Gabriel Warner, LCSW

Gabriel Warner's role

When you book an evaluation, Gabriel Warner may be the clinician you speak with. His role is to carry out the mental health evaluation behind your PSD letter request and, when it is appropriate, issue the letter.

Appropriate is the key word. A letter is issued only when the evaluation supports it. If it does not, you receive no letter and pay nothing.

What is an LCSW

LCSW stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics explains that clinical social workers diagnose and treat mental, behavioral and emotional problems, and that every state requires them to be licensed. Licensure generally requires a master's degree in social work (MSW) from an accredited program, supervised clinical experience after the degree, and a passing score on a clinical exam. Exact titles, such as LCSW or LICSW, vary by state.

LCSWs are licensed mental health professionals. The National Alliance on Mental Illness lists clinical social workers among the professionals trained to evaluate a person's mental health and use therapeutic techniques, alongside psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors.

Why an LCSW can write a PSD letter

For housing, the HUD and DOJ joint statement on reasonable accommodations lets a provider ask for reliable information about your disability and your disability-related need for the animal when they are not obvious. That information can come from a medical professional or another reliable third party in a position to know about your disability. It does not limit that role to physicians. A licensed clinician who has evaluated you directly can provide that kind of documentation.

That is different from documents sold online with no real evaluation. A certificate or registration purchased online, with no clinician assessing you, says little on its own about a disability or a disability-related need.

Letter signing and verification

Each letter Gabriel Warner issues is a signed PDF that lists his license details. Because social work licenses are issued by state boards, a housing provider can confirm the license number with the issuing state.

If anyone has a question about a letter, they can also email support@usapsdletter.com.

• Clinician's name: Gabriel Warner
• License type: LCSW
• License number
• Issuing state
• Date signed

Preparing for your evaluation

You do not need to prepare anything elaborate. It helps to think ahead about how your condition affects your daily routine, and to be ready to describe the specific things your dog has been trained to do, such as interrupting a panic response, applying deep pressure, or waking you from a nightmare.

Be honest about your dog's training stage too. A dog still in training may not yet perform tasks reliably, and the clinician's findings need to reflect where things actually stand. An accurate letter protects you far better than an overstated one, because housing providers can ask follow-up questions when something does not add up.

What the evaluation covers

The evaluation is a 5–10 minute phone or video conversation. It covers what a PSD letter must reflect: your psychiatric condition and how it affects daily life, and the specific tasks your dog is trained to perform that relate to that condition.

If your dog provides comfort but is not task-trained, a PSD letter would not be accurate; an emotional support animal (ESA) letter is the right document in that case. This site does not sell ESA letters, and the clinician will be honest with you about which applies.

If you are in crisis at any point, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 in an emergency.