With high profile stories coming out every other week, more and more people are getting interested in the use of emotional support animals as a form of therapy. Emotional Support Animals are domesticated animals trained to help people in distress because they offer a constant, comforting presence in times of an  incapacitating emotional/mental disability such as depression, anxiety, autism, depression, PTSD, or bi-polar. An ESA can also help alleviate the symptoms of these disabilities just by being in their owner/handler. These animals are typically dogs, but can also be cats, toy-size pigs, fish, hamsters, and even horses.

However, like anything that rises in popularity, there will always be someone looking to dominate the trend – usually by dishonest means. But this fact should not scare anyone off the idea of acquiring a legitimate emotional support animal for either yourself or for a loved one; it merely means that more attention to detail is needed when deciding who you wish to process your application with.

Applying For An ESA Letter

In order to apply for an emotional support animal letter, you will need a recommendation from a licensed doctor or therapist stating that you, in fact, suffer some type of psychological, physical, or mental condition that would be improved with access to an ESA. Any health professional can write you a recommendation, be it online or offline.

However, if you are going with the online option, it is extremely important that you confirm that your selected physician is what he claims to be. You need to ask for proof of their current medical license and show that they are licensed in the same state as the person wanting to receive the emotional support animal letter.

What Components Should Your Emotional Support Animal Letter Contain To Be Considered Valid?

If your ESA prescription letter contains all of the points listed below, then you can relax knowing that your ESA is completely registered, and that you have full rights as an ESA owner, and that you won’t have to face any embarrassment or hassle.

A Legitimate Emotional Support Animal Certification must:

1. Prove that the mental health expert of choice is licensed in the same state as you.
2. Have the expiration and issue dates of the mental health expert’s license.
3. Be drafted on a doctor’s letterhead and should have the necessary contact information of the physician in question.
4. Require a renewal on a yearly basis and must contain the issue date of the letter along with the expiration date that is no longer than 12 months from original date of issue.
5. The letter should also comprise of the registered ESA’s details such as the kind of animal it is, its name, and its ESA letter ID number.

Before applying for your ESA letter, if you are unsure about your preferred provider, then make sure to inquire more about their proof of legitimacy. Therapy Pet is a company that specializes in issuing legitimate ESA letters that will grant your pets easy and quick access to all the public rights. Some doctors don’t consider emotional support animals to be that important in alleviating the symptoms of mental disabilities and thus do not write any recommendations. To avoid that problem, you can easily obtain your ESA letter from Therapy Pet, a site that helps patients connect with licensed therapists to receive legitimate ESA letters. Prior to issuing the letter, you will have to complete an assessment where a therapist will determine if you qualify for the letter. If you don’t qualify for the letter, your money will be refunded to you immediately.