Intertwined

Therapy & Consulting

Supporting people and pets through life’s complexities

It's all Intertwined.

Life with companion animals can be deeply meaningful, and at times, complex and overwhelming. At Intertwined, we support people to navigate these complexities with care, clarity, and compassion.

We recognise that our lives, relationships, environments, and capacity are deeply connected. Through inclusive, justice-centred support, we help people make decisions, adjust to change, and find more sustainable ways of living alongside companion animals.

We offer online and community-based support, including sessions in homes, workplaces, and other everyday environments, as well as professional consulting.

Let's work together

We offer flexible, accessible online support across Australia and worldwide, and community-based support, including sessions in homes, workplaces, and other everyday environments, as well as professional consulting within South Australia.

Therapy for Complex Lives

Supporting people navigating life and work with companion animals alongside health, disability, relationships, and everyday demands.

A space to make sense of what’s happening, navigate decisions and change, and find ways forward that feel sustainable and aligned with your capacity and values. This may include bringing in a new companion animal, when things feel overwhelming or not working, and times of illness, loss, or transition.

Support is adapted for neurodivergence, disability, pain, and fluctuating energy, with attention to home, environment, and relationships.

Supervision & Mentoring

Reflective supervision for social workers, counsellors, and allied health practitioners seeking sustainable, ethical, and values-led practice.

A space to think deeply about your work, including complexity, capacity, and the realities of practice. This may include exploring burnout, scope and direction, disability and neuroaffirming approaches, and working with clients within multispecies lives.

Sessions support thoughtful reflection, professional growth, and holding the emotional impact of the work over time.

Consulting & Education

Consulting and education for organisations and practitioners working at the intersection of people and companion animals.

Support to navigate complexity in practice, including client relationships, ethical decision-making, communication, and the realities of multispecies lives. This may include work with veterinary teams, therapists, those working in animal welfare, and services seeking to better support diverse households.

Grounded, practical input that strengthens confidence, builds capacity, and supports more thoughtful, inclusive ways of working.

Learn more about our services

EMBRACING THE COMPLEXITY OF SHARED LIVES

Life is complex and messy. We support people to navigate shared lives with companion animals with care, clarity, and respect for capacity.

Anita Franklin, Founder of Intertwined

Buy My Book!

Meet the founder

Anita Franklin

I believe in walking beside others with compassion, curiosity, and care, supporting them to navigate the complexities of shared lives with companion animals.

My work is grounded in justice, connection, and a strong ethical commitment to the wellbeing of all beings. I am particularly interested in how people live alongside companion animals within the realities of disability, relationships, environment, and everyday life.

I am an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker with a Bachelor of Social Sciences and a Master of Social Work, and I am currently completing a PhD in critical sociology. My PhD and book, We Make Home Together, explore how disabled people,families, and pets create and experience home, and how services can better honour these relationships.

My approach integrates therapeutic, embodied, and lifestyle-informed practices, adapted for neurodivergence, disability, pain, and fluctuating energy, and guided by a non-exploitative, relational approach to working with companion animals.

I provide therapy, supervision, and consulting for individuals and practitioners navigating complexity, including those working within multispecies contexts.

Anita Franklin

FOUNDER & DIRECTOR | ACCREDITED MENTAL HEALTH SOCIAL WORKER | MEDITATION TEACHER | CLINICAL SUPERVISOR | PhD CANDIDATE | AUTHOR | RESEARCHER | ACADEMIC

Core Values

Compassion for people, communities, all animals, and the planet

Inclusion, accessibility, and ethical, non-exploitative practice

Honouring the interconnectedness of shared lives, relationships, and environments

Sustainability in capacity, care, and everyday living

Here's How We Can Work Together

Therapy for Complex Lives

Supporting people navigating life with companion animals alongside health, disability, relationships, and everyday demands. This includes support for those working in caring roles, such as veterinary and animal welfare professionals.
A space to make sense of what’s happening, navigate decisions and change, and find sustainable ways forward
Exploring home, environment, routines, and relationships within shared lives, including times when things feel overwhelming or not working
Integrating therapeutic, embodied, and lifestyle-informed approaches, adapted for neurodivergence, disability, pain, and fluctuating energy

Let's connect

Supervision & Mentoring

Reflective supervision for practitioners working within complex, ethical, and relational practice
Exploring scope, values, and direction, and shaping sustainable, values-aligned practice
Integrating embodied, lifestyle-informed, and ethical approaches within your work and within scope
Making space for the emotional impact of practice, including trauma, grief, disability, and multispecies lives

let's talk

Consulting & Education

Consulting for veterinary teams, animal welfare services, and practitioners working with people and companion animals
Supporting ethical, accessible, and neuroaffirming approaches within complex, real-world contexts
Strengthening communication, decision-making, and support for clients navigating multispecies lives
Input into policy, environments, and service design with multispecies households in mind
Education, workshops, and reflective spaces grounded in practice, research, and lived experience

let's connect

Buy my book

We Make Home Together

A gentle guide for children and adults to explore care, consent, and connection with their pets.

We Make Home Together is a gentle, beautifully illustrated picture book that explores everyday moments of care, connection, and consent between children and their pets.

Through a series of calm, inclusive scenes, children learn how to notice, respect, and respond to their pets’ needs—whether it’s a cat who prefers space, a rabbit who needs time to feel safe, or a dog who rests beside a child during a quiet moment. Each page includes thoughtful prompts for shared discussion between children and the adults who support them.

Perfect for families, therapists, educators, and support workers, We Make Home Together is ideal for neurodivergent and neurotypical children alike. It gently invites children to reflect on relationships, boundaries, and what it means to build a multispecies home filled with kindness.

Buy the Book

frequently asked

questions

Who do you work with?

We work with people navigating life and work with companion animals, alongside health, disability, relationships, and everyday demands. This includes individuals, practitioners, and those working in veterinary or animal welfare roles.

You do not need to fit a specific category or have a particular label. The focus is on your life, your values, and the relationships and environments that matter most to you.

DO YOU PROVIDE ANIMAL TRAINING OR ANIMAL-ASSISTED THERAPY?

No. My work focuses on supporting people in relation to their companion animals. I do not provide animal training or behaviour modification, and I do not use Animal-Assisted Therapy.

I work alongside veterinary and animal behaviour professionals where appropriate, supporting ethical, non-exploitative, and relational approaches to shared lives.

How do online sessions work and what do I need?

Sessions are offered via secure telehealth, usually using video on a computer, tablet, or phone. You will need a stable internet connection and a place where you feel as comfortable as possible.

We can adapt sessions to suit your needs, including pace, breaks, sensory supports, or using phone instead of video. The aim is to create something that feels safe, accessible, and workable for you.

I am a practitioner, vet or animal professional. Can I work with you?

Yes. I offer supervision, mentoring, therapy, and consulting for social workers, counsellors, allied health practitioners, and those working in veterinary and animal welfare contexts.

This can include reflective supervision, support with complexity, burnout, grief, ethical decision-making, and developing sustainable, values-aligned practice.

Do I need a referral and what about Medicare or NDIS?

You are welcome to self-refer and contact me directly. A GP Mental Health Treatment Plan is only needed if you wish to access Medicare rebates for eligible sessions with an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker.

I also work with some self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants where appropriate. Fees and options are discussed before starting so you can make informed decisions about what is sustainable for you.