerSight is real psychotherapy, simply held in a setting that helps you feel safe. Carol draws on evidence-based approaches and tailors them to you, your goals and your pace.
InnerSight was founded by Svetlana Antonyshyn, RP, on the belief that healing should treat the person, not a label. More about our approach.
What animal-assisted therapy costs
No hidden fees and no pressure. Most private insurance plans cover a portion of psychotherapy fees.
Meet Carol by phone or video, ask anything, and see if outdoor sessions feel right. No obligation.
Most private insurance plans cover a portion of services from a Registered Psychotherapist. We bill Sun Life, SSQ and Green Shield directly, and provide receipts for claims with other insurers. Your first full appointment is a 70-minute initial assessment at $245.
Looking for lower-cost support? Our reduced-fee program offers individual talk-therapy sessions from $125 with supervised therapists in training. See the reduced-fee program or call us, we are happy to walk you through it.
Animal-assisted therapy: your questions, answered
Do I need my own dog for animal-assisted therapy?
Yes. These sessions are built around you and your own dog, working with the bond you already share. If you do not have a dog but love the idea of therapy outdoors, our nature therapy sessions offer a similar experience without one.
Where do the sessions take place?
Outdoors, in calm conservation areas: Boyd Conservation Area in Vaughan and Shawnee Meadows in Barrie. Your therapist confirms the exact meeting spot when you book.
What happens if the weather is bad?
Sessions adapt to the conditions. If the weather is not safe or comfortable, Carol will reschedule, or move the session indoors at our Barrie office or online, so your care continues without interruption.
Is animal-assisted therapy right for anxiety, trauma or addiction?
Many people living with anxiety, trauma or addictive patterns find that the outdoor, animal-assisted setting helps them feel calmer and more present. It works as part of therapy, alongside any medical care you may need, and not as a replacement for it.
Does my dog need special training?
No. Your dog simply needs to be reasonably friendly and manageable on a leash. The focus is the connection between you and your dog, not obedience or performance.
Do I need a referral, and how do I start?
No referral is needed. You can book a free 20-minute consultation online at psychotherapyclinic.janeapp.com or call (905) 553-9507. We will talk it through and make sure animal-assisted therapy is the right fit before your first session.
Is it covered by insurance?
Sessions are provided by a Registered Psychotherapist, and most private insurance plans cover a portion. We bill Sun Life, SSQ and Green Shield directly, and provide receipts for claims with other insurers. Psychotherapy may also qualify for the medical expense tax credit in Canada. Reduced-fee sessions are also available.
Can I also see Carol indoors or online?
Yes. Carol offers in-person sessions at our Barrie office and secure online sessions across Ontario, so you can combine outdoor animal-assisted work with indoor or virtual sessions whenever it suits you.
Outdoor sessions in Vaughan & Barrie
Sessions run in two quiet conservation areas. Prefer to start indoors or online? Our Barrie clinic and a free consult are a click away.
Book a free consult →
Outdoor sessions in nature
Indoor & online option → Start with a free consultBy phone or video, 20 minutes. Book online →
Three steps, starting today
Book your free consult
Online in 2 minutes or by phone. No referral, no credit card.
Meet Carol and your dog
Gather outdoors in a calm conservation area for an unhurried first session.
Start the work
Build grounding skills and do the deeper work, at your pace, in nature.