We are activists for animals because we are passionate about saving their lives and making their lives better. The work is long, often hard, and it is never done. By its nature, activism involves hearing about, reading about, and sometimes directly witnessing terrible trauma for animals. This continual exposure to trauma, along with our passion, makes us very susceptible to an array of symptoms and feelings called compassion fatigue.

It is incredibly important for us to look after ourselves, so we can continue being a voice for the animals who need us.

Join us and grief counselor and animal communicator, Teresa Wagner, to explore common activist feelings like helplessness, despair, anguish, grief, anger, anxiety, hatred, guilt, exhaustion, and overwhelm. Together, we will harness the power of acknowledging, expressing, and normalizing our feelings versus judging them. You will learn strategies to reduce intense emotions, and Teresa will provide tools to process and release feelings that can become stuck inside of us, hampering our ability to enjoy life and be effective activists.

Access this live webinar via phone or online on Thursday, September 1, 5:00 p.m. – 6 p.m. PDT (8:00 p.m. – 9 p.m. EDT).

Register Now!

Connect with other participants on our Facebook event page.

If you’d like to speak about your feelings confidentially, please contact the Animal Activist Mentor Line for free support at 1(800) 705-0425 or mentor@idausa.org.

Thanks to international speaker and long-time activist Rae Sikora, who responded to our real life activist challenges, during our August webinar! Watch a replay here.

Teresa Wagner has had an active private practice in grief counseling and animal communication for over 25 years, and has worked with over 15,000 clients in over 22 countries. She is the author of Legacies of Love, A Gentle Guide to Healing From the Loss of Your Animal Loved One and is a contributing author of Dolphins and Whales Forever and Penelope Smith’s book Animals in Spirit. She is also the founder of the Animal Loss and Grief Support Certification Program which provides in-depth training and mentoring to certify pet loss counselors. She is also a passionate activist for animals. She believes it is time for animal lovers to evolve beyond the inspiration, exhilaration, wisdom, and healing we receive from animals to accelerating our giving back to them — by helping those who suffer from the myriad threats of human activity. In addition to her daily online activism for whales she is an On Shore Volunteer with Sea Shepherd. She is vegan and lives in Carmel, California with her deeply beloved cats. You can reach Teresa via her website and Facebook page.

We’ll continue the discussion on ways to deal with overwhelming feelings during our Animal Activist Online Support Group on Thursday, September 22, 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. PDT (8:00 p.m. – 9 p.m. EDT). Join us by phone or online via this registration link.