To get a PSD letter, you’ll need to ask a licensed mental health professional like your therapist, doctor, social worker, or counselor. You’ll be asked some questions about your mental health, and the provider will then use that information to determine whether you have an ADA health condition that is appropriate for psychiatric service dog ownership.
You can get your PSD letter in a few different ways:
- Ask your current mental health provider
- See a new mental health professional in person
- Connect with an online provider through ESA Doctors
In this article, we’ll tell you how to request a PSD letter, why you might need one, what a PSD letter can do for you, and much more.
If you are ready to work with a licensed healthcare professional for
- What is a psychiatric service dog?
- Where can I get a PSD letter?
- Who qualifies for a psychiatric service dog?
- Why should I get a PSD letter?
1. How do I ask for a PSD letter?
Asking your therapist or doctor for a PSD letter might feel awkward, but it’s a totally normal request. The key is to be honest about how you’re feeling these days and your goal to have a psychiatric service dog. Your provider will try to assess how severe your condition is and whether it qualifies under the ADA’s definition of “disability” (see the following sections for what that means).
Your provider is also going to be curious about why you want a psychiatric service dog, so you should be specific about your desire for one. Here are some sample talking points you can bring up during your appointment:
- “My anxiety has been getting out of control. Having a dog lay on me makes me feel better and I want to explore training a dog to do that on command.”
- “When my depression is really bad, having a dog to care for would give me a reason to get out of bed and I could train them to bring me my meds.”
- “My dog helps me stay grounded during panic attacks – just having her lick or paw me makes a big difference.”
- “I’m looking into getting a psychiatric service dog, and I want your opinion on whether my mental health condition could merit having one.”
Remember, if your provider says no or wants to explore other options first, that’s okay, too. They might not be familiar with service dog criteria under the ADA. If you’re seeing someone new, you should ask ahead of time about whether they have experience with documents like PSD letters.
2. Where can I get a PSD letter?
You can get a PSD letter from anyone qualified to evaluate your mental health. PSD letters usually come from licensed professionals like the following:
- Psychiatrists
- Psychologists
- Marriage and Family Therapist
- Physicians
- Licensed professional counselors
- Clinical social workers
- Nurses
These licensed professionals are trained to recognize mental illnesses and discuss your mental health in a sensitive, caring way. Your current mental health provider is the most obvious choice if you have one since they already know your history.
Even if you already have a provider, here’s why many people choose to go the online route instead: online PSD letter specialists are mental health professionals with a focus specifically on PSD evaluations. They offer some pretty significant advantages:
- You can handle the entire process online
- They’re experts at writing PSD letters
- They understand ADA service animal laws
- It can be much cheaper than seeing a therapist or doctor in person
- You get your letter quickly, often within a couple of days
Want to get started on your PSD letter evaluation today? ESA Doctors works with the most experienced and friendly healthcare professionals when it comes to PSD letters. Just click on the link below to get started:
3. Will I be able to get a PSD letter?
PSD letters all generally look similar — they state the healthcare professional’s opinion on whether you have an ADA-eligible mental health disability. The ADA defines a disability as any health condition, including psychiatric ones, that “substantially limits one or more major life activities.”
Think of it this way: if your mental health condition seriously gets in the way of doing normal daily stuff that most people do easily, it might qualify as a disability.
Here are some real-world examples:
Anxiety might qualify if:
- Your panic attacks are so severe you can’t leave your house alone
- You can’t take public transportation because of overwhelming anxiety
- You struggle to stay in work meetings due to severe anxiety symptoms
- You can’t attend classes at school
Depression could be a disability when:
- You can’t get out of bed most days
- You’re unable to maintain basic self-care routines
- You can’t concentrate enough to hold down a job
PTSD might qualify if:
- You can’t sleep through the night due to nightmares
- You have flashbacks that prevent you from functioning in certain situations
- You can’t be in crowds or certain environments without severe reactions
Just having these conditions doesn’t automatically mean you have a disability. The key question is: does it seriously impact your ability to do everyday things? For example, someone might have anxiety but manage it well enough that it doesn’t substantially limit their daily activities.
In deciding whether or not to give you a PSD letter, the healthcare professional will think about how your health condition affects your life and determine whether you meet that threshold.
4. Why should I get a PSD letter?
A PSD letter serves one main purpose: it helps you confirm whether you qualify for a service dog under the Americans with Disabilities Act. That matters because there can be legal consequences for misrepresenting a pet as a service dog.
To verify you have a service dog, you can be asked two questions under the ADA: 1. Is the dog a service dog required for a disability? and 2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform? A PSD letter provides peace of mind so you can confidently answer the first question.
Keep in mind this important point, however: as a service dog owner, you never have to show your PSD letter to businesses, landlords, or employers. The letter is purely for your own documentation to confirm you qualify for a service dog in the first place. You can choose to share it with others to facilitate service dog accommodation in certain situations, but that is purely at your discretion. For example, if your landlord is giving you a hard time about your service dog and insists on seeing proof from a healthcare professional, you can voluntarily share your PSD letter instead of standing your ground and refusing (which is completely within your rights).
Getting a PSD letter is like doing your legal homework before moving forward with a service dog. It helps you confirm that, yes, you genuinely qualify under the ADA’s definition of disability. This gives you confidence in your right to have a service dog. If someone ever questions your rights or suggests you’re misrepresenting your dog, you’ll feel better about being on solid ground.
