APLB Pet Loss Professional (CPLP) Directory: How to Find a Certified Pet Loss Counselor

What the APLB and the CPLP Credential Are

The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (APLB) is the primary US-based professional organization devoted to pet-loss grief support. It was founded by Wallace Sife, PhD, a psychologist and pioneer in the recognition that pet bereavement is real, complex, and deserving of clinically informed support. Sife’s book, The Loss of a Pet, remains a standard reference text in the field across multiple editions.

The APLB administers a credential called the Certified Pet Loss Professional (CPLP). Holders of the CPLP have completed a structured curriculum focused specifically on pet-loss grief — its phases, its complications, its overlap with human grief, and the practical work of supporting bereaved owners. The credential is offered to a range of helpers: licensed therapists, social workers, chaplains, veterinary social workers, hospice volunteers, and lay counselors who serve their communities.

The APLB also maintains a public directory of CPLP-credentialed professionals. The directory is searchable by region and is the most concentrated US-based listing of pet-loss-specialized helpers. You can find it at aplb.org.

If You Are in Crisis Right Now

Pet loss can intersect with acute mental-health crisis, particularly for sole companions, elderly adopters, families already living with a mental-health condition, and caregivers exhausted by long terminal illnesses. If you or someone in your household is in mental-health crisis, call or text 988 (US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) — free, confidential, 24/7. International readers: contact your local crisis line. For pet-loss-specific phone support, the ASPCA Pet Loss Hotline (877-474-3310) offers free, confidential support staffed by trained volunteers; check aspca.org for current hours.

How the CPLP Credential Differs From Generic Therapy

A licensed therapist without pet-loss specialization can absolutely help a grieving owner. Grief is grief — the skills of holding space, attuned listening, and gentle pacing transfer across the kind of loss involved. However, many bereaved owners describe a specific kind of relief when they sit with a counselor who already understands disenfranchised grief — the particular shape of bereavement that is sometimes minimized by people around the griever (“it was just a pet,” “you can get another one,” “shouldn’t you be over it by now”).

CPLP-trained counselors are familiar with the practical landscape: anticipatory grief during long terminal illness, the guilt-relief paradox that often follows euthanasia, the complicated overlap of pet loss with prior human losses, the loss of routine that a daily-care pet provided, the empty-house quiet that arrives after the last pet in a multi-pet household. They have language for these experiences and frameworks for working through them.

The CPLP is a specialty credential, not a license to practice therapy. Some CPLP holders are licensed therapists (LCSW, LPC, LMFT, psychologist); others are pastoral counselors, hospice volunteers, or trained lay helpers. The credential signals pet-loss specialization, not the scope of clinical practice the helper is licensed to provide.

How to Search the APLB Directory

Visit aplb.org and look for the directory or “find a counselor” link from the main navigation. You can typically search by state, region, or sometimes by service modality (in-person, video, phone). Listings usually include the counselor’s professional background, training, contact information, and fee structure.

Before reaching out, it can help to know what you want from the first conversation. Many counselors offer a brief intake call at no cost. Use it to ask about their typical caseload, their experience with the specific loss you are processing (sudden loss, long terminal illness, traumatic accident, euthanasia decision-making), their fee, and their availability. The first conversation does not commit you to ongoing work.

If your region has no listed CPLP, ask the APLB office whether they can suggest video-modality counselors who serve your time zone. Many CPLPs offer video sessions; geography is no longer a hard constraint for most families.

What a First Session With a CPLP Typically Looks Like

A first session is usually a structured conversation rather than deep work. The counselor will want to understand the pet who died (name, species, the relationship, the cause and circumstances of death), your current grief, who else in the family is grieving, any prior losses that may be intersecting, and what you are hoping for from the work.

Most CPLPs are open about pacing. Some clients work with a counselor for a few sessions and find that enough; others stay in care for months. The work expands and contracts with your needs. Most counselors are comfortable with episodic care — a few sessions now, perhaps more around the anniversary, perhaps more if a new loss compounds the grief.

If you have already been working with a general therapist when your pet died and you are not sure whether to add a CPLP, ask your existing therapist. Many therapists welcome the consultation of a pet-loss specialist for a few sessions while you continue with them for general work.

Fees, Insurance, and Sliding Scale

Fees vary widely. Some CPLPs hold full insurance panels and bill insurance for the licensed-therapy portion of their work (when the helper is a licensed therapist); others operate cash-pay only. Sliding-scale options exist with some practitioners, particularly those who explicitly serve underresourced communities. Ask directly about fees during the intake call — there is no rude way to ask.

