Dr. Jennifer F. D’Agostino

includes dogs Jacques (aka Taco) and Mac who are certified therapy dogs through Therapy Dogs International since 2018 and 2019 respectively - two cats - Hera and her daughter Athena - three horses- Zeus, Marcus & Simba and two miniature donkeys - Bella & Cinnamon. She is a clinician, researcher and teacher. Dr. Jen’s clinical experience includes working in inpatient hospital settings, groups homes, foster care, K-12 school and specialized inpatient and outpatient treatment centers. Her areas of clinical expertise include trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, eating disorders, addiction, mood and personality disorders and grief and bereavement. Dr. Jen founded Blue Lotus Mental Health Counseling in 2018, however, she has been in private practice since 2012, the same year she started to partner with animals in her therapy work. Dr. Jen is EAGALA certified (since 2014) to work with equines - horses and donkeys. This model of equine assisted mental health focuses on groundwork, has a facilitation team approach with a mental health professional and an equine specialist, follows ethical standards and is solution-focused. Dr. Jen’s dissertation research study (2019) found that equine assisted mental health counseling groups were more effective than traditional forms of therapy in reducing anxiety, depression and PTSD symptoms related to trauma exposure. In addition to spending time with her family, both human and animal, she enjoys learning about a variety of topics to support her work with clients as well as her personal growth. Her interests include understanding animal cognition and communication especially in their natural environments, nature-based interventions including indigenous knowledge and practices, ecotherapy, animal communication and the integration of mind, body, emotion and spirit as a holistic foundation for mental health.