About Your Clinician
Jodie Goldberg
LMSW · Pet Loss & Grief Specialist in Training
"People grieving the death of a beloved animal deserve the same compassion, the same understanding, and the same safe place to grieve that we offer for every other kind of loss."
- Licensed Master Social Worker
- Pet Loss Counseling & Coaching
- Families, Children & Teens
- ESA Evaluations
- Counseling for clients in New York
- Coaching for clients nationwide
- ESA Evaluations in New York
- Virtual sessions available
Services
Two ways Jodie works with clients
Both services sit at the intersection of clinical training and a real regard for the animals in people's lives.
Pet Loss & Grief Support
Space to grieve a companion animal openly, whether the loss is recent or years old, anticipated or sudden. Support for the whole household, including parents figuring out how to talk with a child about a pet who has died.
- Counseling
- Clients located in New York
- Coaching
- Clients nationwide
ESA Evaluations
A clinical evaluation of whether an emotional support animal is a fit for your mental health needs. This is an assessment, not a form to fill out, and a supporting letter is issued only when the evaluation supports one.
- Evaluations
- Clients located in New York
- Format
- Virtual sessions available
Why This Work
Grief for an animal deserves to be witnessed
I grew up in a family that never had fewer than three pets, and I developed a deep love for animals from a very young age. We shared immense love for our animals, and we shared profound grief when we lost them. That grief was understood in my house. We met one another with love, empathy, and compassion.
Over the years, my understanding of how pet loss is perceived by others began to shift. Outside of my own upbringing, I found that perceptions vary widely. Some people share the view I grew up with, that our pets are members of the family and that the intensity of grief after their death can mirror the grief we feel after any other significant loss. But I also came to see how often this grief is misunderstood, dismissed, minimized, or even criticized.
Those experiences deepened my awareness of how isolating pet loss can be. When your grief is not recognized by the people around you, the loss becomes harder to carry. People grieving the death of a beloved animal deserve the same compassion, the same understanding, and the same safe place to grieve that we offer for every other kind of loss.
That belief is at the heart of why I am currently training as a Pet Loss & Grief Specialist through Animal Talks. As a Licensed Master Social Worker, grief and loss are already part of my clinical work, and I bring that same client centered, holistic approach to pet loss. Before my clinical training, I spent more than fifteen years in education, working closely with children, teens, and families, and that background shapes how I show up for families of every shape and size who are grieving a companion animal, including helping parents talk with children about pet loss.
My work is rooted in creating a compassionate, judgment free space where people can name their loss openly, make sense of what they are feeling, and feel supported as they find a way forward that keeps their companion close.
Her Own Companions
The animals who taught her this grief firsthand
Jodie came to this work the same way many of her clients arrive at it, through the animals she has loved and lost.
Background & Training
The path that led to this work
Four threads that shaped how Jodie sits with grief: years alongside children and families, clinical social work training, grief practice, and specialist study in pet loss.
-
01
Fifteen Years in Education
More than fifteen years working closely with children, teens, and families, learning how loss lands differently at every age and how to talk about it plainly.
Schools & Family Settings -
02
Clinical Social Work Training
Master of Social Work and New York licensure, bringing a client centered, holistic approach to therapy and to the grief that runs underneath so much of it.
Licensed Master Social Worker -
03
Grief & Loss Practice
Grief and loss are already central to her clinical work, which means pet loss is met with the same clinical care given to any other significant bereavement.
Steady Compass Counseling Services -
04
Pet Loss & Grief Specialist Training
Currently completing specialist training focused on the particular shape of pet loss, including disenfranchised grief and the support families need after an animal dies.
Animal Talks, In Progress
"It is a privilege to walk alongside people through one of the most painful transitions they may face, to listen, to validate, and to remind them that their grief is a reflection of the love they shared."
Jodie Goldberg, LMSW
Ready to Connect?
Your grief is welcome here
Whether the loss is recent or years old, whether you are grieving alone or trying to help a child through it, there is room for all of it in this work.
Explore all Gentle Paw services
Jodie Goldberg is a Licensed Master Social Worker licensed in New York, working under the supervision of Judith Liu, LCSW. She offers pet loss counseling and emotional support animal evaluations to clients located in New York, and pet loss coaching to clients nationwide. An ESA evaluation is a clinical assessment, and a supporting letter is issued only when the evaluation supports one. The Gentle Paw is a DBA of Steady Compass Counseling Services, LCSW P.C.