How to Ask a Doctor for an Emotional Support Animal Letter

What rights are included? Federal law recognizes the importance of ESAs. Emotional support animals are given certain legal protections which enable them to live in no-pet buildings. ESA owners are exempt from having to pay fees and deposits to housing providers to live with their ESA. In addition, ESAs are not subject to breed and size restrictions. 

What you need to do: The only way to properly qualify your animal companion as an ESA is by obtaining an ESA letter from a licensed healthcare professional. 

Can a PCP write the letter? In short, yes.

• Doctors can technically issue ESA letters, but most ESA letters are not from physicians.
• Doctors are often reluctant or unwilling to provide ESA letters because they are not familiar with the ESA process or the patient’s mental health.

Best way forward: Seek the help of a mental health professional familiar with the benefits of ESAs and ESA laws.

Ready to see if you qualify? Click on the link below to get started today.

Why do You Need a Doctor or Therapist to “Prescribe” an Emotional Support Animal?

The law that protects you: Federal Fair Housing guidelines from the U.S. Department of Housing provide that a valid emotional support animal letter must come from a licensed healthcare professional.

Types of licensed healthcare professionals:

• psychiatrists
• psychologists
• clinical social workers
• nurses, nurse practitioners
• physician’s assistants
• licensed counselors
• other licensed professionals responsible for mental health

Be careful where you get your ESA documents from!

Licensing matters: If you get your letter from an unlicensed individual or a company claiming to sell instant ESA letters, you risk the letter being legally invalid or being subject to fees and fines. You will also lose credibility with the housing provider, which could make it more difficult to get accommodation later on. 

You must get your ESA letter from the right source. Otherwise, your landlord could potentially evict your animal companion and impose hefty fees, deposits, and fines for having a pet in your apartment or home. 

A piece of paper is not enough: Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous companies and websites that try to take advantage of people looking to qualify for an ESA. Certifications, registrations, licenses, or ID cards claiming that they will automatically qualify your pet as an ESA are not sufficient, and landlords do not have to accept them as valid forms of proof.

The only way to qualify for an ESA: the only way to qualify for an ESA is by obtaining a recommendation letter from a licensed healthcare professional. We will discuss in the following sections what is in a legitimate ESA letter and how you can obtain a letter from a licensed professional online in a convenient, confidential, and cost-effective way. 

Elements of a Legitimate ESA Letter

Knowing what an emotional support animal letter contains is another way to make sure your letter will work.

What your ESA letter needs to have:

• Mental health professional’s letterhead and signature, as well as the date of issuance
• Mental health professional’s license type, the date the license was issued, the license number, and the state that issued the license
• Confirmation that an emotional support animal is a vital part of your life
• “Prescription” (although not technically a prescription, it is sometimes referred to as an ESA prescription) or recommendation for an ESA
• Details about your pet (type, breed, name, etc.) are not required but may be included

Asking a Therapist or Doctor for an ESA Letter

If you’re already seeing a mental health specialist: Great! It is wonderful that you are getting attention for your condition, and we applaud anyone who takes the step of reaching out for help. You can ask your therapist whether an ESA may be right for you. If your therapist is a licensed professional, such as a licensed clinical social worker, psychologist, psychiatrist, nurse, or licensed counselor, they can write an ESA letter if they feel you would benefit by having one. 

It might feel odd. Some people find it difficult to work up the courage to ask their healthcare provider whether an emotional support animal is right for them. They may feel embarrassed about bringing up the subject or fear being rejected or judged. While it’s true that your request may be rejected, it can’t hurt to raise a potential solution that may help with your condition.  

Possible doesn’t always mean probable. It’s also true that many therapists and doctors just aren’t knowledgeable about emotional support animals and ESA laws. Many licensed healthcare professionals will not agree to issue an ESA letter even if they feel you might benefit from one simply because it is unfamiliar territory for them. 

Online help can be a solution.

If you don’t have a healthcare professional familiar with ESAs or you’re unable to bring up the subject of ESAs with a therapist or doctor you currently have a relationship with, using an online platform to connect with a therapist that specializes in ESAs can be a great choice. 

