MindBalance Mental Health Care
Emotional Support Animals: What Clinicians Need to Know
Can a snuggly puppy, purring cat, or even a goldfish help depression, anxiety, or other mental health concerns? If you’ve worked in clinical practice long enough, you’ve probably been asked to write an emotional support animal (ESA) letter for a client. Hopefully you put some thought into signing the letter because, while ESAs can be a part of a treatment plan, they’re not without their risk to client or clinician. We’re going to cover clinical, ethical, and legal considerations to help you decide when an ESA may be helpful and when it may be best to politely decline.
Knowledge You Will Gain Through Training
Participants will leave this training with a deeper understanding of ESAs, their impacts on our clients, and important considerations to take for the animal's well-being.
About the Trainer
Joey Lusvardi (he/him) is a psychiatric physician assistant (PA) with 8 years of experience working in a mental health setting. While his primary role is medication management, he recognizes the importance of a whole person approach to mental health that includes addressing all aspects of a person’s well being and behavior.
In addition to his work as a PA, Joey is a certified cat behavior consultant and professional cat trainer. He runs Class Act Cats where he helps people address behavior concerns in their cats.
Attendees of this training have the opportunity to donate an amount of their choice to Mission Meow, an organization of Joey's choice!
To learn more about Mission Meow and the work they're doing to support small feline-focused nonprofits, please visit their website at https://missionmeow.org/.