Getting a PSD letter evaluation before claiming service dog status can also help protect the legitimacy of all service dogs. Here’s how:
- It can prevent accidental misrepresentation by people who might think any mental health diagnosis qualifies them
- It helps maintain public trust in legitimate service dogs and their handlers
- It can reduce the likelihood of people inadvertently breaking laws about service dog misrepresentation
This matters because the service dog community relies on public understanding and respect for access rights. Every time someone claims service dog status without actually qualifying, it makes things more complicated for legitimate handlers. Getting a PSD letter shows respect for these rules and helps maintain the integrity of the system that so many people depend on.
I don’t understand…no certificate. If u go to a hotel, restaurant or any public places don’t they what to see some proof of psd such as an certificate. How could this be?
You don’t need any documents to prove that you have a service dog. Under ADA rules, staff can only ask two questions: 1. Is the dog a service dog required for a disability? and 2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
How can I get an emotional support animal certificate if I can’t afford one but I do have Medicare/Medicaid and reside in Oklahoma?
You do not need a “certificate” for an emotional support animal. You will need a letter from your licensed healthcare provider. We recommend checking to see if a doctor or therapist covered by your insurance can help you.
On the DOT form for plane travel, it ask the name of the trainer , I am the one (owner of the dog) who trained my dog, is it allowed that I will put myself on the form?
Thank u!
If you are the trainer you can put yourself down on the form. Please see this article for information on how to complete the DOT form: https://esadoctors.com/dot-service-animal-air-transportation-form/
The building where I live wants to mail an actual letter of their own to the ESA doctor. Is this possible for them to mail to an actual address for a response, if your service is used.
That is not how ESA letters are usually handled. The doctor or therapist will give the ESA letter directly to the tenant, and then it is the tenant’s responsibility to submit the ESA letter to their housing provider.
A friend of mine drives an 18 wheeler. She often has to spend the night alone in her truck. The route she drives has had a few women attacked while parked at night. She experienced childhood trauma and is having increasing difficulty sleeping for fear of being attacked. She has a large bully dog who protects her at home but wants to know if she would qualify for a ESD or a PSD so she could take him on the road. The company she drives for does not allow them to carry weapons or to carry a dog so women are left without protection.
ESAs do not have workplace rights unfortunately, but service dogs do. To qualify, your friend would need to confirm that she has an eligible ADA mental health disability, and also a dog that has been individually trained to do a job or task related to that disability.
What can I do if I can’t afford to pay for a letter or certificate to show that my dog a PSD dog
You do not need a letter, certificate or any other form of documentation to prove that you own a psychiatric service dog. A PSD letter can certainly help since it can confirm whether you have an ADA eligible disability, but you do not need to carry it around with you. If a staff member wants to verify that you are being accompanied by a psychiatric service dog, they can ask two questions: 1. Is the dog a service dog required for a disability? and 2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform? For reference, you can find the ADA rules at this link: https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010-requirements/
I would need this when flying.
PSD letters are helpful but do not have to be submitted to airlines in order to fly with a psychiatric service dog. You would need to complete the DOT’s Service Animal Transportation Form: https://esadoctors.com/dot-service-animal-air-transportation-form/
My daughter’s mental health provider won’t write a PSD letter because they haven’t been trained on the subject ven though the therapist we work with thinks it would be good for my daughter who has a diagnosis listed on this website. Any suggestions on how I can direct them to such training?
Your situation is unfortunately all too common. Many therapists and doctors are unable to write ESA letters or PSD letters because they lack the proper understanding or experience. If you need someone that specializes in PSD letter evaluations, we can certainly help. With our service you’ll work directly with a provider licensed for your state that is an expert at PSD letters. If your provider would like more information on what to do in these situations, we wrote an article they might find helpful which they can find here: https://esadoctors.com/tell-client-cant-write-esa-letter/
American Airlines as of 6/16/2022 is requiring PSD dogs to have a PSD certificate prior to boarding. I already have a letter from a licensed health care professional, how do I get an “official’ looking PSD certificate for my dog?
TIA,
Rob
You do not need a “certificate” for a service dog. The airline may be referring to the DOT’s Service Animal Air Transportation form. Please see this link on instructions for that form: https://esadoctors.com/dot-service-animal-air-transportation-form/
I am having a difficult time finding a trainer to train my dog as a PSD. Can I get help finding some training that is available?
Unfortunately we do not provide referrals for trainers.
You can train your own
I’m interested in adopting a dog soon, which I’d like to train as my own PSD. I’ve had my therapist recommend it to me on multiple occasions. What do I need before adopting? Additionally, my landlord has previously said no to having pets, though half our community has dogs. Where do I start?
Service animals are exempt from no-pets policies. Landlords have to reasonably accommodate tenants that have a disability that requires the use of a trained service animal. We don’t provide any assistance with the adoption process, but if you are not experienced in training dogs we suggest consulting with a professional trainer and your therapist to determine the type of training your potential PSD will need and what characteristics in a dog you may want.
Once I have my letter for my PSD dog where does it go? Who does it get submitted to? I mean there’s actually no real certification process so where does the letter go to?
You do not need to submit a PSD letter. PSD letters are used by individuals to understand whether they have an eligible disability under the ADA and ACAA for purposes of owning a service dog. When flying with a PSD for example, the owner must certify on a DOT form that they have a disability that requires the use of a trained service dog. This is a federal form with penalties for misstatements so service dog owners need to make sure they are being completely accurate. For more information on the DOT travel form please see this article: https://esadoctors.com/dot-service-animal-air-transportation-form/