Both Sides of the Leash: Therapist’s Guide to Emotional Support Animals

Workshop Title: Both Sides of the Leash: Therapist’s Guide to Emotional Support Animals

Date: November 7, 2025

Time: 9am - 4:30pm 

CEU's: 6

Presenter: Sarah Newcomer, MS IMFT, LMFT, CST is a former animal trainer turned therapist with expertise in the human-animal bond. With experience at the US Navy Marine Mammal Program, Miami Seaquarium, and multiple zoos, she transitioned to Marriage and Family Therapy, earning her degree from Friends University. Sarah now trains therapists on ethical ESA integration while running her private practice in Columbus, OH, specializing in relationships. A member of the Pet Professionals Guild and IIAAPT, she continues advancing her knowledge in animal behavior and training. Her goal is to help therapists using ESA letters understand that clinical decisions impact both sides of the leash. She lives in central Ohio, where she owns her own practice, and enjoys her time with her husband and two cats, Teddy and Finn.

Workshop Summary:  This six-hour continuing education course provides mental health professionals with a comprehensive framework for ethically and effectively assessing and documenting Emotional Support Animal (ESA) accommodations. Designed for therapists, particularly Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs), the course covers the legal, ethical, and clinical considerations necessary for integrating ESAs into a client’s treatment plan while maintaining professional scope. The course also emphasizes maintaining therapeutic boundaries, preventing liability risks, and fostering a holistic, research-based approach to incorporating ESAs within a systemic treatment framework. Participants will learn to evaluate ESA intervention appropriateness, understand federal and state laws, and navigate ethical dilemmas associated with ESA letter writing.

Workshop objectives include:

• Compare the classifications of Service Animals, Therapy Animals, and Emotional Support Animals.
• Identify one (1) Federal law that impacts Emotional Support Animals.
• Integrate the FHA requirements into an Emotional Support Animal Letter
• Summarize the limits of clinician’s scope of practice when writing ESA letters.
• Apply at least three (3) best practice approaches to crafting Emotional Support Animal letters.
• Evaluate potential risks of an ESA letter that can impact clients and the clinician’s practice
• Consider the client's functioning in disability determination for an ESA accommodation.
• Apply FHA standards to understand what can disqualify an ESA accommodation.