Lesson 3

Readiness Pathways & the ESA-to-PSD Readiness Review

Video Lesson Coming Soon

For now, please complete the written lesson content, workbook, journals, and readiness scorecard. Video lessons will be added later.

Lesson 3 introduces the educational pathways available within Lewis & Clark Therapy/Service Dogs and explains how to think about which direction may fit your situation today.

New Lewis & Clark Pathway: ESA-to-Psychiatric Service Dog Readiness Review

Many people begin by asking whether they need an emotional support animal. But sometimes a more structured, task-trained educational direction is a better fit. Lewis & Clark Therapy/Service Dogs is developing an internal readiness pathway for students who originally believed they needed an emotional support animal but may need to explore whether a task-trained psychiatric service dog or medical-alert readiness pathway is a more appropriate educational direction.

This is not a medical, legal, diagnosis, eligibility, certification, or public-access determination. It is an internal Lewis & Clark educational readiness pathway that helps students and instructors think carefully about next-step coursework, structured foundation training, and longer-term direction.

What this lesson covers

  • Overview of internal Lewis & Clark educational pathways.
  • How the ESA-to-PSD Readiness Review is used inside this course.
  • Language and framing — what this pathway is and what it is not.
  • How to use the Readiness Scorecard to support reflection.

Your action steps

  1. Read the Lesson 3 pages in your Course Workbook.
  2. Add Readiness Journal reflections about your current educational direction.
  3. Continue to Lesson 4.

Educational use only.

This course is educational only. It does not certify, register, approve, diagnose, qualify, or guarantee any dog or handler for therapy dog work, service dog work, public access, or legal status.