Therapist, author, lecturer Deborah Antinori presents nationally on the subject of pet loss and the human-animal bond to rave reviews from conference participants and radio/television interviewers. Combining therapeutic expertise, compassion for animals and the humans who love them with an engaging sense of humor, Deborah tells of her own pet loss which led to the creation of her award winning audiobook, Journey Through Pet Loss. An Audie Award for Best New Publisher from the Audio Publishers Association was awarded to YokoSpirit Publications based on this audiobook. Named for her beloved pekingese, Yoko, Deborah’s company is dedicated to the importance of the human-animal bond. Journey Through Pet Loss, Revised Edition won Second Place in Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Awards in the Non-Fiction/Audio category.
Deborah explains the range of feelings pet owners may experience when bereaved due to the depth of the bond with a creature who loves so unconditionally. Associated losses can be triggered, which Deborah frames as an opportunity to finish unresolved grieving and to face life’s greatest mastery - coping with the loss of a loved one. Many bereaved pet owners suffer in isolation and even shame due to their vulnerable feelings - afraid of being shamed further by those who do not understand their feelings. The importance of staying with one’s own truth and feelings is the challenge advocated here by Deborah. All aspects of pet loss are included in Deborah’s audiobook and lectures including illness and death of a pet, burial/cremation, coping with feelings, complicated mourning, what to tell children, special issues of the elderly, associated losses, the importance of memory and reminiscence in healing, other kinds of loss - divorce situations, lost pets, foster-puppies who become service dogs for the disabled, and more.
Trained in drama therapy at New York University, Deborah is also certified as a national counselor and in several disciplines of therapy including hypnotherapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor Therapy - a mind/body therapy. Using an eclectic approach, Deborah works with each client to find the balance appropriate for each individual. Some clients have experienced trauma associated with death and benefit from EMDR, others will use sandplay and small figures to tell their story in the sand - each person is unique and has the opportunity to find the optimal way to express their feelings and to heal.
Originally from Springfield, MA, Deborah received her BFA from the Boston Conservatory of Music from the Drama/Musical Theater Department. She does her own voice-over work on her audiobook, having done this type of work when an actress in New York. An animal lover from a young age, Deborah had a pekingese and a parakeet growing up. Her audiobook features her experiences with her next pekingese, Yoko, and two parakeets Max and Buff. In combination with her clinical experience as a therapist, her personal story told in Journey Through Pet Loss makes it easy for listeners to validate their own feelings and access precious memories. Deborah was an Interpreter for the Deaf in a mainstream school setting before becoming a therapist. Her work has been in the arts and human services, building towards her current work as a therapist, author and lecturer. Married to attorney Paul Antinori for twenty-eight years, the Antinori household is now graced with two Shih-tzus, Pimpernel and Simarie.