Psychiatric Service Dog Training for Mental Health Professionals -

Psychiatric Service Dog Training for Mental Health Professionals

Are you a mental health professional interested in learning about psychiatric service dog training and how dogs/animals can transform and enhance the lives of your clients?

Jane Miller, LISW, IAABC-CDBC & AABP-CDBT, Pet CPR & First Aid Certified & Canine Massage Therapy Certified, works in private practice as a licensed psychotherapist/clinical social worker, with a particular interest in holistic modalities of healing. From a young age, Jane has been training dogs and continued this journey with her studies of animal & human behavior, neuroscience, biology, and psychology. As the Executive Director of Healing Companions, Jane strives to save shelter dogs rather than using any particular breed, training them to be psychiatric service dogs in order to promote the human-animal bond.

To learn more about the details of suggesting a psychiatric service dog or emotional support animal to your clients schedule a consultation with Jane ($50 for a 30-minute session or $100 for a 1-hour session).

We highly recommend setting up a consultation if you have any of the following questions or other concerns:

How is an individual qualified for a psychiatric service dog? How does the American with Disabilities Act define disabilities? Who qualifies?
Do you know the differences between a therapy dog, emotional support animal and psychiatric service dog?
If you think a psychiatric service dog might benefit your client, do you need help finding an organization or individual that trains psychiatric service dogs in your area?
What factors should you consider with your client when discussing whether the placement of an animal in their lives is appropriate? If an emergency arises while the client has an animal, are they able to handle the situation?
What are the differences between a psychiatric service dog vs. an emotional support animal?
What are the pros and cons of having a psychiatric service dog or an emotional support animal?
What types of issues and psychiatric service dogs help with?
Is a PSD or emotional support animal appropriate for a certain client? How will the animal diminish the client’s symptoms and be incorporated into the client’s treatment plan?
How can a psychiatric service dog benefit your client? How do you help identify what specific symptoms your client experiences that a PSD can be trained to perform to mitigate the effects of that specific individual’s symptoms?
What does public access training include? How is psychiatric service dog training done? How are necessary psychiatric service dog tasks determined?
What is the importance of the human-animal bond?
What are stress reduction/relaxation techniques for humans and animals? See these brief videos: https://healing-companions.org/the-program/training-videos/ and https://healing-companions.org/videos/. There are also several webinars that you might find helpful.

Only 0.9% of those with mental illnesses have partnered with a psychiatric service dog. However, considering that 1 in 4 adults have a mental illness, and 70% of youth have at least one mental health condition, the percentage should be much higher. The human-animal bond is extremely beneficial. For more information on the effects of animals on mental health check out this article.

The process is seemingly complex and psychiatric service dog training can be time consuming. However, integrating psychiatric service dogs and/or emotional support animals into your clients’ lives can have positive long term effects, not just for the individual but for the animal as well. If you would like to improve your clients’ lives by introducing them to a psychiatric service dog or an emotional support animal, schedule a consultation with Jane now to discuss any questions you may have.