Emotional Support Dog Evaluations and Letters
Millions of Americans have pets that bring them joy and comfort. But did you know that many people rely on animals for support to manage physical or psychological symptoms, maintain optimal functioning, or to help assess potential danger?
To qualify for an emotional support animal in public places, there must be a letter from a mental health professional stating that you have a disability and the animal provides necessary therapy for your condition.
Before we get into writing a letter, let’s clear up a few things. Most people think that the different categories of animals are interchangeable. To clarify the misconceptions, we have described each to broaden your knowledge and options.
However, remember that we currently only provide letters for Emotional Support Animals (ESA).
- Emotional Support Animals
- Service animals.
- Comfort Dogs
- Animal Assisted Therapy
Emotional Support Animals
The Evolve Center provides support to individuals needing a prescription to have an Emotional Support Animal or ESA. An Emotional Support Animal or ESA is an animal that provides emotional benefits if you have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder.
An ESA can be an existing pet or one adopted for that purpose and does not require specialized training to assist you with your condition, although owners should ensure they’re well-trained in public. The animal’s job is to support you and your well-being. It is essential to mention that your emotional support animal does not have automatic access to every place a service dog (see service animal description below) may go.
Therefore, it is best to ask establishments such as restaurants, shops, or malls whether your animal is allowed or if an exception can be made. Although ESAs do not have the same protections under the ADA as service animals, they may receive special consideration. Housing providers, however, must reasonably accommodate ESA owners even if they have a strict policy prohibiting pets. As of January 2021, emotional support animals are no longer recognized as service animals and are prohibited from flying with their owners unless as a pet.
Service Animals
Service animals are dogs, regardless of breed or type, that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability, including a person with physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. A psychiatric service dog requires extensive training to perform tasks related to a person’s mental health disability. Psychiatric service dogs are afforded greater access and rights than emotional support animals.
Please note that our ESA letters are for qualifying dogs or cats only. The type or breed of your cat or dog does not matter as long as your pet is not aggressive and is well-behaved. The assessment does not validate the safety or appropriateness of your animal in other settings. Additional charges apply to multiple animals.
Our process:
Step #1
You will reach out to us for an appointment. During the first appointment, we will collect important consents to obtain legal documentation to support your documented medical and mental history. This is an essential step to support your application for a prescription.
Step #2
Next, we will schedule an appointment with you to complete a virtual assessment with a licensed practitioner from our practice. During this 90-minute assessment, you will be asked many questions, complete some diagnostic testing, and a preliminary determination will be made. Rather, you can proceed to the next step, which will include a virtual appointment with you and your proposed emotional support animal.
Step #3
During this step the trained practitioner will evaluate interactions with you and your ESA and decide regarding the appropriateness of a prescription.
Step #4
Once all medical records are received and the evaluations completed, you will receive a comprehensive report that details the diagnosis, recommendations for treatment, ESA letter prescription) and an agency-specific identification card of you and your ESA that is not an official card but helps identify your ESA.
Fees:
To protect the integrity of this process, you will be charged in phases to ensure that there is no incentive to erroneously and fraudulently diagnose and to protect the integrity of this process, you, and the well being of others.
The first payment be for the Diagnostic Assessment and the request for medical records validating your diagnoses.
The next payment will be due before the session with you and your proposed ESA.
The final payment will be due after the process, and if a prescription is warranted.
Your prescription is good for only a year and we do require our ESA patients to schedule quarterly check-in appointments to ensure the patient has no problem with obtaining future prescriptions. Please note that after the first assessment, as long as the patient continues their quarterly check-in appointments (30 minutes), a new assessment will not be needed unless the symptoms worsen or the patient reports needing an updated assessment or additional support.
Don't hesitate to get in touch with our office for our fee schedule at (678)214-1469. Be mindful that our pricing is representative of the qualifications of our providers who are doctorally prepared to conduct behavioral health assessments and are certified as Rehabilitation Counselors.
Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSD)
Service dogs are animals trained to perform specific tasks according to their handler’s needs. Service dogs assist people with a range of disabilities from physical impairments such as blindness and mobility issues to mental disabilities like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Service dogs help their disabled handlers through tasks such as guiding them around obstacles while walking; alerting them to noises such as alarms, sirens, or oncoming traffic; retrieving water bottles, medication, or dropped objects; reminding the handler to take prescribed medications; and diffusing anxiety attacks.
If you or someone you know has a disability, a service dog may be a helpful course of treatment. It’s essential to do research to make sure your disability is eligible for a service dog before applying.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) describes an “individual with a disability as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of the impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment.” This definition is somewhat loose and vague, but the main takeaway is that a person is considered to be disabled if their life is more difficult in some way than that of the average person.
This means a person can be considered disabled for either physical or mental impairments. Physical disabilities are often much easier to diagnose and prove. Furthermore, physical disabilities tend to lead to more apparent solutions regarding tasks that service dogs would be trained to perform on behalf of the disabled handler.
Evolve Center can assist with a Psychiatric Service Dog. To qualify for a service dog, a person’s disability must first fall under the ADA definition of a mental or physical disability, but this is not necessarily enough to qualify a person for a service animal. The person must also provide documentation from a medical professional that their disability could be improved or supported in some way by the service animal.