Central Jersey Psychotherapy
Susan Martinez, MSW, LCSW
Animal Assisted Therapy In New Jersey
When emotions feel too heavy for words, a gentle presence can carry some of the weight.
If you’ve ever sat in session wishing you could feel calmer, safer, or more grounded, even before the first tear comes, canine therapy may be the support you didn’t know you needed.
Offering Animal Assisted Therapy in New Jersey so you can release what’s heavy and rediscover peace within yourself.
What Is Canine Therapy &
Why It Helps
Proud to offer animal assisted therapy in New Jersey, with therapy dog, O'Hara.
Animal assisted therapy, or canine therapy refers to sessions held in the presence of a trained therapy dog. In these moments, the calm, steady energy of a dog helps you regulate your nervous system, reduce anxiety, and co-regulate emotional states when you feel overwhelmed. Because the therapy animal responds to nonverbal cues, canine therapy can reach places that words alone can’t.
Research suggests that canine therapy lowers autonomic arousal, enhances emotional regulation, and encourages embodying safety in the present moment. When fear or shame arises, the presence of a therapy dog offers nonjudgmental acceptance. Over time, clients often find they can lean into vulnerability more easily, feel safer exploring difficult emotions, and deepen the therapeutic connection.
During moments of overwhelm, O’Hara’s presence can calm the flood of sensations so you can stay present rather than shut down.
You may find yourself able to express things more easily—with fewer words, less resistance, and less internal judgment.
Over time, the integration of canine-assisted therapy supports deeper insight, emotional regulation, and healing your inner narrative.
What You Can Expect
Canine therapy is especially powerful for those experiencing anxiety, shame, trauma, or difficulty trusting themselves and others. If you’ve felt stuck in patterns of self-blame or have struggled to express inner pain, the calming presence of a therapy dog can create the safety and space needed for healing to begin.
As one of the few practices in New Jersey offering animal-assisted therapy, Susan’s approach provides a unique way to connect mind and body—bridging emotional insight with embodied experience.
You won’t just talk about healing—you’ll feel it happening in real time.