Emotional support animals are pets that provide support and companionship for people with severe anxiety, depression, and certain phobias. Although they provide these benefits to their handlers, ESAs are still not to be considered service animals.
To consider a pet as an emotional support animal, handlers or owners need to acquire a prescription letter from a licensed mental health professional, such as the ones at A. L. Mental Health, a provider of mental health counseling in New York.
Our mental health counseling office offers prescription letters for all clients in need of ESAs. Before doing so, there needs to be a deep emotional connection between the person and the animal (mostly dogs).
With the assistance of our counseling services, we can evaluate your needs and determine whether the support animal alleviates the stress caused by an emotional or mental disability.
Aside from the one mentioned above, here are more benefits to having an emotional support animal:
- Improved physical health
Studies have found that emotional support animals also help to lower blood pressure, decrease respiration rates, and improve the ability to cope with pain.
- Reduces loneliness
Animals can provide companionship, which is especially important for people who live alone and experience symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Reciprocal care and love
Emotional support animals help give people a sense of purpose. ESAs also need care and love from their handlers, which can be emotionally rewarding.
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