Emotional support animals (ESAs) are some of the most beneficial companions for individuals from all walks of life. These trusty animal friends allow individuals greater peace of mind, in addition to providing relief and support from certain mental health issues. Emotional support animals must be a prescribed part of your treatment plan, and when discussing adding an ESA to your life, you can think about the benefits these animals might bring. Below, we give you an overview of emotional support animal benefits to know about.
What Is an Emotional Support Animal?
An emotional support animal is any animal that brings an individual comfort, support, or relief from certain mental health symptoms. While most people will adopt a dog or a cat, an ESA can be any type of animal, including snakes, rabbits, birds, and fish. These animals don’t need to be trained to perform tasks, but they do need to be reasonable for the type of housing you are living in. For example, your ESA cannot be an illegal animal, an exotic animal you cannot care for in an apartment complex, or an animal that is too large for a certain housing unit.
Is My Emotional Support Animal a Service Animal?
Emotional support animals and service animals are different, and your ESA is not a service animal. Both of these animal companions bring a great amount of support and relief to individuals, but service animals are trained to complete tasks for their owners, and service animals are only dogs (sometimes, miniature horses may be service animals).
Your ESA can be any animal, on the other hand, and they are not required to be trained. However, this means that your emotional support animal does not have as many wide-reaching public and private access rights as a service animal.
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Emotional Support Animal Benefits: What to Know
There are many different benefits to adding an emotional support animal to your life. We list some of the most impressive benefits below to give you an idea of how an ESA might help you with your mental health and overall happiness:
- Bring you a sense of routine, as caring for your ESA will be an important addition to your day
- Encourage you to get outside more or stay active
- Provide comfort during anxiety attacks or periods of negative emotions
- Alleviate loneliness and provide companionship
- Reduce the intensity of phobias or other negative feelings
- Encourage mental and emotional resilience
When considering an emotional support animal, make sure to speak with your therapist or other mental healthcare provider so you can get a professional opinion on how an ESA might fit into your life and treatment plan.
How Do I Get an Emotional Support Animal?
Due to federal ESA laws, the only way to get a valid emotional support animal is to speak to your mental healthcare provider and receive their approval for your ESA. Your provider will write you an ESA letter stating your need, and this letter will entitle you to take advantage of your protected ESA rights.
Keep in mind that you cannot get a valid ESA without speaking to a mental healthcare provider or doctor licensed in your state – letters printed off the internet or registering your animal online don’t make them an ESA; only an ESA letter written by your provider does this.
What Are My Emotional Support Animal Rights?
With a valid ESA, your main protected right is the right to live in any suitable area of housing with your animal; this right is protected by the Fair Housing Act, and it lets you avoid paying pet fees and pet security deposits, in addition to exempting you from breed and pet restrictions. Simply put, this means you have the right to live with your ESA anywhere without dealing with breed restrictions and pet fees.
However, your ESA must be reasonably accommodated (such as no exotic animals in an apartment building), and you must have them under your control in addition to ensuring they are not destructive or dangerous.
Emotional Support Animal Benefits: Adding an ESA to Your Life
Adding an emotional support animal to your life is often a great way to get relief from certain mental health issues. Your ESA can bring you a sense of routine, provide you with comfort and happiness, and encourage you to get outside more, all things that can help with various mental health conditions. Ask your therapist or a doctor about adding an emotional support animal to your life in order to determine if this is the right step for your treatment plan.
