How to Get an ESA Certification

People with disability in the form of mental illness have discovered that the presence of a loving pet can help alleviate some of their symptoms. But before you get an emotional support animal, you will need to consider .

Emotional support animals are subscribed by mental health professionals. As of 10th January 2022, there were 222 314 emotional support animals in the USA. So how do you get an emotional support animal? It can be a confusing process, but this will help to shed light on the process of ESA certification.

What Is an Emotional Support Animal?

Emotional support animals are animals that bring support and comfort to owners who suffer from mental or emotional illnesses.

How Emotional Support Animals Help People:

Improves Your Schedule	Schedules and routines may be very important, yet, schedules may seem tedious. A pet requires care and a certain routine. You must feed them, and you have to walk them, bathe them, play with them, etc. Setting your schedule to be based on their needs can also impact your other day-to-day tasks.
Improve Memory and Focus	Pets are very good at keeping person-centered. If you forget to feed them, they will remind you. If you feel lost in thought, they can give you a nudge to remind you that they are there.
Improve Sleep	If you are someone who suffers from hyperactivity, you may feel unable to rest well at night. After running, walking, playing, and focusing on your pet throughout the day, you may be able to rest more at night.
Relieves Stress	Pets provide unconditional love to their owners. They are unable to yell or do things that may stress you. This can give you a sense of confidence and reduce your risk of depression or anxiety.

While all pets offer emotional support to their owners, a pet needs to be licensed by a mental health professional for it to be considered an emotional support animal.

Unlike service dogs, emotional support dogs do not have to undergo special training for them to offer support to their owners.

What Is an ESA Letter?

There is a common misconception that you need to get your pet certified for it to become an Emotional Support Animal (ESA). But the truth can't be any further from that – you do not "certify" your emotional support animal. . What you need instead is an ESA letter.

You will have to obtain an emotional support letter from a licensed mental health professional for you to get a legitimate ESA. This letter confirms that you require the support of the animal for emotional support. The animal will help alleviate your symptoms and offer you therapeutic benefits.

You'll need an ESA letter to bring your ESA to specific airlines such as United Airlines, South West, and American Airlines. The fair housing act also covers ESA and housing.

If you meet the qualifications, your ESA letter will:

Contain the license issue and expiry date.
State that you have a disability.
Recommend an emotional support animal to help alleviate your disability.
Contain your doctor's contact information.
The license number of your mental health professional.
Be written on your mental health professional's letterhead.

Here is an example of an ESA letter. If you are interested in finding out whether you qualify for an emotional support animal, you'll need to speak to your therapist either one-on-one or through select websites.

How to Get ESA Certification by Yourself

Emotional support animals are just like prescriptions – you need to consult a professional before you can receive an ESA letter.

Here is .

Speak to a Licensed Mental Health Professional (LMPH)

You can check in your locality to find an LMPH near you. This can be particularly beneficial if you intend to have an ongoing relationship with your therapist. If your LMPH determines that an emotional support animal would be beneficial to you, they will then write you an ESA letter.'

Get Your ESA Letter

Depending on your LMHP; you may receive your ESA letter at the end of your appointment. However, some providers will have you pick your letter on a different day or even mail it to you. Ask your provider what to expect. If you need to wait three days or longer, you should consider getting an ESA online.

Alternatively, Get an ESA Letter Online

There are plenty of online services that can connect you with an LMHP from your state online for a one-on-one session.

Next Steps for ESA Certification if You Can’t Do It Yourself

Obtaining an ESA can be a difficult task. From long waiting lists to see a therapist have to wait for days to receive your ESA letter, it's safe to say that it is a time-consuming activity. But you can make the process easier with DoNotPay.

Here is how DoNotPay can help you:

Through our new Emotional Support Animal (ESA) product, we can help you with all your ESA-related problems including, asking airlines for their accommodation options, finding the most affordable online ESA-letter service, and contacting your landlord about your ESA.

Search "service animal" on DoNotPay.
Select the type of issue you need help with, including contacting your landlord about your ESA/service animal, asking your airline about ESA options, or requesting ESA/service accommodations at other venues.
Answer a series of questions about your current situation and the details of your ESA/service animal, so we can generate the best results for you.

And that's it. Depending on your issue, DoNotPay will generate a letter to your landlord and mail it on your behalf, contact the airline agency and get back to you with an answer, or send a letter to your mental health professional requesting an ESA letter.

Why Use DoNotPay to Get ESA Certification?

Fast – Get all your ESA certification issues solved with just the click of a button.
Easy – You do not have to struggle contacting airports or landlords to ask about their ESA policy.
Successful – we will make the best case for you.