ESA Doctors works with licensed professionals who understand emotional support animals and have experience writing ESA letters that work. The professionals that work with ESA Doctors are compassionate, understanding, and judgment-free when it comes to mental health and the need for an emotional support animal.

Some people are just too busy to schedule appointments because of working a full-time job, taking care of family, or because they have a busy class schedule at school. Others simply cannot afford the cost of seeing a therapist, especially those who are uninsured. Some people have anxieties or phobias about seeing someone in person and discussing details about their personal history and mental condition. The recent pandemic also forced many people to look for alternatives to meeting with a therapist in person. 

For people in these categories, obtaining an ESA letter through an online provider can be a great option.

Can I Work With a Therapist Online?

Seeking help in person from a licensed therapist is always a great option. However, many people suffering from a mental illness may be uncertain about where to look for one and can be overwhelmed by the search process.

Others have difficulty seeing a therapist in person for various reasons.  

How it works: Obtaining an ESA letter from a therapist that works remotely is just as valid as getting a letter from a therapist in a more traditional setting. Remote therapists provide an invaluable service for people who can’t see a therapist in person, and HUD recognizes that online providers can issue valid ESA letters. Regardless of whether you see a therapist in person or online, it is always important to make sure they are licensed for your state. 

There are many websites that sell things like certificates, registrations, IDs, and licenses. However, there is no official registry for ESAs, and you will be turned away by landlords and airlines if you only show registration papers you purchased. There is also no such thing as an official certification or license for an ESA, and IDs and vests alone will also not properly qualify an emotional support animal. However, some ESA owners like to use these ID cards, certifications and accessories to identify their animal as their emotional support animal.

Click here to get started on qualifying for your ESA letter.

How Can You Recognize Reliable and Legitimate ESA Websites?

Do they claim that ESA registration or certification qualifies your animal as an ESA? ESA Doctors operates as a platform that efficiently connects you to a real licensed mental health professional and works remotely to offer legitimate services.

Red Flags for Fake ESA Letters

Qualifying for an ESA letter is a process, below are a few things you should look out for if you are looking to get an ESA letter online.

1. ESA Registration/Certification Services

• Emotional support animals have no registration requirement.
• There is no governing body that registers emotional support animals.
• Landlords will deny your “registered ESA” if you do not have a legitimate ESA letter.
• There is no official certification or licensing process for ESAs. 

2. Instant Approval

• You cannot be instantly approved for an ESA letter. A licensed therapist must evaluate your need for an ESA. It takes time to approve each individual by a licensed mental health professional. A legitimate service also cannot guarantee that you will be approved since each licensed professional will make their own determination about whether you qualify for not.
• Avoid dirt-cheap letters. A legitimate ESA letter is written by a licensed mental health professional. Using an online provider can be cheaper than seeing a therapist in person, but a licensed professional does not offer services for dirt cheap. If you find a service offering bargain-basement letters without the involvement of a licensed professional, it is not legitimate.

The Benefits You Get with an Emotional Support Animal Letter

Under federal housing rules, emotional support animals are not considered regular pets. Emotional support animals have certain rights that regular pets don’t have. 

An ESA letter allows your animal companion to live in a building that generally doesn’t allow pets. Tenants with emotional support animals do not need to pay fees or deposits for their ESA. Landlords also cannot restrict an ESA solely based on breed or weight. 

Emotional support animals have certain rights that regular pets don’t have.

A legitimate emotional support animal letter can ensure that your animal companion can live with you at no additional cost. In addition, the letter allows your animal companion to live in a housing facility that generally doesn’t allow pets. Tenants with emotional support animals do not need to pay fees or deposits in connection with their ESA. Landlords also cannot restrict an ESA solely because it is a certain breed or weight. 

If you are looking to see if you qualify for an ESA but do not have a therapist or are having difficulty finding one or seeing one in person, ESA Doctors can help connect you to someone licensed for your state that works remotely. Just click on the link below to get started. 

Get your Emotional Support Animal Letter Online

Get the Love and Support you deserve.