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.
Clinically reviewed by Carol McDowell, Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO #10937), ecotherapy and canine-assisted therapist. Last reviewed June 2026.
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.
There is good reason it helps. A growing body of research into time in nature and connection with animals suggests both can support mood, ease stress, and help a stirred-up nervous system settle. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. Every therapist here is a Registered Psychotherapist regulated by the CRPO and supported by monthly clinical supervision, so the care you receive is both compassionate and accountable. InnerSight has been recognized with the Canadian Choice Award for Best Psychotherapist (2026) and named a Best Psychotherapy Clinic in Vaughan. More about our approach.
Carol McDowell is a Registered Psychotherapist and canine behavioural therapist who leads these outdoor 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.
Not sure if animal-assisted therapy is right for you? Browse all 25+ therapists or let us match you in a free consultation. You can change course anytime, and your file moves with you.
No hidden fees and no pressure. Most clients pay little or nothing out of pocket after insurance.
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 provide receipts for direct claims.
Sessions with supervised therapists in training, at a lower rate. Same structure, same care, more accessible.
Psychotherapy is also tax-deductible as a medical expense in Canada. Worried about cost? See our reduced-fee program or call us, we are happy to walk you through it.
A 4.9/5 rating across 100+ Google reviews.
“The atmosphere of the clinic is very inviting. Carol is very caring and professional. I would recommend her to anyone looking for a therapist.”
Lucy L. · Barrie · Google Review
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sessions are provided by a Registered Psychotherapist, and most private insurance plans cover a portion. We provide receipts for claims, and psychotherapy is tax-deductible as a medical expense in Canada. Reduced-fee sessions are also available.
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.
Animal-assisted sessions are held outdoors in two calm conservation areas. Prefer to start indoors or online? Our Barrie clinic and a free consult are a click away.
Online in 2 minutes or by phone. No referral, no credit card.
Gather outdoors in a calm conservation area for an unhurried first session.
Build grounding skills and do the deeper work, at your pace, in nature.
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