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3 Things Therapists Need to Assess Before Providing an ESA Letter

Learn what assessments you need to perform with this quick video

Diana Sebzda, LPC, FT

Therapists are wrestling with a surge in requests by clients for written letters attesting to their need for an emotional support animal. 

But for many of us, each request leaves us feeling more uncomfortable, more unsure of how to respond, and less certain we can legally and ethically provide what they’re looking for.  

Diana Sebzda, LPC has been a licensed counselor for over 16 years and spent 15 years as a veterinary technician. Using her unique insight as both a mental health and animal care professional, she’s guided many individuals through the use of service animals and emotional support animals.

Join her for this quick explanation of what therapists need to assess before providing a letter of recommendation for an emotional support animal.



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Do you worry that some clients are simply looking to bring their pets into situations where they wouldn’t normally be allowed? Or fear it’s not even within your scope of practice to determine whether an animal has a therapeutic effect on your clients?

Requests for ESA letters are surging, but guidelines, protocols and available education for therapists isn’t keeping up. How can you ensure that you’re considering the right legal, ethical, and practical issues before writing one?

Join Diana Sebzda, LPC for this timely 3-hour training and get the latest details and guidance you need so you can:
  • Fully understand the therapeutic role in assessing and issuing a diagnosis
  • Identify clinical issues related to ESAs you may have missed
  • Know when you shouldn’t issue an ESA
  • Get up to speed on new transportation/airline laws regarding ESAs
  • Recognize key components of legal and ethical ESA letter by reviewing samples

Don’t miss this chance to get the answers you’ve been seeking on one of the fastest growing questions facing clinicians today!
Meet the Expert:
Diana Sebzda, LPC, FT, is the director of bereavement at the Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center where she provides both individual counseling and support groups for those coping with grief, anticipatory grief, and pet loss.

In addition to 17 years of grief counseling experience, Diana also has over 15 years of experience as a veterinary technician where she's witnessed the impacts of pet loss first hand.

Diana has been published in Healthy Pet Magazine and is a Fellow in Thanatology (FT) with the Association for Death Education and Counseling (where she is co-chair of their Pet Loss Networking Group). She is also a member of the Traumatic Loss Coalition of New Jersey, the American Counseling Association, and the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement. Diana earned her M.A. degree in Applied Clinical Psychology from William Patterson University.

Learn more about their educational products, including upcoming live seminars, by clicking here.

Topic: Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)

Tags: Advice | Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) | Ethical Boundaries | Ethics

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