As a mother of a child who feared dogs, I learned first-hand how restrictive life can be. If you are afraid of dogs, then you know how difficult it is to go through life being misunderstood or ridiculed by others who are not afraid. Some people develop a fear out of a bad experience with a dog and others are simply afraid. We tend to be afraid of things we don’t understand and things we feel we can’t control. For many people, this includes dogs.

Stefani, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, has extensive experience working with children and adults who have anxiety over their fear of dogs. Together with her Therapy Dog, Fozzie, she can help you overcome this fear. Your goal doesn’t have to be a desire to interact with every dog you see or to rush out to get your own dog, but can just be to learn to tolerate being in proximity to a dog.

Stefani utilizes exposure therapy and a proven protocol to help you feel less anxious around dogs. Exposure therapy uses a live dog to provide children with safe, supervised and positive experiences so that they can learn to feel safe and in control around dogs. She will pace your sessions to your own personal comfort level and gradually increase your interaction with Fozzie. The first session consists of an evaluation and assessment and then if deemed appropriate, Fozzie is included in sessions as well.

Stefani will help you understand a dog’s body language and show you a safe way to meet and greet a dog. She can empower you to ask that someone leash their dog and also give you tools to use when you encounter an overly friendly or aggressive dog.

If you or someone you love is afraid of dogs and would like more information, please contact Stefani.

As a parent, if you would like to help your child overcome the fear of dogs, please consult Stefani's self-developed Overcoming the Fear of Dogs (OFOD) Protocol.