I am sure you found this listing because you are deep in grief over losing your beloved pet or…read moreabout to be losing them. I was like you and so excited to find Pina. Though Yelp has unethically allowed Pina to categorize herself under "Counselor/Mental Health", please note that she is NOT a licensed counselor or actual mental health professional; she took an online course many years ago, and that's her only qualification. The organization that gave her her certificate, APLB, has actually since stopped referring to graduates of that program as "counselors", as they understand it is misleading, and they are now referred to as "specialists". They also are taught to disclose they are NOT licensed mental health professionals. Pina does not do this.
I came to Pina with real vulnerability, wrecked with grief, totally trusting the Yelp reviews and assuming this person had good intentions. Her website acts understanding to people dealing with extensive vet bills (my cat had cancer so you can imagine mine) and offers a sliding scale, and I let her know prior to our call that I wanted that option. She said that we would figure out a rate that works for both of us at the end of our call.
Pina does not correct reviews from people that think she is an actual mental health professional, and says things like "I don't accept insurance". When she sent a bill to me, she actually used a fake insurance billing code - if you don't accept insurance, because that wouldn't even be an option as you're not an actual licensed counselor, why the need for the fake billing code? (See attached image).
Pina and I had our phone call, and from the beginning, there were red flags, like asking me who was doing my cat's euthanasia (she wanted to recommend a local vet she is obviously in a business partnership with, which was very inappropriate), and asking me when her Amazon book was arriving. When I told her I didn't know what she was referring to, she acted irritated, even citing the time she sent the text where she had instructed to buy her Amazon book. (See pic about her noting I didn't buy her book).
The call was drawn out and some of her suggestions were downright silly, like, "close your eyes and think of your cat, what color do you see?" She suggested leaving some of my hair with my cat when she was cremated. She wanted me to write a letter to my cat with her on the call. I felt restless and like I was wasting my time. I remember there being resistance to me trying to end the call early, and I didn't want to be rude, but eventually I told her I was really ready to go, and obviously I was in the depths of my grief as I was about to say goodbye to my beloved cat. I wanted to go spend time with my cat who I still had, but was about to say goodbye to, and I figured we'd work out the rate later as I couldn't stay on the phone one more minute.
The following days I would get a payment request for the full rate, PLUS additional minutes on the phone she was charging me for, which explained why she wanted to keep me on the phone for so long and do long, drawn out things like write a letter to my cat. She would also manipulatively keep claiming she was "gifting" me minutes.
I was dealing with a lot so didn't get back to her, and would receive a string of manipulative texts using my cat's name and feigning concern and compassion, saying "holding (my cat's name) in my heart" with a heart while asking for her money. There was no acknowledgement that I had said I wanted a sliding scale. She then escalated things to manipulatively saying she really wants to help me avoid a late fee (see my pic) - a late fee that she made up herself.
Eventually I got back to her and told her I wasn't going to pay that as I never agreed to that rate and she backed off. I looked more into her and found she has various websites claiming to be different things besides "Pet Grief Counselor" (such as a "Mindset Effectiveness Expert" and a "High Performance Results Coach") and ultimately, she's just a grifter. Her Amazon book actually costs more than the book written by the founder of the very organization that gave her her certificate, Dr. Wallace Sife, and he has a PhD. Go with that one.
I have since found "pet grief specialists" that volunteer with nonprofits and only charge a small donation for 1:1 pet grief sessions. (I've also found there are actual licensed counselors and therapists that specialize in pet grief, if you can afford that). The difference between my experiences with legitimate people and Pina was night and day.
Being in this much grief is one of the most vulnerable states people can be in. If you need support, do not go with this grifter that found a hustle to scam people at their most vulnerable. Go with an actual licensed professional or an established nonprofit.
