pals FAQ

What is PALS and what is its mission?

PALS (Processing Animal Loss Supportively) is a grief and healing platform created by Founder Lisa, after the loss of her beloved animal companion Tickles, in order to provide comfort and resources to animal parents after the loss of their beloved companions. You can read a personal letter from Lisa, here. 

Combining the experience of her own grief and healing process, deep love for animals, over 30 years of exploration into holistic and spiritual arts, and career as an artist and award winning creative director––Lisa has meaningfully set forth comprehensive guidance that’s private, self-paced, and user friendly, for those processing the many unpredictable and overwhelming cycles of grief.

PALS mission is to be a dependable source of comfort through this difficult journey. We do this by offering a combination of free resources and affordable guidance.

What kind of resources does PALS offer?

PALS offers a wide range of resources, including free digital materials like e-books, informative articles, a wisdom library, podcast episodes, downloadable tools, and more.

Self-paced healing workshops and kits are designed to help animal parents before and after animal loss.

Does Pals Have a Community?

The forthcoming PALS community is for those looking to connect with others who understand grief after animal loss, and can provide friendly and personal help. This community is grouped into pods: Pre-Pals, Junior Pals, Senior Pals and Pro-Pals, according the timeframe of their experience. As a new group that’s growing behind the scenes, we encourage you to Become a PAL here.

Does Pals Educate?

Yes! In addition to our digital offerings and resources, the PALS podcast invites listeners to hear stories and information from other animal parents, veterinarians, grief counselors, traditional therapists, social workers, animal communicators, and spiritual healers, in order to learn, normalize, empathize and validate the painful experience of animal loss.

How is Pals Charitable?

PALS will soon offer a signature line of gifts adorned with our symbol, offering recognizable solidarity. By wearing or gifting our merchandise, you are helping to normalize the pain of animal loss, and elevate the recognition of animals as valuable family members. 100% of proceeds are charitable.

In the future,  customizable memorial items, cards and other meaningful merchandise may become available. You can add your pet’s name or a special message to create a more personalized keepsake.

Does PALS support animal welfare?

In addition to proceeds from PALS merchandise: 30% of The Healing Workshop and Healing Kits go directly to the Tickles Foundation, established as a 508 (c)(3) Non-Profit charitable organization. For more information please visit our generosity page.

What is the Tickles Foundation and what does it support?

The Tickles Foundation is named in honor of PALS founder Lisa’s beloved soul dog, Tickles, and is dedicated to improving animal welfare by focusing on various missions, including advocating for the Affordable Care Act for Animals, funding HSA cancer research, providing financial assistance for pet care, supporting shelters, and more. The foundation’s work is central to the PALS platform’s mission to give back and support both pets and their human companions.

For more info visit www.ticklesfoundation.org

How can I support PALS or the Tickles Foundation?

  • Purchase a healing kit or workshop: 30% of proceeds from all healing kits, workshops, and paid services are donated to the Tickles Foundation, while other proceeds maintain PALS basic operational expenses.

  • Sponsor a PAL at any level, and help us offer free and low-cost resources to those in grief.

  • Get or gift PALS merchandise: 100% of proceeds from all PALS merchandise are donated to the foundation.

  • Donate directly to the Tickles Foundation at TicklesFoundation.org.

What are PALS workshops and kits?

The Grief & Healing Workshop is an extensive group of 26 healing sessions covering many areas of grief and healing. This in-depth content includes insights, suggestions, journaling prompts, reflections, somatic body release exercises, sacred practices like meditation, and healing audio. This workshop is sufficient for as long as needed and will be enhanced as new insights become available.

Healing Kits are similar, but focus on specific topics such as anticipatory, holiday, kids, and elderly grief.

How do I get started?

Purchasing any of the above, at a level you can afford, gives you immediate access to the content within. We suggest you choose to start with a topic that resonates with your current situation and go at your own, intuitive pace.

Is PALS a professional counseling service?

No, PALS is not a professional counseling service. All information provided through the platform is a compilation of personal experiences, research, and holistic practices learned over time. While the tools and resources are designed to support emotional well-being, PALS does not offer licensed medical or psychological advice. We strongly recommend reaching out to licensed professionals for counseling or therapy. Please visit our Terms of Service page for additional resources, here.

Is PALS available globally?

At this time, PALS is primarily focused on serving English-speaking pet parents in the U.S. and Canada, but our digital resources can be accessed from anywhere in the world. We plan to expand our reach in the future to include more regions and languages.

Can I get involved in the PALS platform?

Absolutely! We welcome support and involvement from the community. If you are a therapist, counselor, or pet wellness professional interested in contributing, or if you have ideas or resources to share, please fill out our collaborate page. You can also email us here. We also encourage volunteers to support the Tickles Foundation’s initiatives.