Some employee assistance programs (EAPs) include grief counseling benefits that can be applied to pet loss. Some health insurance plans cover grief therapy when delivered by an in-network licensed clinician with a relevant mental-health diagnosis on record. The CPLP credential itself does not change billing — what matters for insurance is whether the clinician is licensed and in-network.

When the APLB Directory Is Not the Only Resource

The CPLP directory is one path. It is concentrated and specialty-focused, which is its strength, but not all qualified pet-loss helpers hold the credential. A licensed therapist with a personal interest in grief work, a hospice social worker familiar with bereavement frameworks, or a chaplain with grief training can all be excellent fits.

The broader article on finding a licensed pet-loss therapist walks through other directories — Psychology Today’s filtered search, the APA Psychologist Locator, SAMHSA’s findtreatment.gov, and the AAMFT therapist locator. Broader pet-loss support resources also include hotlines, online communities, and books in addition to one-on-one professional care. Online pet-loss support groups can complement professional care for many people, particularly during the early months when in-person social connection feels hard.

Working With a CPLP While You Are Still Caregiving

Many APLB-affiliated counselors work with anticipatory grief — that is, with families whose pets are still alive but who are processing the trajectory toward loss. The article on pet parent mental health during anticipatory grief covers this overlap in depth. You do not need to wait until your pet has died to seek a CPLP consultation; some of the most clarifying work happens during the long terminal-illness phase, before the loss is final.

If you are caregiving for a pet in active hospice and feeling depleted, the grief-while-still-caring article may help frame what you are experiencing as valid and supportable, not as something to push through alone.

Children, Teens, and Family Sessions

Some CPLPs work with children and adolescents grieving pet loss, often using developmentally adapted frameworks. The article on children’s developmental-stage grief covers what to expect from a preschool, school-age, or older child after a pet death; tween and teen grief covers the older age range. Family sessions with a CPLP can also be useful when family members are grieving at different paces or with different visible signs — a common source of household tension during the months after a loss.

When to Step Up From a CPLP to a Licensed Clinician

Most pet-loss grief, even profound grief, is a healthy response to a real loss and does not require psychiatric care. However, some indicators suggest stepping up: persistent thoughts of self-harm, inability to perform basic daily functioning (work, sleep, eating) for more than a few weeks, severe and uncontrollable anxiety, panic attacks, intrusive trauma symptoms (after a traumatic loss), or new substance use as a coping strategy.

If those are present, a licensed clinician (psychologist, psychiatrist, LCSW, LPC) becomes the appropriate primary helper, with the CPLP optionally continuing as adjunct support. Your primary care physician can also be a starting point — many primary care doctors are experienced in screening for clinical depression and complicated grief and can refer appropriately. The 988 line is for acute crisis; for non-crisis but persistent symptoms, ongoing care is the right path.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the CPLP a license to practice therapy?

No. The CPLP is a specialty credential in pet-loss bereavement, administered by the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement. Some CPLP holders are licensed therapists (LCSW, LPC, LMFT, psychologist); others are pastoral counselors, hospice volunteers, or trained lay helpers. Check the individual practitioner’s credentials and licensing if clinical-level therapy is what you need.

How much does a CPLP session cost?

Fees vary widely by region, modality, and the practitioner’s professional background. Some CPLPs accept insurance when they are also licensed therapists in-network with a plan; others are cash-pay. Sliding-scale options exist with some practitioners. Ask about fees during the free intake call. Some employee assistance programs also cover grief counseling.

Can I see a CPLP by video or do I need to be local?

Most CPLPs offer video sessions. If your region has no listed CPLP, the APLB office may be able to suggest a video-modality counselor who serves your time zone. Geography is rarely a hard constraint anymore.

What is the difference between a CPLP and the ASPCA Pet Loss Hotline?

The ASPCA Pet Loss Hotline (877-474-3310) is a free, confidential phone-support line staffed by trained volunteers, available during published hours; it is not ongoing therapy. A CPLP is a credentialed counselor who can offer ongoing care, structured grief work, and (when licensed) clinical-level therapy. They complement each other — the hotline for acute support, the CPLP for sustained work.

What if I am in mental-health crisis right now?

Call or text 988 (US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) — free, confidential, 24/7. International readers: contact your local crisis line. If you are not in immediate crisis but are concerned about persistent distress, your primary care physician, an in-network licensed therapist, or a CPLP can all be appropriate starting points for ongoing care.