Meet Dr. Linda Harper!

Meet Linda

Hi! I’m Linda. I’ve always loved animals of all kinds. Dogs, cats, and sometimes other lovely furry beings have been part of my family. I am also a clinical psychologist. My husband, Mario Gallo, and I had a clinical practice in the Chicago area for 35 years. During the pandemic, I discovered that sometimes it was easier for grievers going through the heartache of loss to be in the comfort of their own home. Connecting through Zoom was not simply a necessity because of the pandemic; it was a discovery of a truly helpful way to connect with animal lovers. I decided from then on to continue my work virtually. I, too, enjoy the benefits of connecting with others alongside my own furry family, who occasionally make a guest appearance on the screen.

ANIMAL ASSISTANTS

Over the years, my husband, Mario, and I have had a furry family of dogs and cats of all ages, sizes, and “issues.” My pet walker affectionately calls our home “the land of misfits.” You’ve already met one of them on my homepage: My now angel, Chilidog.

He was a senior dachshund I adopted, and he was my therapy assistant for almost 5 years. The lessons I learned from him are the foundation for the guide I developed to help animal lovers refresh their compassionate hearts.

I thought that losing Chilidog would bring me inconsolable grief. Instead, I’ve experienced unexpected joy, gratitude, and awe, because our bond continues to have a loving influence on my life and the lives of many other people and animals.

Another “misfit” was a senior cat named Belle, whom I was fostering. She needed medication a few times a day, so I would bring her to the office with me. When Belle meowed loudly one day, a client invited her into our session. With Belle on her lap, my client began to sort through memories she had not previously shared with me over our year of meeting. The insights she gained from Belle seemed to free her from her past and set her on a new life path. From that day on, my practice included at least one animal therapy assistant, and a few now accompany me in my Zoom room.

BLESSED BONDS

I founded Blessed Bonds, a nonprofit rescue organization, in 2004. It provides temporary foster care for dogs and cats whose owners are in crisis so the pets can eventually return to their families. It was a dream realized, but during my seven years as director, I became completely depleted. When I stepped out of that role, the program found a home with a well-established animal shelter, ADOPT, in Naperville, Il.

At first, stepping down felt like a failure, and I worried that I was letting the animals down. But the gift of that loss is that I now understand firsthand the roller coaster of emotions that comes with following our passion to help animals. I want to help others find the best choices for sharing their gifts as they continue their journey with our furry friends.

BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY AND FAITH MALONEY

In 2001, after attending a couple of workshops at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah, I met co-founder Faith Maloney. She became one of my best friends and a big supporter of my work. Faith was among the first in the field to recognize the challenges animal advocates face and the need to give them tools to manage grief, burnout, and compassion fatigue. We often gave talks, workshops, presentations, and retreats together until her passing in 2022. She and I wrote the book, The Power of Joy in Giving to Animals. I felt her mystical inspiration and presence while writing my latest book, Gifts of the Journey: Love's Path through the Loss of a Beloved Animal, as she had always encouraged me to write it.

CHICAGO VET PET LOSS SUPPORT

For over 20 years, I’ve facilitated a pet-grief support group through the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association along with Dr. Lori Coughlin. It continues to meet through Zoom. Support-group participants often come because they don’t feel like people outside the group understand their grief. They cringe when they hear, “It's just an animal" and “Aren't you over that yet?" E-mail me at linda@drlindaharper.com to receive the link for our once a month meetings that are the first Wednesday of the month at 7:30 pm Central time.

CONNECT WITH ME ON ZOOM

Would you like some assistance in finding your way through grief? Do you have a challenge in your life with animals that you would like to address in a private consultation? I would be happy to explore it with you. Please call 708.227.5330 or e-mail me to schedule a 1-hour virtual consult* and perhaps, explore how a 2-hour workshop* could help you. A PowerPoint Zoom workshop* is customized to meet your unique challenges. All one-hour sessions* are $100.00 and 2-hour workshops are $200.00.

* These sessions are not insurance-reimbursable psychotherapy sessions; there is no medical diagnosis given. Individuals looking for traditional insurance-reimbursed counseling/psychotherapy with a medical diagnosis are advised to call the phone number on their insurance card to get referrals to professionals who are in their insurance company network.

Past Work

WEBINARS, RECORDINGS & BOOKS

My greatest teachers have been the people and animals I’ve worked with during my over 40 years as a clinical psychologist. I’ve written two books to help people and animal lovers who live with compassionate hearts and developed a webinar for The Pet Professionals Guild.

Webinars