Summit Counselling Services — Specialty Area
Animal Assisted TherapyHealing happens in the presence of those who love without condition.
Our therapy dogs don't just sit in the room — they show up, fully present, exactly as they are. Alongside our registered therapists, they help create a space where healing feels a little less like work and a little more like coming home.
Understanding the Approach
What is Animal Assisted Therapy?
Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a goal-directed, clinically guided therapeutic intervention that intentionally incorporates a trained animal as part of the therapeutic process. At Summit, this means a registered therapist and a certified therapy dog working together — the dog isn't a mascot or a distraction, but an active participant in the therapeutic relationship.
The presence of an animal in the therapy room has well-documented effects on the nervous system. Petting a dog lowers cortisol and raises oxytocin. The non-judgmental presence of an animal can reduce the psychological defences that sometimes make it hard to open up. For clients who struggle with trust, with emotional regulation, or with feeling safe in a room with another person, the dog often becomes a bridge.
AAT is particularly well-suited to trauma work, anxiety, social skill development in children and adolescents, depression, grief, and any presentation where the body's stress response is a significant part of the picture. It is not a replacement for evidence-based therapy — it is an enhancement of it, available in conjunction with approaches like CBT, EFT, somatic work, and trauma-focused therapy.
What the research shows
- Interaction with therapy animals measurably reduces cortisol and raises oxytocin — the body's bonding hormone
- Children in AAT sessions show significantly lower physiological stress markers than in standard therapy
- For trauma survivors, animals reduce the threat response that can make talk therapy feel unsafe
- AAT improves session engagement, disclosure, and therapeutic alliance — especially with adolescents
- Stroking a dog activates the parasympathetic nervous system — the state in which healing and integration become possible
- Animals model unconditional positive regard in a way that can be deeply corrective for attachment wounds
Soup
Bernese Mountain Dog · Forever in Our Hearts
Soup's story didn't start the way most therapy dogs' stories do. Before he ever set paw in a therapy room, he survived something that would have broken most. Rescued after being shot at close range, Soup came to us with shrapnel still embedded in his face — a physical reminder of the violence he'd endured. And yet, from the very beginning, he showed up with a gentleness and a steadiness that took everyone's breath away.
"He didn't become brave despite what happened to him. He became brave because of how he chose to carry it."
That is exactly what he brought into the therapy room. Soup had a particular gift for sitting with people who were holding hard things — people who were grieving, processing trauma, or learning to trust again. He didn't rush. He didn't judge. He simply leaned in, heavy and warm and completely present, as if to say: I know what it is to be hurt. And I know what it is to survive.
Soup is no longer with us, but his legacy lives on in the walls of this practice and in the hearts of every client he sat beside. He showed us — and them — that healing doesn't require the erasure of what happened. It requires the courage to keep showing up. Soup had that courage in abundance, right up until the very end.
Good boy, Soup. Always. 🐾
The Team
Meet our therapy dogs
Each of our dogs brings something different to the room. Here's a little about who they are, who they work with, and where to find them. And below, you'll find a special tribute to Soup — the big-hearted Bernese who started it all.
Chilli brings an infectious energy into every session — the kind that makes it genuinely hard to stay in your own head for too long. Playful, enthusiastic, and endlessly curious, he has a way of breaking the ice that no human therapist could replicate. Whether he's nudging your hand for a pet or doing zoomies around the waiting room, Chilli reminds his clients that joy is still available — even on hard days. He works best with clients who appreciate a little chaos alongside their healing.
Minnie knows she's photogenic and she fully owns it. From the moment she walks into a room, heads turn — and she greets every new face with a warmth and openness that feels almost deliberate. She loves people with an uncomplicated, whole-hearted enthusiasm that has a way of making clients feel immediately seen and welcomed. Minnie's easy, affectionate presence makes her particularly wonderful for clients who are new to therapy or new to dogs, and her multi-location schedule means more people get the chance to meet her.
Hi, I'm Jacks — one of our therapists-in-training pups here at Summit! I am known as a gentle giant around the office who will do just about anything for a good soft couch with a lap to lay my head on. With my own history of hardship as a stray, I bring first-hand knowledge of how love and connection can help heal the deepest of wounds. Because I am such a snuggler, I am the best fit for people who are dog-savvy and don't mind how heavy my head is. If you aren't sure, my co-therapist Becky can tell you a little more about me.
Our Therapists
The humans behind the dogs
Our therapy dogs work alongside registered therapists who are trained in Animal Assisted Therapy. Book a free consultation to find the right fit — human and canine both.
Related Support
Other areas we work with
Your first consultation is free — four paws or two.
No commitment, no pressure. Just a conversation about what you're looking for and whether Animal Assisted Therapy might be the right fit for you.
We acknowledge that our practice is located in Treaty 6 territory, on the traditional lands of the Cree, Saulteaux, Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Métis, and Nakota Sioux Peoples, including our Brewery District office in Wîhkwêntôwin ᐄᐧᐦᑫᐧᐣᑑᐃᐧᐣ (Oliver). We recognize that healing and reconciliation is a responsibility shared by all.