ESA & Service Dog Training

ESA & Service Dog Training

This isn’t just about commands — it’s about healing. I help you and your dog become a therapeutic team, using step-by-step trauma-informed training, emotional bonding, and clinical understanding.

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Dog comforting woman during spiritual healing therapy in Oregon

A trusted therapy, backed by science and lived results

Real Change — Not Just Talk

30+

emotional support & service dogs trained

10+

years in trauma-informed mental health

100%

Licensed therapist & ESA training certified

A trusted therapy, backed by science and lived results

Step-by-Step: How ESA & Service Dog Training Works

01
Family Problems

We evaluate your needs, goals, and dog’s temperament

02
Custom Training Plan

Based on therapeutic objectives & ADA standards

03
Behavioral Conditioning

Emotional cue work, de-escalation, grounding techniques

04
Public Access Practice

If applicable for service designation

05
Documentation & Letters

ESA certification or referral paperwork

ESA & Service Dog Training

How ESA & Service Dogs Improve Mental Health

Regulate panic & anxiety in public settings

Provide grounding during flashbacks or dissociation

Encourage daily structure, purpose & routine

Offer nonverbal emotional attunement & comfort

Help reduce emotional isolation & increase independence

Woman relaxing on couch with her support animal after a healing session

Because support should extend beyond therapy sessions

How a Trained Dog Can Transform Your Day-to-Day

Clients report feeling safer shopping, traveling, attending appointments, and engaging socially — all thanks to the presence of a trained support animal.

Therapist bonding with client and service dog during grief support session

Offer nonverbal emotional attunement & comfort

Responds to your energy with steady, calming presence — no words needed.

Woman in therapy session with emotional support dog for trauma healing

Regulate panic & anxiety in public settings

Helps you feel safer and more in control when anxiety strikes outside the home.

Smiling woman walking with her trained ESA dog in a calming outdoor setting

Calmer mornings and fewer emotional spikes

Creates connection and confidence so you don’t have to navigate life alone.

Dog sitting beside woman during somatic therapy for anxiety and PTSD

Encourage daily structure, purpose & routine

Gives you a reason to get up, stay active, and care for both of you.

Real women, real dogs, real transformation

My Dog Helped Me Live Again

I have CPTSD and panic attacks in stores. My service dog senses the shift before I even feel it and guides me to safety.

Real Clients. Real Results

Sonja Didn’t Just Listen — She Walked With Me Through It

Our sessions help you live with more balance — all in an environment that puts your well-being first.

  • Review
  • "Sonja has done so much to help me work through struggles that I thought actually was apart of me and would follow me my whole life. She is helping guide me to truly loving myself and helping "recalibrate" my brain to find the happier, more loving, optimistic me I can be. I spent years feeling lost and did not know what to do. I tried therapy in the past and only saw a now improvement that would change as more things happened. Sonja is helping me with my past and now to help set up my future me. She is giving me the tools to heal from my pasts and now to have under my belt in the future so maybe one day I can make it through hardships while holding myself up. I am already seeing improvement in myself since I started working with her and I can say that I can not wait to meet that future me with a warm loving hug with the younger me standing at my side knowing that we made it!"

  • "When I first started meeting with Sonja, I was paralyzed, living in fear. I was stuck, living in the past. I did not know what emotions I was feeling or that it was ok to feel them. I had years of bottled up emotions and trauma and no tools to help me process them. I wasn’t even sure how to talk through them. Sonja was patient with me, yet pushed me to go deeper when she needed to. She taught me several tools that helped me in those moments of panic or anxiety. I have learned to allow myself to feel the emotions and then release them. I have learned to be aware of triggers and stop myself from the downward spiral they use to cause. I have learned to use my voice and that it matters. I matter. I have found my smile again. I am no longer stuck. I have found a freedom that I wasn’t sure was even possible. I will be forever grateful for the work I’ve done with Sonja."

  • Review
  • "I have been working with Sonja for 6 months. Her counseling has been very beneficial and I feel like I have come along way with her help. She has been very flexible with the schedule and I would recommend her to anyone."

  • Review
  • Sonja has been so amazing to work with! She asked what I was expecting out of therapy right from the beginning and has followed through with my expectations. I have seen many therapists who have always validated my feelings which personally has never made me feel better. It just encouraged bad patterns and left me feeling stuck in victimhood. I specifically asked Sonja to challenge me and that is exactly what she has done. I always leave our sessions with something to reflect on and work on. I am so grateful i have found Sonja!

Have questions?

ESA & Service Dogs FAQs

What’s the difference between an ESA and a service dog?
Can I train my own dog to be a service animal?
What types of mental health conditions can a service dog help with?
What if my dog isn’t a good fit for service work?
What’s involved in the training process?