Everything You Should Know About How to Get an Emotional Support Animal
When you have such a loyal companion as an ESA, you can be sure that your pet will always be by your side even on bad days. Indeed, our pets never stop sharing their love with us. And that’s the main reason why emotional support animals continue to help numerous people fight their mental health problems. They simply love us unconditionally and this makes all the difference.
Although you are free to choose almost any kind of animal you like, dogs remain a highly popular option. Who wouldn’t want to have the “best man’s friend” as an ESA? What’s more, when you have an ESA dog for a company, you can enjoy housing protections under the Fair Housing Act, but not general public access rights like service animals have.
However, to access all the amazing opportunities, you should first find out more about how to get an ESA letter and obtain a valid ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional. Want to learn the details? Below you’ll find everything you need to know before you get an ESA letter yourself and make your pet legitimate.
Useful Facts About ESA letter and Why You Need It
All dogs have a miraculous ability to lift our spirits in a matter of a second. And ESA dogs play a very special role – they help emotionally unstable people overcome their disorders and achieve recovery quickly and easily. But before you go and get an emotional support animal yourself, it’s worth to learn more about the procedure. This will ensure that you do everything correctly without breaking the rules.
So, how to get an ESA dog certificate?
Here are 3 easy steps to obtain an ESA letter documenting your need for housing accommodation:
- Decide whether or not the dog is the right animal for your specific needs and whether it can help you overcome your health problems effectively.
- Consult with a licensed mental health professional, who will determine if you have a qualifying disability and whether an ESA would help and make sure getting an ESA is the right way of treatment in your case.
- Receive your emotional support animal letter and feel free to take full advantage of your newly acquired rights.
Note: Avoid scam companies that offer fake services to those who seek an ESA letter. And keep in mind that Many providers recommend renewing ESA letters annually; landlords may ask for recent documentation and you will have to renew it when it becomes outdated. Though, since most services offer reduced rates for certificate renewal, it can hardly become a problem.
What exactly will an ESA letter give you?
There are multiple things an ESA certificate can give the owners of emotional support dogs and other types of ESA pets. To mention a few, the letter received from a therapist will provide:
- Acknowledgment from a licensed mental health professional that you have a disability and that an ESA helps alleviate symptoms of a qualified mental health expert.
- Confirmation that you have a qualifying disability under the FHA without disclosing specific diagnosis which doesn’t allow you to live normally, but instead, affects the quality of your life and your mental wellbeing.
- Recognition that your emotional support animal provides the needed companionship and helps you to fight the signs of your disorder and restore your mental stability.
- Documentation that a licensed mental health professional has recommended an ESA to you so that you can access your rights and opportunities as an ESA owner.
As soon as you get your ESA dog certified and receive the letter, you’ll be all set to use the terrific opportunities such as housing accommodations under the FHA. Airlines and workplaces are generally not required to accept ESAs.
Note: Simply because mere pets without an ESA status aren’t allowed to be taken to the workplaces or onboard the plane, obtaining a valid ESA letter is essential to access housing rights.
What will you need to qualify for an ESA?
If you have a mental or psychological problem, you can qualify for an ESA letter and get a legal right to own it. A licensed mental health professional must determine you have a qualifying disability and that an ESA would help alleviate symptoms:
- Learning and cognitive difficulties
- PTSD, stress, and traumas
- Motor skills problems
- Panic attacks
- Depression
- Bipolar disorder
- Anxiety and fears
- Substance abuse, etc.
There are lots of other conditions that may decrease your quality of life and not allow you to lead a usual lifestyle as all other people do. Basically, as long as your problem doesn’t let you live happily, you can give it a try and consult a therapist to check if it’s possible to receive an ESA letter in your case.
How will your life change if you get an ESA dog?
If you already have a dog, you may check if you can give it a legal status of an ESA. If you don’t have one yet, just imagine how much it can give you and don’t lose a chance to apply for an ESA letter right away.
Remember that obtaining an ESA letter provides housing rights under the FHA. ESAs are not guaranteed access to airplanes, workplaces, or public places under federal law.
But the most important thing an ESA dog ownership can give you is perhaps the much-needed feeling of emotional comfort and relief from any serious mental problems that keep bothering you. And that’s the primary reason why anyone would try to get any type of ESA in the first place.
Everything else is just a pleasant addition that comes with the ownership of a companion animal. And, of course, it’s your emotional stability and mental wellbeing that really matter here making the whole thing a worthy one.
If that’s what you want to achieve, why not give it a try now? Don’t miss a chance to change your life for the better and check if you can get an ESA letter now!