Emotional Support Animal Program

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It is our pleasure to announce that Bonafide Therapy Dogs, Inc., and 

Dr. Janné Lomasky, Psy.D. have collaborated to bring an Emotional Support Animal program to those in need. This program allows for a more obedient, and well trained dog that you will be proud to have by your side, and in public. 

Dr. Janné Lomasky (Psy.D.), is a Licensed (PY7946) Clinical Psychologist, hypnotherapist, anger management specialist, and qualified supervisor. She has extensive training in behavioral medicine, EMDR and relationships. 

Dr. Lomasky specializes in Mind/body medicine. Her expert knowledge, Clinical skills, and personal experiences provide her with the insight to identify people's specific needs and help them heal and succeed. 

Dr. Lomasky utilizes a mind-body approach for comprehensive wellness. She provides assessments and testing for children and adults when needed to determine specific and accurate intervention.

Dr. Lomasky is a corporate speaker and co-author of To Stay Or Not To Stay, an insightful, compassionate, and comprehensive workbook for making a major life decision. Dr. Lomasky is trained in EMDR and mindfulness. She leads groups, seminars, and workshops using these skills. Whether you are experiencing issues in your personal life, relationships, family, work, social environment, or just want to gain more insight, Dr. Lomasky will help move you out of what you do not want, and into the life you do want in achieving your therapy goals.

Emotional support animals (ESAs) are animals that provide emotional support and comfort for individuals with disabilities, thus enabling those individuals to function in daily activities. They are not service animals (animals that are trained to perform certain tasks to help individuals with disabilities engage in activities of daily living). 

Unlike service animals, there are only two situations in which federal law requires others to allow you to have your ESA with you-air travel and housing. However, certain legal requirements must be met, including having appropriate documentation signed by a licensed mental health professional 

When a client/patient requests an ESA letter, the mental health professional has to determine the following: 

1. The client/patient meets the diagnostic criteria for one or more mental disorders; 2. Those disorders constitute a disability, meaning that the client’s/patient’s symptoms interfere significantly with his or her ability to function in important social and occupational activities; 3. The client/patient requires (rather than wants or prefers) the ESA’s presence in order to function during flight (or for activities at the client’s destination) or in a housing environment; 4. Clinically ethically speaking, it is in the best interest of the client/patient to have the ESA accompany him/her; and 5. The client/patient is under the care of the evaluator or another mental health professional who is collaborating with the evaluator. 

In order to determine whether the above conditions are met, the evaluator must collect information from multiple data sources rather than just rely on the client’s/patient’s self-report. These sources may include: 1. A clinical interview with the client/patient, which may take 1-2 hours; 2. Administration of psychological tests, which may take approximately 1-2 hours; 3. A review of records (e.g., medical records, school records, public records, work-related records, etc.) that may have relevant information; and 4. Collateral interviews (interviews with other people, such as family members, partners, employers, therapists/counselors, teachers, etc. who may have helpful information about the client’s difficulties with functioning).

There are many documented legal, ethical, and clinical problems associated with using an online service. If you use such a service, you are accepting a greater risk that if your letter is challenged, the legal conditions necessary to support the letter may not be in place. For more detailed information, I recommend reading the article entitled “Regulations Related to Responding to Client Requests for Emotional Support Animal Letters-4 Facts,” which was published in The Advocate Magazine, the official magazine of the American Mental Health Counselors Association, in the Fall of 2018. Although written for counselors, the article gives much more detailed information on the ESA letter requirements and process, as well as concerns about some of the online ESA letter services 

Your first step is to have Bonafide Therapy Dogs, Inc. evaluate your dog for the AKC Canine Good Citizen program. The evaluation is FREE, and it gives our certified AKC evaluators a better idea of how your dog behaves. If your dog is not ready for this program, we will be more than happy to help guide you to one of the many dog behaviorists we work with to help you achieve your goal! Once you have passed your evaluation, you will be enrolled in our Canine Good Citizen program. This program is an 8 week course, given once a week for an hour. 

You, and your dog will learn all the basic commands, and then some. It is here where you will learn to become a team, allowing you the handler to have more control over your dog in public. 

After graduating you will receive a certificate through AKC (American Kennel Club) saying you passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test, and you will receive your diploma from Bonafide Therapy Dogs, Inc. saying you completed our course. Any questions regarding the training portion only, please contact Bonafide Therapy Dogs directly at the below: 

Email: bonafidetherapydogs@gmail.com  /  Cell: 561.818.7876  /  www.bonafidetherapydogs.com  

Once you have obtained your AKC Canine Good Citizen Certificate, you can now make your appointment for your clinical interview with 

Dr. Janné Lomasky Psy.D., where proof of certification is required to obtain your ESA letter.

For questions concerning the clinical part of the program please contact Dr. Lomasky directly at the below:

Email: drjlomasky@gmail.com  / Work: 561.777.2021 / Cell: 561.929.1203 / www.drjlomasky.com