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The Animal Wisdom Program is a structured 6-session personal development experience for women, built around the natural wisdom, behaviours, and rhythms of animals and the living world. 

Each session focuses on a core life skill — regulation, awareness, boundaries, relationships, emotions, and play — explored through the lens of how animals naturally embody these things.

The program was originally designed by Meg Kirby, founder of the Equine and Animal Assisted Psychotherapy Institute (EAAPI), whose work in equine and animal assisted approaches has shaped practice across Australia and internationally. 

This program draws inspiration from Meg's original Animal Wisdom framework. 

The nature-based and wildlife observation alternatives offered at Pawsitive Directions are independently developed extensions of that inspiration, designed to make the program accessible to those who prefer to work with the natural world more broadly rather than directly with animals.

Future program developments inspired by this framework — including programs built around community, belonging, and the full range of human needs — are in development and will be announced when available.

Each session follows a consistent, grounding structure so you always know what to expect: 

An introduction and overview

A circle-up to connect with others and share your understanding of the session topic

Animal wisdom psychoeducation relevant to the theme 

The four steps to regulation 

Safety guidelines

An interactive or observational experience with animals, wildlife, or nature

A debrief around your personal experience

And a closing integration — reflecting on what you're taking away and acknowledging the animals, wildlife, or natural environment that supported the session.

The six sessions are:

Session 1 — Regulation: the calm state What does it look like when a nervous system is settled? Animals show us this constantly. This session introduces the foundations of self-regulation and what it feels like to arrive in a state of genuine calm.

Session 2 — Awareness: noticing Animals are exquisitely attuned to their environment — not anxious, just present. This session develops your capacity to notice what's happening inside and around you, with curiosity rather than judgment.

Session 3 — Boundaries: knowing your yes and your no Animals communicate their boundaries clearly, consistently, and without guilt. This session explores what healthy boundaries actually look and feel like, and how to begin finding your own.

Session 4 — Healthy relationshipsRelationships in the animal world are built on honest signals, mutual respect, and clear roles. This session examines what healthy connection looks like and how to recognise it in your own life.

Session 5 — Feelings as natural Animals don't suppress or perform their emotional states — they move through them and return to baseline. This session supports you to understand your feelings as natural, useful, and survivable.

Session 6 — Healthy play Play is not frivolous — it is how mammals learn, connect, and recover. This final session invites you to reconnect with joy, curiosity, and lightness as genuine and necessary parts of a healthy life.

One-on-one sessions

Individual sessions follow the same six-session structure with the added depth of personal history exploration. 

As well as working in the present moment with what arises during the session, one-on-one work creates space to gently explore your past experiences and how they connect to the themes being explored. 

This format suits women who want a more personalised, therapeutic experience alongside the program content.

Small group program 

Group sessions are held with 4–6 participants and focus on the here and now — what is present, what is noticed, what is shared between participants in the room or space together. 

Personal history is not explored in the group setting, keeping the experience focused, boundaried, and appropriate for a personal development context. 

Many women find the group format unexpectedly powerful — there is something about learning these things alongside others that mirrors the very themes the program explores.

A note on group intake

Because each session builds on the last — and because the connection, trust, and shared language that develops between participants is part of what makes the group experience meaningful — all participants must join at the beginning of the program. 

Registrations are not accepted mid-program. 

If you miss the start of an intake, you are warmly welcome to join the waitlist for the next one.

The program can be experienced with direct animal involvement, through the observation of wildlife in natural settings, or through nature-based practices for those who prefer to connect with the living world more broadly rather than working directly with animals. 

The approach used will depend on the session format, location, and your own preferences — and will always be discussed and agreed upon before the program begins.

All animal involvement follows strict ethical and welfare guidelines. 

Animals are never used as instruments for human growth — they are simply present, being themselves, and what they offer comes from that alone.

Sessions are 60 or 90 minutes in length and can be held outdoors at selected locations with appropriate privacy and space for the experiences involved, or online where the format allows. 

The delivery approach for each session will be confirmed as part of your program intake. 

The Animal Wisdom Program is offered as a full 6-session package.

One-on-one program — pricing available on enquiry 

Small group program — pricing available on enquiry, per person

Spots for the first intake will be limited. 

Joining the waitlist is the best way to be notified when registration opens and to access any early intake pricing.

This program may suit you if: 

You feel drawn to animals or the natural world and sense there is something there you haven't fully explored 

Want to develop practical life skills — regulation, boundaries, relationships — in a way that feels engaging and grounded rather than clinical

Are looking for something structured but not heavy

Prefer learning through experience and observation rather than analysis

Are simply ready to reconnect with parts of yourself that have been quiet for a while

The program is a personal development experience, not a counselling or crisis service. 

If you are currently experiencing significant mental health challenges, please reach out before registering so we can discuss whether this program is the right fit for you at this time, or whether one-on-one counselling support would serve you better first.

 Please note that group programs require attendance from the first session — if you are interested but have missed the intake, join the waitlist and you will be contacted when the next group forms. 

The animals who are present during sessions are not therapists, assistants, or props. 

They are not asked to perform, comfort, or respond to human need. 

They are simply living their lives — and in watching them do that honestly, something in us remembers how to do the same.

The first intake is coming soon and spots will be limited. 

Join the waitlist now to be notified when registration opens.